HRCommmunication.com

Employee video deemed important, but smaller companies lack resources

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:37:46 GMT

When executives at Ford Motor Co. want to communicate about quality with employees in meetings, the bosses can't visit every event at the global automaker.

The solution? Video. Executives record a couple of live events, says Sara Tatchio, Ford's manager of global integrated communications. Then staffers play the video to groups of employees at other meetings, with in-person answering of questions that arise.

"We try to be efficient with our resources," Tatchio says. "What we're trying to do is communicate with employees the way they communicate with each other in their daily lives."

Ford isn't alone. Nearly 90 percent rate video as "important" or "somewhat important" in their employee communication program, according to a survey from Ragan Communications and Ignite Technologies, "Engaging Employees with Video."

This is the second in a series of stories on the survey, shedding light on the way video is transforming employee communications. A free white paper is also available.

In this series, video is defined as a live event streamed to desktops or mobile devices, and/or archived and posted to a portal for future viewing; a video created in-house or by employees; or a webcast, which uses a combination of a video feed and slides for employees to view in real time or archived and posted to portal.

Fifty percent of organizations with more than 5,000 employees say video is "very important to their employee communication program," while 44 percent of those with fewer than 100 employees say that. The figure is 20 percent for organizations with 101-999 employees, and 38 percent for those with 1,000-4,999 employees.

[Download the complete white paper here for free.]

"News and information sharing is the primary reason [to use video]," wrote one respondent. "We use a combination of professional production and mini-cam production (Flip cam). Think TV news style reporting for news, as well as senior leader messaging."

Webcasting? 58 percent of organizations produce employee-focused webcasts, including video and slides, the survey reveals.

Most organizations' employee-focused videos are webcasts with videos and slides (70 percent). Fewer produce live-streamed events (45 percent) or just audio with slides (41 percent).

Large organizations more likely to live-stream

The Goliaths—organizations with more than 5,000 employees—are more likely to use live-streamed events (56 percent). Smaller ones with fewer resources are less likely to do this: 33 percent of those with fewer than 100 employees live-stream events. This compares with 26 percent of those with 101-999 employees, and 33 percent of those with staffs of between 1,000 and 4,999.

Even as hand-held quick videos become affordable for everyone, the survey indicates differences in attitude between large and small organizations, says Kimberlee Lueders, vice president of marketing communications at Ignite. Many Fortune 1,000 companies have in-house studios and the staffing to push the videos out. Smaller organizations can only eye such capability with envy.

"They'd love to do it, but it becomes just a 'nice-to-have,' because there are fewer resources to do everything," Lueders says.

[RELATED: Learn the 7 elements of storytelling with video at this one-day video boot camp.]

Videos add another dimension to a more personal and emotional dimension to communications, says Manfred, editor-in-chief of the cross-media platform at Hoffmann-La Roche, a Swiss pharmaceuticals company.

"In written communication, people consist of a name and a title, videos add a face and a voice," Weber says. "Also, in a global, multicultural company, written communication sometimes also might lead to misunderstandings. We think that, for example, seeing a certain facial expression while hearing the related words reduces this risk."

Of those doing employee-focused webcasts, most organizations (51 percent) produce 10 or fewer webcasts or live events a year; 40 percent produce between 11 and 100. Only 2 percent answered "none," and 6 percent produce between 101 and 1,000. Cranking out more than 1,000 a year? Whew! You're in an elite group of just 1 percent of our respondents.

Videos and webcasts connect with employees and drive home the message. The largest share—74 percent of organizations—use videos and webcasts to engage employees. Also, many cite the medium as an avenue for learning and development (63 percent) and employee interest (56 percent).

Nearly half (44 percent) use videos and webcasts to reduce travel costs. Are the bosses twisting your arm to make movies? About a third (34 percent) of those who use videos and webcasts are mandated by their executives to do so.

In the comments, several mentioned the need to engage a far-flung, even global, workforce. The reasons organizations use videos and webcasts do not vary according to their size. The leviathans are no more likely to have an executive mandate to use videos and webcasts than the Lilliputians do.

Barriers to webcasting

Barriers to producing employee-focused webcasts are similar to those that hindered employee-focused videos. Nearly 30 percent said, "We don't have the equipment," and 26 percent said, "We don't have the necessary skills."

Some see drawbacks to video. A survey respondent from a state agency wrote that video "takes away the interaction part that comes with a classroom style. Majority of the workforce is below high school level."

Others (24 percent) complain that video takes too much time. Another 24 percent each said there are too many technical problems or that they had "no buy-in from corporate executives." Bosses: Are you listening?

Of note, cost ranked low as a barrier on this question: Only 8 percent said it was too expensive.

"We are a manufacturing facility where there are 2,000 employees, most of which don't have access to a computer," wrote one respondent. "We would have to stop production to do something of this nature. A large portion of our population likes face-to-face."

But costs can drive decisions. Many organizations approach videos as they do glossy sales brochures, says Drew Keller, president of StoryGuide.

"There is a lot of planning, lots of overhead, and lots riding on the success of their efforts," Keller says. "It is difficult to change this mindset from big-dollar videos to smaller-scale stories. The production value of many internal videos doesn't have to be complicated to be effective."

Use of live-streaming

Clearly, you've got to learn your job, and bosses want a pulpit. In a tie: 65 percent of those producing live-streamed events say use video training and CEO communication, making these the two most common purposes. Other major uses include senior management communication (56 percent), and product or service announcements (49 percent). Another 46 percent live-stream town halls.

Swift, a cooperative that supplies secure software for financial messaging, uses live feeds for divisional gatherings, as well as an annual company meeting says, emerging media manager Innes Macleod.

"The divisional gatherings tend to be a mix of physical event and virtual participants—most recently for our marketing division," Macleod says. "For the company meeting, this year (for the first time) the event was completely virtual: all our employees grouped in meeting rooms across the world; we had a series of panelists covered by seven webcams streamed directly to the audience."

CEOs seem to get much of the glory in video and live-streaming. Swift, which also uses video for tutorials on tools and technology, publishes regular CEO video updates.

"Our CEO is an exceptional communicator who does quarterly team talks to a live audience and satellite offices," wrote a video producer with a Canadian power company. "He also participates in and introduces our monthly video which focuses on various safety issues and current business performance."

What are the benefits of webcasts? These are the big three, according to our survey:

communication with remote employees, alignment with goals, increased engagement and attendance.

How does that break down? Some 76 percent cited "improving communication with remote employees," while 58 percent liked "alignment with company/organizational goals." Forty-four percent felt their employees are more engaged with senior executives, and 42 percent liked the increased attendance or participation.

Benefits according to organization size

Big fish vs. the small fries? The smallest organizations—those with fewer than 100 employees—are more likely to see "alignment with company goals" as a benefit of webcasts (83 percent). For larger organizations, that drops. This benefit was cited by 63 percent of those with 101-999 employees, 60 percent of those with 1,000-4,999 employees and 58 percent of those with more than 5,000 employees.

That said, larger organizations are more likely to say their "employees [are] more engaged with leadership" than smaller organizations. This option drew hurrahs from 51 percent of the giants with more than 5,000 employees, while only 33 percent of organizations with fewer than 100 employees cited this. This benefit was listed by 41 percent of organizations with 101-999 employees and 42 percent of organizations with 1,000 to 4,999 employees.

"They now have the opportunity to be included whereas they did not before," wrote one respondent.

Engaging remote employees

Do you have staff working out in the boondocks? Nine in 10 respondents report that video engages remote employees "somewhat well" (62 percent) or "extremely well" (28 percent). Only 10 percent think it's a flop.

Some say it depends on the employees; video works well for those on computers but creates bandwidth problems on mobile.

And one joked, "Oh my stars. Salespeople HATE READING. Ha-ha. No, seriously. They love video."

What makes a video good, as opposed to the duds that nobody watches? Make your viewers happy, don't botch the production, and don't leave anyone out: That's the consensus of survey respondents.

Respondents say the top three factors for a successful employee video initiative are gaining positive feedback from employees (80 percent), having a good video experience without technical difficulties (71 percent), and making sure all employees can participate (58 percent).

Fewer (36 percent) cited analytics that met or surpassed goals. Not so important: interactive features within the video (13 percent) and post-event replies (17 percent).

A communicator from a Midwestern power company said the main factor for a successful employee video initiative is footage "that is worth watching and interesting. If it offers nothing for them they won't watch it."

Download the complete white paper here for free.

@r_working

A refresher course for your ‘soft’ skills

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:57:40 GMT

Sometimes the traditional “soft" skills get forgotten. Here’s a refresher course:

1. Develop compassion. Although computers and copiers don’t care whether you scream at them, people do. Your employees are not just engineers, writers, clerks, and programmers— they’re people. Respect them as people and you’ll get their respect and loyalty in return. But treat them coldly and impersonally and they will lose motivation to perform for you.

2. Let failure occur. Successful managers know that the best way for their people to learn and grow is through experience—and that means taking chances and making errors. Give your people the chance to try new skills or tasks without a supervisor looking over their shoulder.

3. Serve your employees. Few things dampen employee motivation more than being ignored by management. If employees stop by to ask a question, invite them to sit down for a few minutes. If you’re short on time, set up an appointment for later that day, and keep it. This will let your people know you are genuinely interested in them.

4. Don’t overdo criticism. It’s part of your job to point out errors and tell people where they’ve gone wrong. But some managers thrive on the power game of criticism—they’re not happy unless they’re criticizing someone. You have more knowledge and experience in your field and that’s why you’re the manager—your job is to guide and teach.

—Adapted from The Leader’s Guide, by Randall D. Ponder (Oasis Press)

Workshop alert: Social media secrets you can’t miss

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:57:18 GMT

No debate.

Social media MUST be a huge part of your communications.

Learn to use it to bond with employees, boost media coverage, and engage customers at our Social Media Boot Camp for Corporate Communicators. We’ve made it easy to attend with two dates and locations:

Sept. 20 at TransAlta HQ in Calgary
Oct. 7 at BC Hydro HQ in Vancouver

See the full agenda here.

Get must-use ideas for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogging sites, Pinterest, and wiki pages. See how others use these tools to recharge their business and connect with customers and employees.

Join Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications, for this one-day workshop and walk away with the ability to:

Get new ideas: Interact with customers on social media
Drive employee activity in internal communications with social media
Deal with crises instantly on social media
Build your social media presence without busting your budget
Increase blogger outreach to boost media coverage

You’ll come back to the office with tactics that will produce immediate results. You’ll know how to persuade execs that expanded social media is vital for your business.

Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what one attendee said: “I enjoyed the nitty-gritty, down-in-the-trenches tips and practical advice. Engaging, entertaining, informed and credible.”

Register now to secure your promotional discount!

What you need to know about Facebook hashtags

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:43:40 GMT

What do Facebook hashtags mean for marketers?

The short answer: Nothing. Yet.

That's because the darned things aren't even rolling out to all users for a while. (See Facebook's formal announcement from last week.)

Once they do, there will be substantial implications for marketers and brands.

For now, it's mostly a matter of user experience. Users can now search Facebook more easily-combined with Graph Search, Facebook is making strides here—and, obviously, this move makes content discovery much easier.

[RELATED: Master the can't-ignore social media tools after Mark Ragan's one day social media boot camp.]

A few months from now, when more (or all) users have the ability to use hashtags on Facebook, what will the rub be for marketers? Here are a few things that come to mind:

It'll be easier to track "campaign" conversations on Facebook.

You know those campaign hashtags that brands use on Facebook—the ones they listed on all those Super Bowl ads this year? Well, those will actually be useful on Facebook once the hashtags are rolled out. Obviously, the volume won't be as great on Facebook for most brands (there are far more tweets than status updates), but this should help brands looking to accurately track conversations around campaigns down the road, especially those without access to paid monitoring tools.

Your Twitter chat potential just expanded.

Brands that either sponsor or organize Twitter chats will be able to open up a whole new door to Facebook—again, arguably a more engaged (and larger) community. Of course, brands can do this now with tools like Shoutlet, but many brands don't have access to paid tools like that. With hashtags, brands that participate or organize Twitter chats will be able to have those same chats on Facebook. Of course, coordinating that might be tough, but I'm sure someone will develop a tool to fit the need.

You will be able to pay to trend—eventually.

Trending topics/hashtags will probably come to Facebook soon. They're not there yet, obviously, but I'm sure it'll happen. Trending topics on Twitter are so popular—and it's another great way for Facebook to enhance content discovery. Plus, you will probably be able to pay to be included (as on Twitter). Whatever they can make money on, they probably will.

Once they enable mobile use, possibilities will expand.

Here's a curious thing: Facebook didn't enable mobile use of hashtags at the outset of the launch. That's funny, because as we all know mobile phone use is exploding. Capturing real-time conversations largely means capturing conversations on the go—not just in front of the TV, which is what Facebook is probably after here. Those mobile conversations are key for brands: customers at events, customers near their stores shopping, customers in their stores shopping. With hashtags, they'll all be easier to track—and respond to (again, provided customers actually use the hashtag, which as we know is a big leap).

What do you think? What will be the major marketing implications of hashtags on Facebook?

(Image via)

7 punctuation staples for polished writing

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:27:56 GMT

Punctuation can be intimidating. Some people don't know the correct instance to employ semicolons; others use commas as if they're going out of style. There are many who abuse the rules without knowing it.

The City of Birmingham, England, banned apostrophes on public signs, saying that removing the punctuation mark would create consistency across local signage. City officials received a slew of complaints as residents called the decision a "dumbing down," especially as they're teaching children proper writing skills. City councilors said apostrophes were confusing and old fashioned, designating possessions that are no longer needed or no longer accurate.

Punctuation debates have also been in the U.S. spotlight. Some have argued that the title of the Hugh Grant-Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "Two Weeks Notice" should have read "Two Weeks' Notice," because it's referring to a notice of two weeks.

Follow these simple guidelines from the Associated Press Stylebook for proper use of these punctuation staples that'll keep your writing crisp.

1. Apostrophe ('): There are multiple rules, including the following scenarios: Plural nouns not ending in s, add ' s (women's rights); plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe (the boys' toys); nouns plural in form, singular in meaning, add only an apostrophe (mathematics' rules); nouns the same in singular and plural should be treated the same as plurals, even if the meaning is singular (the moose's prints); singular nouns not ending in s, add 's (the church's offerings); singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe (Socrates' philosophy); singular common nouns ending in s, add ' s unless the next word begins with s ( the witness's answer; the witnesses' stories); descriptive phrases, do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense (a writers guide, the teachers union).

2. Comma (,): Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put commas before the conjunction in a simple series.My favorite foods are pizza, turkey and chocolate. For the record, AP votes no in the great Oxford comma debate. [Editor's note: At Ragan, we generally follow AP style, but we reluctantly, though for the sake of clarity and consistency, opt to use the Oxford/serial comma. In this article, however, the author gets his way in the comma debate. For more on the comma, click here.]

3. Colon (:): The most frequent use of a colon is at the end of a sentence to introduce lists, tabulations, texts, etc. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it's a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. He was promised this: His parents would buy him a new toy for his birthday. Her favorite rock group: The Beatles. There were three exceptions for his consideration: time, space and flexibility.

4. Semicolon (;): Use to separate elements of a series when the items in the series are long and at least one item contains internal commas. He is survived by a brother, Seymour, in Boston; three nephews in Chicago; and seven cousins in Los Angeles. Place semicolons outside quotation marks.

5. Quotation marks (", '; ',"): When a full paragraph of quoted material is followed by a paragraph that continues the quotation, do not put close-quote marks at the end of the first paragraph. Put open-quote marks at the start of the second paragraph. Use single quotation marks when including a quote within a quote. The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks.

6. Ellipsis (…): Use to indicate deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts, and documents. Use one space on both sides of the ellipsis." My name is Steve … and I enjoy sports and grammar."

7. Hyphen (-): Known for joining words, hyphens are used to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words. Hyphens are most often used in compound modifiers—two or more words expressed as a single concept—that precede a noun. Hyphens are not used with the adverb very nor with adverbs ending in -ly. The classroom-driven curriculum. The very large elephant is hungry. An eternally grateful grandmother.

What are some of your favorite punctuation marks, and what rules do you find intimidating or perhaps convoluted? To make sure your prose is shoe-spit shiny, follow AP style and tips for news writing. And, of course, always proofread.

Steve Vittorioso is an account executive at Inkhouse Media + Marketing, where this story first appeared. Follow Steve on Twitter @savittorioso.

(Image via)

Help your associates overcome the tedium of routine duties

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:21:00 GMT

Work can’t always be exciting. When you sense that your employees are getting bogged down with boredom, suggest these tactics for recharging:

• Change the routine. Try starting the day with a different task, or working on something new, or even taking a different route to work.

• Reward yourself. Plan a modest incentive for getting work done early, or more efficiently, or finishing a mundane task. The prospect of going out to lunch (instead of eating your sandwich from home) when you complete a daily report can help keep you focused.

• Exercise. Take a walk, go to the gym, or stretch in a private location. Getting your blood pumping will energize you to do your work.

—Adapted from the Work Awesome website

Calculate average retention to monitor your results

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:03:01 GMT

You don’t know how well your retention tactics are working unless you have a good baseline to start from.

Try calculating your own retention levels inside your organization: Record how long each employee has worked for you and calculate the average length of service.

This lets you look at each new employee with an idea of how long you can expect him or her to stay—and helps you determine whether your efforts have been successful based on when he or she leaves for any reason.

You’ll get a better idea of what you need to do and where your tactics are falling short.

[RELATED: Link creative communications to the goals of your organization with this one-day workshop.]

—Adapted from the eHow website

The new flex balance: Staying connected on vacation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:31:37 GMT

Is it possible to “turn it all off” while on vacation?

Apparently not.

For many professionals, disconnecting from work is rarely an option; staying plugged in is now an accepted career requirement.

Gone are the days of leaving the office behind and later returning with a post-vacation glow, sifting through the little phone message slips, and easing back into work mode.

That behavior is a thing of the past. Personal devices, Wi-Fi, and businesses’ relying on digital platforms have increased the necessity of staying connected. Further, the communications industry is rife with professionals running startups and small consultancies; being cut off from business even for just a few days can mean putting out fires for the next week.

Rather than bemoan the need to check in, many North American professionals I talked to felt more relaxed by staying tuned into work. Here’s how they do it:

Stop, look, but don’t respond: Being in touch doesn’t mean you have to respond to email; staying informed is often enough to maintain peace of mind while travelling.

“I think unplugging is tough on vacation, especially because I want to have my phone to look at other things,” says Justin Goldsborough, SVP at FleishmanHillard in Kansas City. “I have tried to make a habit of reading emails to keep up to speed during downtime but not responding to them; I can stay educated, but no one expects me to do anything.”

[RELATED: Learn how companies like NASCAR drive engagement with content marketing at Ragan’s Content Summit.]

Pre-vacation prep: Returning to a mountain of emails or languishing projects can make you forget you even went on vacation. Stacy O’Rourke, communications manager with Nova Scotia Provincial Lotteries and Casino Corp., preps as many projects as possible in advance.

“It's a bit of extra work before I leave, but it helps me to relax while I am away; as well as being able to hit the ground running when I come back.”

The new blogging reality: What about bloggers? Those who have carved a living out by blogging find it extremely difficult, if not downright stressful, to turn off—especially when traveling on behalf of tourist boards. Press trips often have rigorous schedules that don’t afford much sleep.

“I have moved away from live-tweeting,” says renowned food and travel blogger Andrew Dobson of DobbernationLoves. “I’ve learned to really stay in the present, then taking an hour or so at the end of the day to share my favorite experience. Ever since I adopted this technique I've felt a lot less stressed while on press trips. Allowing myself to be more present also reflects the quality and detail in my writing, too.”

Always on call: Running a tech startup means always being on call, even when you have a business partner. Rebecca Levey, co-founder with Nancy Rabinowitz Friedman of the popular tween site KidzVuz, is keenly aware of this. “I wish I could take a week off and completely disengage, but right now there are just the two of us making all the decisions.

“After we closed our round of financing, one of our investors said, ‘No more vacations for you!’ and that’s been totally true for me.”

Window of opportunity: If you want to respond to clients/colleagues, create a window of opportunity when they can contact you. Everyone will respect your commitment to the business, but they’ll also respect your need to enjoy your time off.

"Prior to going on vacation, I socialize my itinerary with my clients so they know my level of accessibility,” says Peter Cosentino, president of DEC Sports & Entertainment Marketing in Toronto. “I then allow myself a 30-minute window every morning to check emails and respond. I feel better knowing I have dealt with any issues that may arise as I turn all my electronics off for the balance of the day."

Staying wired = peace of mind: Observers may look with disdain at those tapping out messages while lounging at a seaside café. For others, it means peace of mind.

“Ten minutes of plugged-in time equals a full day of R&R,” says Holly Roy, principal at Pumpkin PR in Edmonton, Alberta. “Knowing that everything is going smoothly on the work front—which is almost always the case—is well worth the quick reconnection.

Boost the frequency and efficacy of employee evaluations

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:09:00 GMT

If performance evaluations are simply once-a-year exercises, they’ll never be as effective as they should be. Instead, to make evaluation a continual aspect of how you manage, tie evaluation sessions to the flow of work throughout the year. Consider these suggestions:
• Coordinate evaluations with the business calendar. When corporate goals for revenue, expenses, market share, and so on are announced, schedule performance planning meetings. These sessions are good for discussing employees’ new roles, aspects of performance that need improvement, and the training needed.
• Evaluate more often. When quarterly or midyear results come in, respond by meeting with employees to update performance goals and schedule training. Especially when results are not good, this helps employees change direction quickly.
• Integrate corporate behavior goals. If your organization recommends a set of core behaviors as valuable for every employee—such as teamwork, innovation, and integrity—help employees understand how these values fit into their everyday work, and add them to your evaluations. Using these values in evaluations reinforces both the values and the appraisal process.
• Focus on advancement as well as performance. In addition to getting feedback on their achievements, employees will benefit from knowing what they need to do to be promoted or earn more. Use evaluations to plan career development, including training to qualify employees for moving ahead.
• Emphasize direct contact. Face-to-face meetings are more motivational than relying on evaluation forms. Don’t let the paperwork keep you from getting together with your employees to discuss performance and careers.
—Adapted from Workforce

A five-step approach to disaster preparation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:01:42 GMT

Smart companies expect the unexpected. These days the “unexpected” can include everything from hurricanes and tsunamis to workplace violence. Prepare for the worst by following these steps:

1. Form a committee. Set up a brain trust of key players who can provide different perspectives on identifying and addressing departmental vulnerabilities. Be sure to include supervisors, representatives from each business line, and tech support.

2. Update your records. Your first priority during a disaster will be to make sure all your workers are safe and accounted for. If you manage a small staff, you may be able to do this at a glance. But you should still maintain an up-to-date roster of workers—including temps and on-site contractors—and their contact information.

3. Build a tree. Set up a “phone tree” so employees can quickly make contact if they become separated from the group or are unable to use office phones. The sooner you verify who’s OK, the sooner you can ease the minds of frantic loved ones—and begin concentrating efforts on locating anyone who’s missing or injured.

4. Establish a chain. In the event of a disaster, all eyes will turn to you—the department manager. But what if disaster strikes while you’re away from the office or job site? Or what if you’re injured and unable to execute the plan? This is no time to take a consensus approach. Establish a chain of command to ensure there will always be one capable decision-maker everyone can turn to for leadership.

5. Focus on contingencies. Life goes on and so does work—if you can find a place to conduct business. If your usual workplace is not available, be prepared to implement alternatives suitable to your business. Can employees work from their homes? Area branch offices? A party tent in the parking lot? If you make these decisions in advance, the loss of your workspace won’t cripple operations.

—Adapted from Inc.com