1.
When Nothing is Fine:
Communication strategies to keep employees engaged
and informed during a chronic crisis
November 11, 2020

2.
Beth Clauss
President and Big Fry at
Small Potatoes Communications

3.
IBM Institute for Business Value Survey
• Employees and executives
• April through August 2020
• 86% of employers believe they are providing clear
guidelines and expectations
• 51% of employees agree
IBM Institute for Business Value. Found at https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/1APBEJWB

4.
IBM Institute for Business Value Survey
• Employees and executives
• April through August 2020
• 80% of employers believe their organization is supporting
the physical and emotional health of its workforce
• 46% of employees agree
IBM Institute for Business Value. Found at https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/1APBEJWB

5.
IBM Institute for Business Value Survey
• Employees and executives
• April through August 2020
• 74% of employers believe their organization is helping
staff learn the skills needed to work in a new way
• 38% of employees agree
IBM Institute for Business Value. Found at https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/1APBEJWB

6.
Evolving Communications
• In March, critical communications had to:
• Enable remote work
• Establish new health and safety measures
• Explain on-site work changes, and
• Share strategies for how to be productive and profitable
under these new parameters

7.
McKinsey & Company
• "Communications get personal: How leaders can engage
employees during a return to work"
• Survivors
• Adapters
• Thrivers
Article by David Honigmann, Ana Mendy and Joe Spratt, McKinsey. Found at https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/communications-get-personal-how-leaders-can-engage-employees-during-a-return-to-work#

8.
Organization Segments
• Survivors: Companies that are struggling to stay in business.
• Adapters: Companies that are having to change their business
models radically.
• Thrivers: Companies that are well-positioned because of extra
demand or because they were already working remotely.
Article by David Honigmann, Ana Mendy and Joe Spratt, McKinsey. Found at https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/communications-get-personal-how-leaders-can-engage-employees-during-a-return-to-work#

9.
The Survivors
Recommendations for Success
• Don’t pretend there’s no struggle
• Practice empathy
• Be transparent on strategy and performance
• Be clear on the path forward
• Hold “State of the Business” meetings
Article by David Honigmann, Ana Mendy and Joe Spratt, McKinsey. Found at
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/communications-get-
personal-how-leaders-can-engage-employees-during-a-return-to-work#
• Headcount reductions or reduced compensation
• Fear and uncertainty as the company struggles

10.
The Adapters
• Introducing change to your organization’s
products or processes to stay afloat
• Employees day-to-day experience changes to
meet the new demand
Recommendations for Success
• Update and communicate your new vision
• Gain buy-in from employees from the bottom up
• Consistent communication on new processes and
ways of work
• Focus on how new way forward will help the
company succeed
Article by David Honigmann, Ana Mendy and Joe Spratt, McKinsey. Found at https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/communications-get-personal-how-leaders-can-engage-employees-during-a-return-to-work#

11.
The Thrivers
• Company is well-positioned to succeed
• Job security doesn’t translate to high employee
engagement
• Employees are still experiencing the challenges
of the pandemic
Recommendations for Success
• Update and communicate your new vision
• Gain buy-in from employees from the bottom up
• Consistent communication on new processes
and ways of work
• Focus on how new way forward will help the
company succeed
Article by David Honigmann, Ana Mendy and Joe Spratt, McKinsey. Found at https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/communications-get-personal-how-leaders-can-engage-employees-during-a-return-to-work#

12.
Credit: Maile Wilson

13.
Harvard Business Review
• Global employees surveyed by Qualtrics and SAP
• 40% said that no one at their company had asked them if
they were doing OK
• These respondents were 38% more likely to say that their
mental health had declined since the outbreak
"8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health." Article by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol, Harvard Business Review.
Found at https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health

14.
Harvard Business Review
• Leaders are likely to see employees struggling with:
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Burnout
• Trauma
• PTSD
"8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health." Article by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol, Harvard Business Review.
Found at https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health

15.
Harvard Business Review
• Experiences will vary based on an individual's:
• Race
• Economic opportunity
• Citizenship status
• Job type
• Parenting or caregiving responsibilities
• Other variables
"8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health." Article by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol, Harvard Business Review.
Found at https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health

16.
The Basics
• Communications strategy
• High level
• Move from where your company is now to where you want to
be
• What you want to happen to achieve a specific end
"8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health." Article by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol, Harvard Business Review.
Found at https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health

17.
The Basics
• Communications plan
• Specifics:
• What you're going to say and how
• When
• To whom
"8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health." Article by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol, Harvard Business Review.
Found at https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health

18.
The Basics
• Communications strategy: high-level thinking
• Communications plan: ground-level execution
"8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health." Article by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol, Harvard Business Review.
Found at https://hbr.org/2020/08/8-ways-managers-can-support-employees-mental-health

19.
Developing a communications strategy
Cross-functional team
• Develops the narrative

20.
Developing a communications strategy
Cross-functional team
• Includes leaders from:
• HR
• Marketing and Communications
• Operations
• Sales
• Customer service
• Legal and Risk

21.
Developing a communications strategy
Audience
• List all job titles, locations and divisions
• Executive leadership
• Management team
• International divisions
• Sales team
• Front-line workers
• Delivery team
• Operations
• Customer Service
• Part-time employees
• Contractors

22.
Developing a communications strategy
Channels
• List all communication resources

23.
Developing a communications strategy
Channels
• Email
• Text messaging
• Internal website
• Newsletters
• Blogs
• Break room video monitors
• Letters
• Collaboration tools (e.g., Teams,
Slack)
• Social media
• Podcasts
• Videos
• Posters

24.
Developing a communications strategy
Audience
• Executive leadership
• Management team
• International divisions
• Sales team
• Front-line workers
• Delivery team
• Operations
• Customer Service
• Part-time employees
• Contractors

25.
Developing a communications strategy
Audience with channels
• Executive leadership:
• Email
• Webinars
• Teams
• Text messaging

26.
Developing a communications strategy
Audience with channels
• Part-time employees:
• Internal website
• Break room video monitors
• Social media
• Text messaging
• Posters

27.
Developing a communications strategy
Channel considerations
• How each channel being used currently?
• Is there a specific cadence or timing interval for each channel?
• Does that cadence need to be altered to communicate important
information more frequently?
• Is the cadence already overwhelming employees?
• What are the capabilities and limitations for each channel?
• Does the channel fit the message?

28.
Developing a communications strategy
Cross-functional team
Audiences
Channels
Business objectives and goals

29.
Developing a communications strategy
Questions to consider:
• What’s the story that you want to tell?
• How do you want your employees to feel?
• What are the biggest impacts to the company and how will they affect your
people?
• What information do employees need to know to understand what is
expected of them?
• How do their actions help the company meet its business objectives?

30.
Key messages
• Clear
• Concise
• Accurate
• Timely

31.
Tone
• Respectful
• Empathetic
• Encouraging

32.
Transparency
• Key topics
• How to find information
• Employee safety
• Situational monitoring
• Questions

33.
Measurement

34.
Measurement
• Reach
• Impact

35.
Measurement
• Reach
• Email read rates
• Page visits
• Video views
• Document downloads

36.
Measurement
• Impact
• Employee behaviors
• Employee performance and productivity
• Employee retention
• Employee engagement

37.
Measurement
• Employee behaviors
• Are employees doing what you are asking them to do?

38.
Measurement
• Employee performance and productivity
• Are employees meeting your company’s specific performance
indicators?
• If not, consider whether you are communicating expectations clearly.
• Do employees have the tools they need to be successful?
• Are you accounting for the strains of their daily
lives/families/obligations/responsibilities?

39.
Measurement
• Employee retention
• Are employees staying with the company?
• Are you interviewing those exiting?

40.
Measurement
• Employee engagement

41.
Measurement
• Employee engagement
• Measure employee participation at Q&A sessions and town halls
• Annual engagement survey
• Pulse surveys

42.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse surveys
• Short survey sent to employees on a regular basis.
• “Pulse check” on topics like employee satisfaction, communication,
relationships and work environment.
• Track the same item over time.

43.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse survey questions
• What is one way we could continue to support you?
"COVID-19: The Right Way To Survey Employees During A Crisis." Article by Claire Hastwell and Julie Musilek., Great Place to Work. Found at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-survey-
employees-during-a-crisis?utm_source=website&utm_medium=promoted&utm_campaign=content_blog_20200430

44.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse survey questions
• Is there anything the organization can do in light of these
circumstances that would be helpful to you?
"COVID-19: The Right Way To Survey Employees During A Crisis." Article by Claire Hastwell and Julie Musilek., Great Place to Work. Found at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-survey-
employees-during-a-crisis?utm_source=website&utm_medium=promoted&utm_campaign=content_blog_20200430

45.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse survey questions
• What is your biggest concern right now – at home or at work?
"COVID-19: The Right Way To Survey Employees During A Crisis." Article by Claire Hastwell and Julie Musilek., Great Place to Work. Found at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-survey-
employees-during-a-crisis?utm_source=website&utm_medium=promoted&utm_campaign=content_blog_20200430

46.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse survey questions
• Is there anything the organization can do in light of these
circumstances that would be helpful to you?
"COVID-19: The Right Way To Survey Employees During A Crisis." Article by Claire Hastwell and Julie Musilek., Great Place to Work. Found at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-survey-
employees-during-a-crisis?utm_source=website&utm_medium=promoted&utm_campaign=content_blog_20200430

47.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse survey questions
• What communication/updates would be valuable to you during this
time?
"COVID-19: The Right Way To Survey Employees During A Crisis." Article by Claire Hastwell and Julie Musilek., Great Place to Work. Found at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-survey-
employees-during-a-crisis?utm_source=website&utm_medium=promoted&utm_campaign=content_blog_20200430

48.
Measurement
• Employee engagement – pulse survey questions
• What suggestions do you have that the organization should consider
to restart our business when the timing allows?
"COVID-19: The Right Way To Survey Employees During A Crisis." Article by Claire Hastwell and Julie Musilek., Great Place to Work. Found at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-survey-
employees-during-a-crisis?utm_source=website&utm_medium=promoted&utm_campaign=content_blog_20200430

49.
Questions?
Let’s continue the conversation!
beth@smallpotatoes.co
www.linkedin.com/in/bethclauss

50.
Thank you!