By Claudine Kapel
Your company invests a lot in its total rewards offering. But sometimes it can feel like employees don’t value – or even remember – all the pieces that are included in their employment deal.
So how do you ensure the value of what the organization has to offer stays front and centre? Good communications is at the core. Here are five key tips that can help.
1) Get input from others. Getting perspectives from others will really help you to pinpoint what’s working – and not working – with your total rewards communications today. What aspects of total rewards are well communicated? Where is communications lacking? How do the views of managers compare to the views of employees? Are there questions about total rewards that managers struggle to answer?
2) Develop a communications strategy. Instead of tackling communications on an ad hoc or piecemeal basis, it helps to have a focused plan that lays out an overall approach for the year that covers the messages to be shared. It should include the communications vehicles to be used, the spokespeople who will play a lead role in message delivery, the timelines for delivering communication, and the process that will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the communication efforts themselves.
3) Use a variety of communication vehicles. Different people learn – and take in information – in different ways. So it helps to communicate in a variety of ways – such as through emails, newsletters, face-to-face meetings and the company intranet. It helps to take a multi-media approach, including print, video and web-based tools.
4) Communicate often. Most companies devote time, energy and resources to communication efforts when introducing a major change, such as the introduction of a new or revamped human resources program. But some companies will see such a roll-out as a one-time event, and communications will often go dark after the fanfare of the initial launch. An effective communications strategy will set out what topics to cover and when, to keep the lines of communication open on an ongoing basis. That’s why communications professionals will often say: Tell them. Tell them again. And then tell them what you told them.
5) Provide managers with communications training. Managers will generally be more effective in their jobs if they are effective communicators. Communications training will help them become more effective at engaging employees in dialogue, getting input and responding to questions. These skills are all important when it comes to explaining the value and elements of the organization’s total rewards offering.
A commitment to building and maintaining employee understanding and appreciation for their total rewards package will greatly support your organization’s efforts to attract, retain and reward top talent.
Claudine Kapel is principal of Kapel and Associates Inc., a Toronto-based human resources and communications consulting firm specializing in the design and implementation of compensation and total rewards programs. For more information, visit www.kapelandassociates.com.