Peppercomm Employee Reboarding Playbook

Communications Playbook
EMPLOYEE
REBOARDING

OVERVIEW
Across the US and around the world, governments are slowly easing social distancing requirements, or building plans to do so. As
a result, businesses are beginning to plan for a phased or full return to on-site work for employees.
These are new circumstances that will require fresh solutions to protect employees’ health and peace of mind. They will require
clear, accessible, two-way communication that means, in some cases, a significant departure from previous approaches. And they
will require flexibility and agility, since it is unclear how many starts, stops, partial stops and restarts are in our future.
Drawing on decades of experience with companies in a wide range of industries, geographies, cultures and employee bases – and
current learnings from work with essential businesses – Peppercomm has developed a guide for effective reboarding
communications.
The roadmap and accompanying tools & templates in this playbook are designed for communications professionals and can be
easily tailored to your industry and organization’s needs.
©️ Peppercomm 2020 | All Rights Reserved2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 4
KEY INSIGHTS 5
KEY PRINCIPLES 9
REBOARDING COMMUNICATIONS
ROADMAP 13
TOOLS & TEMPLATES 26
• Scenario Planning 28-29
• Communication Matrix 30
• Measurement Matrix 31
• Pulse Survey Questions 32
• Sample Content Themes 33
• Communication Resources 34

HOW TO USE
THIS GUIDE
Use as a
framework to guide
internal
communications
plans, which will
also affect external
stakeholders
Draw on research
and insights to
inform your own
approach
Leverage tools and
templates to
jumpstart your own
plan
Share and
collaborate with
other departments
such as marketing,
HR, IT
Refine based on
your own
geographies,
industry, employee
base and culture
Continue what's
working; add new
tactics/vehicles

Key Insights

THIS IS NEW FOR EVERYBODY
10%
80%
Have Done Extensive Reboarding Planning
Have Not Started Or Don’t Know
About Return To Work Preparations
* Peppercomm/Institute for Public Relations survey of 403 communication executives and senior leaders conducted from April 6-12, 2020

PREPARING MANAGERS IS VITAL
Most Effective Channels
Face-to-face (or screen-to-screen)
communication – particularly with
a trusted manager – is a critical
component of change
communication. Preparing
managers for this role is vital.
1 one-on-one discussions
2 supervisors / managers
* Peppercomm/Institute for Public Relations survey of 403 communication executives and senior leaders conducted from April 6-12, 2020

PLAN AHEAD. BE AGILE IN EXECUTION.
A reboarding plan requires clear, sequential
steps – simplicity will help in getting the job
done. In reality, rather than following a
straight path, the entire reboarding roadmap
may run into significant detours and
roadblocks. Government and healthcare
officials tell us to expect spikes and hot
spots as organizations return to on-site
work. This requires both planning ahead
for the possibilities and agility in the
execution.

Key Principles

10 ©️ Peppercomm 2020 | All Rights Reserved
LISTENING
Two-way dialogue. Feedback. Conversation.
However you define it,
must be at the center
of your reboarding strategy

LISTEN
COMMUNICATE
SAFETY &
WELLBEING
BE HUMAN BUILD A NEW
FUTURE
TOGETHER
Employee engagement is
impossible if employees do not
feel safe. Meeting this primary
human need means not just
providing a safe working
environment, but creating and
communicating an environment
where employees feel safe and
well.
Remember, your employees will
have a human, emotional
response to change. Give them
time to process new information
and catch up to where leaders
are in the change journey.
Empower managers to
communicate effectively in 1-1
environments and ensure
employees feel heard.
This is an opportunity to rebuild
a new future for your
organization together with your
employees. Experiment with
new communication forms and
technologies, establish new
cultural norms, train and skill
up your employees and
develop leaders.

HOW TO
COMMUNICATE
SAFETY & WELLBEING
HOW TO
BE HUMAN
HOW TO
BUILD A NEW FUTURE
TOGETHER
Be Timely & Specific: As soon as
possible, communicate which specific steps
are being identified to promote safety and
progress on taking those steps. Adjust
communication based on feedback.
Keep Safety Top-of-Mind: Remind leaders
and employees that everything you’re doing
is with employees’ safety in mind, and a
prudent return to on-site business
operations.
Discuss Holistic Well-being: Reinforce
that while their physical safety is first,
employees’ overall wellbeing – emotional,
mental, social – is also a top priority.
Consider Psychological Safety:
Employees must feel safe to share fears,
concerns and challenges without fear of
retribution. Consider pulse surveys, Town
Hall Q&As, or discussion groups.
Listen to Understand: This is where frequent
listening is essential. Not only to understand
where employees are, but to meet their basic
human need of being heard.
Support Managers: They are the front lines of
this communication with employees. Keep them
well informed, provide messaging and training as
well as resources for mental and emotional
support.
Be Less Perfect: Make the tone of your
communication personal – friendly, less formal.
Keep communication short and frequent – try not
to overwhelm all at once, instead reinforcing key
messages in more than one way.
Appeal to Emotion: Use humor, personal
stories, GIFs/memes/emojis and the humility of
knowing that this is new territory for all of us, to
show that we are united in facing this pandemic.
Experiment & Find What Works: Use pre-
reboarding to test out additional video
options, texting or apps – anything that
makes information easily accessible and,
ideally, provides opportunities for questions,
suggestions and feedback.
Be Seen: Limit email in favor of video calls,
video messages, town halls, texts and
internal social channels – be SEEN.
Reset Expectations: Condition team
members early that the setup they return to
will be different than what they left. There
may be new behaviors or routines to adopt
to reinforce safety, or there may be new
tools and technologies they need to learn.
Place Learning at the Center: Advise
employees on training they will receive
before, and upon, return.

PURPOSE
& VALUES
Now more than ever, your
should be your North Star

Reboarding
Communications
Roadmap
Follow this step-by-step guide to launch your reboarding communications process.
It can be adapted to fit your needs.

1. LAY THE GROUNDWORK
4. CREATE THE PLAN
3. BUILD FOR FLEXIBILITY
5. EXECUTE, MEASURE
& ADAPT
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR EMPLOYEES
THE ROADMAP

4. CREATE THE PLAN
5. EXECUTE, MEASURE
& ADAPT
The communication plan will be an integral part
of your organization’s overall reboarding plan. In
addition to sustaining a strong communication
loop on critical information, the communication
team’s role is to nurture employee engagement
while safeguarding the employer brand and
company reputation.
– Trisha Bruynell, VP, Peppercomm
1

Before building the plan, it’s important to put these foundational elements in place:
Reboarding Communication Working Group
As a first step for listening, enlist input from employees across different
experiences, roles, locations and life stages. Draw from your D&I groups and others
identified through your audience segmentation (see below) to ensure a holistic
view.
Communication Protocols
Who are the key communicators? What channels are available and how will
information flow up and down the line? Your organization must be able to
communicate clearly to employees in different regions and with different phases of
re-entry. This may require new, faster and less formal ways of connecting, such as
apps or texting.
LAY THE
GROUNDWORK
1

4. CREATE THE PLAN
5. EXECUTE, MEASURE
& ADAPT
2
It’s important to consider employees’
voices and invite them into the process of
determining what is right for your
company. Consider pulse checking your
staff for their sentiment on returning to the
office – you may find many who have been
isolating alone or struggling with work from
home are anxious to get back in the office
or that some have home limitations that will
make their return a true struggle. They may
have some excellent ideas that you, your
CEO and HR team haven’t yet thought
about. And then be sure your leaders
LISTEN to what they have to say.
– Tara Lilien, Chief Talent Officer, Peppercomm

Before you develop goals, strategies and content, take the time to understand what
employees are experiencing.
Employee Sentiment
If you don’t already, make sure you have in place a means to quickly gather
employee feedback, sentiment and suggestions. The assessment should be highly
accessible and confidential for employees, and easy to deploy and review for you.
You’ll need to review and be ready to adjust weekly, at least at the beginning, if
there are spikes or hot spots that affect operations and employees.
Audience Segmentation
Based on survey feedback, current practices and HRIS data, segment employees
by:
▪ Location
▪ Position
▪ Life stage – pre-retirees, parents with children at home, urban/suburban/rural
▪ Language, culture and other demographics
Personas & Journeys
Based on the segmentation, group employees into cohorts and develop personas
based on their current experiences. This approach will account for the fact that
people at different levels and locations have more in common – say, as parents of
school-age children – than they normally do. Then detail out how you want them to
think, feel and act based on company needs and their best interests.
UNDERSTAND
YOUR
EMPLOYEES
2

4. CREATE THE PLAN
5. EXECUTE, MEASURE
& ADAPT
After weeks or even months away, reentry
will require care and flexibility. It will
require multiple touchpoints and
adjustments. It will require a plan that is
dynamic and built with your employees’
needs in mind.
– Mari Baker, SVP, Peppercomm
3

We’ve already seen how information that was relevant last week doesn’t matter
today. Reboarding communication will be fluid and dynamic, so these elements can
help ensure it remains effective, however circumstances change.
Scenario Plan
Kick the tires. Identify different scenarios that will challenge your plan and prepare
for them. Watch how other organizations have responded to different scenarios.
Explore the areas where you feel most vulnerable.
Monitor & Adjust
Beyond checking in with employees regularly, take a step back each week and
determine: What has changed? Is this still working? Are we using the right
approaches? Are we being strategic? Are we missing things? How do you balance
with other communication needs that are part of your original plan?
3
BUILD FOR
FLEXIBILITY

4. CREATE THE PLAN
5. EXECUTE, MEASURE
& ADAPT
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR EMPLOYEES Deciding when to allow at least certain parts
of the workforce back on site is difficult, and
sentiment changes almost daily as we
continue to learn about this mystifying virus.
When you do begin to plan, there are the
logistical and physical considerations
that come with the need to maintain distance,
and the social and emotional ones, too.
Incorporating ways to address these last two
can be the difference between a relatively
smooth, positive transition and a painful one.
– Ann Barlow, Senior Partner and President,
Peppercomm West Coast
4

With the foundation laid, it’s time to draft your plan.
As Always, Keep Your Goals Foremost
Business leaders will focus on financial stabilization. EHS and HR will focus on safety
and a sense of security. Communications needs to maintain focus on getting the right
information in the hands of the right people, first and foremost. But also to keep an eye
on employer brand and company reputation – which is why you also have a say in
business decisions and employee performance.
Consider Communication Themes Now
Given the unpredictability of the pandemic, the content you painstakingly crafted may be
out of sync in a matter of days or even hours. Still, there are some key topics that you will
likely need to cover as part of your reboarding effort. Working with other leaders in the
company, identify these themes, and your initial recommendations on how and when to
communicate. This will allow you to begin shaping messaging and putting logistics in
place. This is also the time to tie in with your purpose and values, ensuring they are part
of your message.
Use a Simple Matrix
With the foundation laid, and goals and themes established, it’s all about the tactics now.
Use a simple matrix (we’ll show you an example) to think through and track what and
how you communicate. Incorporate who is the audience and messengers, how is the
message being delivered, etc. This will ensure consistency of message and that at least
your process is turnkey.
4
CREATE THE
PLAN

4. CREATE THE PLAN
5. EXECUTE, MEASURE
& ADAPT
Your employees will remember the first day they
step into their physical office again and how you
made them feel that day and in the weeks that
follow. Money, reputation, and physical and
mental health are all at stake during re-entry –
organizations simply can’t afford to get this
wrong.
– Courtney Ellul, SVP & Partner, Peppercomm London
5

Prepare Messengers
Beyond executives, much of the communication will flow from managers, so they
need to be empowered to communicate AND be comfortable in the role.
Although their responsibilities include regular team communication, now is the
time to insure they have information, training and resources both to deliver
messages and to effectively listen to and empathize with employees. Remind
executives about the need for their delivery to be accessible and human rather
than formal.
Begin Execution
Time to put your plan into action. Monitor as you go and at the end of each day
for now, assess reaction and prepare for what’s next. Adjust channels and
messaging as you go.
Action-Oriented Measurement
Identify key KPIs from the beginning, tied to key objectives and actions. Measure
regularly and be prepared to adapt accordingly. This is not the time for time-
consuming, glossy measurement reports; it’s the time for insight driven actions.
Embrace Mistakes & Adapt
This is a new experience and some things are bound to go wrong. Now is the
time to be comfortable with getting it wrong and doing what’s necessary to do
better. Adapt as you go. Your path is not likely to be linear. As you move forward,
jump back, skip ahead and restart the cycle, make improvements to your plan.
Build on what you’ve already learned and then look ahead even farther down the
road.
5
EXECUTE,
MEASURE &
ADAPT

Tools & Templates

TOOLS & TEMPLATES
• Scenario Planning 28-29
• Communication Matrix 30
• Measurement Matrix 31
• Pulse Survey Questions 32
• Sample Content Themes 33

SCENARIO PLANNING
POTENTIAL SCENARIOS
▪ Managers or leadership want to accelerate/slow
down process
▪ Employees grow uncomfortable reboarding
▪ Furloughed employees reluctant to come back
▪ Employees aren’t absorbing communication
▪ Reboarding process runs into problems
▪ New on-site COVID-19 cases
▪ New government lockdown/policy requirements
▪ C-suite member struggles
▪ Cybersecurity attack
▪ Act of violence onsite (furlough/virus-related)
USING THE MATRIX
▪ For each of these potential scenarios, run
through the scenario planning matrix on the
next slide. Add others as needed for your
organization
▪ The matrix will guide you through the
thinking/actions required to return employees
safely to the workplace:
✓ potential impact
✓ decision factors
✓ strategy selection
✓ implementation
✓ monitor & adjust

SCENARIO PLANNING MATRIX (FOR EXAMPLE)
POTENTIAL IMPACT DECISION FACTORS STRATEGY SELECTION IMPLEMENTATION MONITOR & ADJUST
(ID audiences) Employee safety Environmental cleanup Identify potential employees
Monitor affected & potentially
exposed
Business disruption Employee privacy
Tracing & outreach to potentially
exposed
Contact potential employees;
provide guidance & support
(including family)
Check employee sentiment
Upset employees Traceability Support for potentially exposed
Inform manager/potentially
inform execs
Address concerns & questions
Employee sentiment Communication to leadership Inform employees on site
Implement employee suggestions
as warranted
Communication with site
employees
INTERNAL
EXTERNAL (ID audiences) Potential exposure
Tracing & outreach to potentially
exposed
Identify potential exposed Monitor potentially exposed
Business disruption Traceability Support for potentially exposed
Contact potential exposed;
provide guidance & support
Monitor for further public
awareness of case(s)
Reputation

REBOARDING COMMUNICATION MATRIX (SAMPLE)
MAIN MESSAGE AUDIENCE MESSENGERS VEHICLES FREQUENCY CONSIDERATIONS
• Return will be based on
government/healthcare guidelines,
our readiness, safety
• Updates on readiness
• Employee feedback
All Staff CEO; HR Town halls, video; text
with video link
Weekly + Text or app may be essential
for furloughed, deskless
employees
• What do we need, what do you hear?
• Reinforce safety-first message
BU Leads/Exec
Team
CEO VC calls Several times/week May well overlap with
reboarding planning meetings
• Readying teams
• Listening for feedback/ideas
Managers BU leads VC calls Weekly, then more as
reboarding approaches
BU leaders provide update to
senior leaders in advance of
companywide communication
• BU-specific considerations
• Progress on these
• Reinforce safety message
BU Employees BU leads Town halls, videos
shared via text,
intranet, internal social
Weekly/biweekly
• Need your input on preparation
• What else should we be thinking
about?
Site/Team
Employees
Managers VC calls, emails, text
links to intranet,
internal social teams
Biweekly, then weekly+
as reboarding
approaches
Provide talking points +
coaching webinars for
delivery/feedback gathering
• What do leaders need to know?
• What support do you need?
ERG Members ERG lead As usual, adapted for
SIP, social distancing
2x/month Tap into ERG leaders for
employee sentiment

MEASUREMENT MATRIX: Channels & KPIs to Consider in Measurement Planning
Channel
Theme
Purpose Sample KPIs
Potential
Channels
Action-Oriented Analysis
EXTERNAL
Social Media The true sentiment of your employees (or their families and communities) may
bubble up on social channels.
• Commentary on owned pages
• Mentions (likely not tagged) on
personal or community pages
• Commentary on media or local
government posts
Facebook, LinkedIn,
Twitter, Instagram,
YouTube, Reddit,
Glassdoor
Rumors & speculation: Is there misinformation spreading
that can be addressed?
Growing concerns: Look for spikes in mentions and any
related key words
Message resonance: Which content/messages are gaining
most traction (either positive or negative); adapt
accordingly
Earned
Media
Your media monitoring can also shed light on progress with employee
engagement and reboarding, not only by how media are covering you, but
where that coverage is showing up and how it is received by audiences.
• Tone, Message pull-through, reach
• Social engagement
• Commentary on stories with brand
mentions
• Commentary on competitor or
industry news
Trades, blogs,
local/regional news
Which topics/stories are getting most traction? This can
indicate rising issues, themes
Which regions are garnering most coverage or
engagement with coverage?
Which stories are circulating most with employees and their
communities? Beware that positive coverage can still drive
negative sentiment (if seen as untrue)
Website Particularly for remote/deskless workers, the Company website is still a primary
information channel for many employees. Analysis of website can inform
content strategy.
• Site traffic & content engagement
• Source referrals
• Visitor demographics (proportion of
employees)
• Bounce rate
• Search terms
Owned website(s),
blogs
Key information: Is there an increase in traffic to your
Contact page, or repeat visits to your News?
What content are people searching for or engaging with?
INTERNAL
Push
Channels
Ideally, information “pushed” to employees is timely, segmented by audience to
avoid info overload, and delivered via multiple channels, giving employees
some control over the channel best suited to their preferences. Measuring
engagement with content against your usual benchmarks can indicate whether
important information is received & potential roadblocks.
• Participation/views vs benchmarks
• Open rate, CTR
• Engagement timing
• Questions/comments
Email, collaboration
hubs (Slack, Teams,
etc.), SMS, Town Hall
(livestream)
Which channels most effective for which communications
Any unexpected dips in engagement (can indicate follow-
up communication needed)
Pull
Channels
Any content delivered via a push channel should live in a pull channel, where
employees can easily locate and absorb information when they need it and at
their own pace.
• Site traffic, popular content/pages
• Search terms
Intranet, LMS Analysis of your pull channel can indicate which
information is most useful in the moment and over time,
and shed light on potential roadblocks
DIRECTFEEDBACK
Knowledge
Retention
Much of your reboarding communication includes specific information that is
critical for employees to know and understand. Embedding pulse survey or
feedback mechanism directly into communications can help evaluate efficacy
of these communications.
• Self analysis (ratio of YES to “did you
understand this information”)
• Pass/fail rate (quiz/test or embedded
questions)
• Open ended feedback (“how helpful
was xyz” or “where did you learn..”)
Embedded pulse
question, employee
surveys, quiz/test
Are employees sufficiently knowledgeable of key
information? What about key employees, such as
Managers, who are also gatekeepers & communicators?
Which methods/channels are most effective, and where?
Where are there gaps?
Sentiment Understanding overall employee sentiment and the emotional impact of
communications should inform every aspect of reboarding process. There will
naturally be heightened emotion and sensitivity as employees adapt to rapidly
changing conditions, so measuring sentiment regularly over time is key.
• Sentiment over time
• Sentiment by demographics
Survey, feedback
sessions
Is sentiment following expected patterns? (trending upward
as employees adapt to change)
Are there any variations by region or employee
demographics?

PULSE SURVEY SAMPLE QUESTIONS
SCALED RESPONSES
Pre-reboarding
▪ I feel productive in my work environment
▪ I trust the information my organization is sharing with me during this time
▪ We are staying connected as a team/colleagues during this time
▪ I know where to raise concerns within my organization during this time
▪ My company is supporting employees during this time
During reboarding
▪ I trust my organization has put adequate safety measures in place
▪ I am receiving the necessary training for operating in a safe environment
▪ I feel good about how my company is managing the reboarding process
▪ I feel free to ask questions
▪ If I have an idea or suggestion, I feel confident I will be heard
▪ If I have a concern, I feel safe voicing it
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
▪ What actions should we take as an
organization before you’re comfortable
returning to the workplace?
▪ What is one thing our company could do
right now to better support employees?
▪ What would you like to ask our CEO?
▪ Any other feedback?
Below are sample questions for an employee pulse survey (sentiment). You know your organization best and can adjust as
appropriate. You can also create separate pulse surveys for individual groups within the organization (e.g., managers) to get
feedback on their teams – or on other topics such as knowledge retention.

SAMPLE
CONTENT
THEMES
You know that there will be
certain key pieces of information
to convey. The details on how
and when you share information
will be dynamic to say the least,
but here are some broad
themes to consider as part of
your communications efforts.
Have your say: your voice matters
Safety and well-being
What you need to know
How we’re adjusting (with your input)
Updates on the business
What we’re learning from others
Policy modifications
Employee recognition
Human-interest stories that focus on the positive

A Look Ahead

What does your new EE look like?
Someday, we’ll have reboarding and the worst of the pandemic behind us. What does the future of employee engagement look like
at your organization? Some questions to ask yourself:
▪ What do you want to preserve from this experience?
▪ What do you need to move beyond the pandemic to rebuild engagement?
▪ What do employees need now to feel:
▪ Connected
▪ Valued
▪ Heard
▪ How do you know what employees need?
▪ How can you use the power of in-person conversations? Group meetings? How do you use digital channels to extend them?

NEW YORK
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New York, NY 10016
212.931.6100
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201 Mission Street, Suite 1940
San Francisco, CA 94105
415.633.3200
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London, UK E1 7NF
+44.020.7680.7104

Peppercomm Employee Reboarding Playbook

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