The one-of-a-kind "Employee Grapevine" earned five years of employee communications awards from PRSA, IABC and NAHRO. It was created by George S. McQuade III, who presented his low tech dial-in radio news cast via voicemail at national conference sponsored by Ragan Communications, Chicago, IL. McQuade Spoke at the annual Corporate Communciations Conferences in Chicago, Washington DC, New York and Los Angeles, CA.
McQuade earned international recognition in a corporate atmostphere and later found it was a successful tool in a government atmostphere. The methods, technology and internal communication just had to be more simple and as McQuade describes it, "Shorter, Sharper and Stronger." Call McQuade to find out how you could be the beta or testing ground for the Employee Grapevine of the 21st Century. This low-tech communications tool was created and founded long before technology and the Internet took off. McQuade also led a campaign to launch the first Linux Operating Sytem Software 6.0 in America. Using dial-up and AOL 1.0 v email McQuade earned "Product of the Year" and "Best Product of the Conference" in San Jose, CA. Now, the penguins and Open Source Development is everywhere, especially in smart phones today.
Effective Training Programs to Mitigate Compliance Risks in 2012
Employee%20 grapevine[1]
1. Employee GrapeVine
PRSA – IABC – PCLA Award-
Winning Interactive Strategy for
shaping employee behavior with
effective communications
by MAYO Communications
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 1
2. GrapeVine Objectives
Improve communications relationship
Increase flow of timely information
Build credibility and participation
Quell the rumor mill
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 2
3. Steps for a GrapeVine
Technical Needs Assessment
Benchmark costs internally vs. externally
Designate a special Grapevine phone line
Expand from 19 to 100 message capacity
Phone track system
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 3
4. Employee Grapevine
Company format
Talk from the employees
perspective – not yours.
Keep messages simple.
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 4
5. Employee GrapeVine
How to grow a bumper crop
Get early commitments from supervisors
Respond to frontline supervisor concerns
Set expectations with supervisors
Build phone mail internal list
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 5
6. Growing a GrapeVine
Plant and cultivate before you
harvest
Understanding company issues
Select knowledgeable/credible line
managers
Verbal messages faster with
feelings
Timing is everything
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 6
7. GrapeVine Target Customer
Primary Customer – Employees
Their work stations or meeting places
Secondary Customer – Senior Mgt.
Management feedback
Usage habits – how often do they call
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 7
8. GrapeVine Key Features
Comparative system Analysis
User Friendly –
No instruction – call 24/7
Everyone has access to a phone
Convenient –
GrapeVine is heard on a speaker phone
Cell Phone in the field
Updated when issue or story changes
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 8
9. Grapevine Promotion
Getting employees to call
Match the voices contest
Offer money, prizes or time off
Use well-known supervisors
Other promotion methods
Employee paycheck envelopes
Posters and 1X2 inch stickers
Employee Newsletters cross-promote
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 9
10. Company Market Analysis
Opportunities to share information
One-stop communication center
Policy changes quickly disseminated
Keeps employees on top of new info.
A great way to praise good employees
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 10
11. Emergency GrapeVine
T h e G r a p e v in e b e c o m e s a 2 4 h r . h o t lin e
d u r in g a n
e m e r g e n c y o r c o m p a n y c r is is s it u a t io n
N o rd s tro m
C o rp o ra te
H e a d q u a rte rs
announcem ent
L o s A n g e le s In te r n a l lin e O ra n g e C o u n ty
S u p e r v is o r s Feedback S u p e r v is o r s
M a n a g e rs S e n io r m a n a g e r s M a n a g e rs
C le r k s S u p e r v is o r s c le r k s
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 11
12. Employee GrapeVine Awards
1995 - 2002
Public Relations Society of
America (PRSA)
International Association of
Business Communicators
(IABC)
Public Communicators of
Los Angeles (PCLA)
National Assn.Housing and
Redevelopment Officials
(NAHRO)
International Communicator
Awards
12/25/12 MAYO Communications copyright 1995 12
Editor's Notes
The Employee Grapevine – Shaping and building successful employee behavior