ICYMI: IC in 2021, AstraZeneca, and Hearing Colors
đ Hello to everyone and a special hello to the latest subscribers from Argentina, Los Angeles, and Bangalore!
Time is running out to sign up for the Executive Communication Councilâs Employee Communications Summit, happening virtually June 22-23.
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In case you missed itâŚ
1. What Value Will Internal Comms Add in 2021?
ContactMonkeyâs report (26 pages) on the state of internal comms highlights several trends shaping our industry for 2021. Last year internal comms shined as a business-critical function in keeping employees informed as they navigated a constantly shifting workplace landscape. What will 2021 bring?
Some report highlights:
Increasing employee satisfaction is the top goal for the majority internal communicators
Effective culture change, reduced attrition, and improved productivity are also key drivers of internal communication strategy
Low employee responsiveness and feedback is a struggle for 68% of internal communicators
Measurement persists as a pressing challenge for 83% of internal communications
Employee satisfaction and experience are top priorities for internal communicators in 2021, according to the report. If thatâs the case, those same efforts will be the top stressors for our profession.
But to what degree should the IC team be held accountable for the âexperienceâ employees have with the company. Isnât that more the realm of the HR, internal branding/marketing, and actual âemployee experienceâ teams?
đ The real question: Now that IC has a seat at the table, what are we going to do with it?
2. How AstraZeneca Uses Video for Employee Engagement
Video comms has become a way to share news and information across the commercial business and manufacturing sides of AstraZenecaâs Australian branch, as well as to boost employee engagement. For example, a recent call to support a fundraising activity to support people with lung cancer saw staff doing a 30-second video challenge. Footage was then sliced into a video shared internally.
âBecause people are so much more comfortable using their phones to record and know what the output looks like, we get greater participation across the workforce and ⌠connecting and sharing across teams,â says Melissa Millard, head of Communications. Â
Shootsa is their video production app of choice.
Video âdemocratizesâ internal communications, said Millard. âItâs the responsibility of everyone in the organization, not just someone with communications in their title, to be communicating. Using [video] in cross-functional collaboration is key,â she said.
⨠Paid subscribers get access to a nine-part series on Mister Editorial that examines how internal comms professionals and teams can avoid The Innovator's Dilemma. The series concludes with a proposal for internal comms to adopt a truly disruptive communication effort.
Part 1:Â How Internal Communications Can Avoid the Innovatorâs Dilemma
Part 2: Today Versus Tomorrow
Part 3: A Lack of Resources (coming June 3)
3. Quick Hits
The New York Times has hired Cynara Charles-Pierre to be SVP of culture and communications (PR Week)
Hereâs the shortlist of candidates for Communicate Magazineâs (UK) Internal Communications and Engagement Awards (Communicate Magazine)
Microsoft reveals changes itâs made to enable its employees to work both at home and in the office (CNBC)
Buck acquires employee communications specialist Caburn Hope (UK, Pensions Age)
4 Ways to Inspire Employees to Stick Around When Everyone's Trying to Poach Them (Inc.)
Facebook Workplace Reaches 7 Million Paid Subscribers, Adds New Q&A and Integration Tools (SocialMediaToday)
Employee activism at Apple ousts a high profile employee (Axios)
90% of millennials and Gen Zers donât want to return to the office full-time post-pandemic (Citrix; page 36)
54% of Americans would consider leaving a company if it didnât speak out against racial injustice (Paradigm)
4. Hearing Color
Ten years ago I wrote about how Wassily Kandinskyâs abstract paintings exude musicality. It was no accident: Kandinsky said he could hear color. Today Google breathes music into one of the artistâs work. Youâre invited to both see and hear a masterpiece.
âď¸ Youâre all caught up!
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Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter | Mister Editorial archive | editorshaun@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Besides running Mister Editorial, I work in employee comms at Splunk. The views in this newsletter are my own.