Internal Communications: Engaging Employees Boosts Business As July 4th approaches, take a moment to reflect on all of the blessings and freedoms our country affords us. If you're running a business, you also need to acknowledge that these are challenging economic times. If you're anxious about the future, so is every co-worker and employee. Times like these confuse people and productivity declines, not because of what people know, but because of what they do not know. Nature abhors a vacuum. It always finds a way to fill the void. The same holds for your company. In the absence of information- active engagement with your employees- something will fill the void and you can bet that it may not be accurate and actually could be harmful to your business. Engaging your employees about the condition of the company or the contributions they make requires thoughtful communication and a plan. First, let's define an " engaged employee." They are not only passionate and hardworking, they have a line-of-sight on their own future and on the organization's missions and goals. Engaged employees remain at your company for what they can contribute, not what they can get (such as good health benefits, vacation, etc). An internal communications plan can create more engaged employees and increase productivity in these confusing and scary times. From entry level to the most senior folks, let your employees know that their opinions are not only valued, but taken into serious consideration. There are numerous channels through which you can communicate to employees: from meetings and seminars to bulletin boards and newsletters. Social media has also emerged as a successful mode of employee communication . When monitored and used properly, allowing employees to blog on company-related topics, establishing a company-wide Intranet or even using Twitter, like Zappos.com employees, can create a strong sense of community and belonging among employees. This past July, Business Week named the nation's top 25 small businesses.  Winners were chosen from a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Great Place to Work Institute that measured employee experience and company culture. Results indicated that all of the best small company employers had a full communications plan in place. Establishing an "open communications" policy was almost always found in winning companies, year after year. Regardless of the communication channel(s) you intend to pursue, remember to be both honest and transparent. A strong internal communications plan can engage and retain valuable employees, clarify messaging in the presence of a crisis and reiterate company culture and mission. If you think your company is in need of an internal communications plan, contact us at www.vehrcommunications.com or (513) 381.8347. We'd love to help out. Our Blog Post on Employee Communications Visit our blog to see the most recent post on employee communications. An "engagement" survey of more than 6,100 businesses can predict movements in the Dow Jones Industrial Average four months out, according to one company. Please visit our blog regularly. It's called Vr3. The "r3" stands for reputation, relationships, and results. That's what we post about on Vr3. We'd appreciate your feedback.  Good Reads on Internal Communications Amazon: 1. Corporate Conversations: A Guide to Crafting Effective and Appropriate Internal Communications by Shel Holtz 2. Light Their Fire: Using Internal Marketing to Ignite Employee Performance and Wow Your Customers by Susan Drake, Michelle Janette Gulman, and Sara Roberts 3. The Power of Corporate Communication: Crafting the Voice and Image of Your Business by Paul Argenti and Janis Forman New Faces at Vehr Communications Sandy Daugherty serves as the Office Manager for Vehr Communications and is the glue holding our office together! Sandy has twelve years of professional experience in running an office. As manager of the office, Sandy is responsible for controlling budgets, human resource functions, and various other administrative duties. Sandy's experience, organizational skills, and ability to maintain and grow relationships make her an indispensible asset to Vehr Communications. Lindsay Vehr is a graduate of Miami University with a degree in English Education. Lindsay is joining Vehr Communications as a Marketing Assistant part time this summer.  Lindsay has worked for two years as a public school teacher. She is currently completing her studies through Miami University's Ohio Writing Project where she expects to receive her Masters of Arts in Teaching in the summer of 2010. Lindsay is responsible for the creation and distribution of the Vehr Communications eNewsletter, March Forth. Vehr Communications' Global Reach Grows with IPREX Vehr Communications is the Cincinnati-area partner of IPREX, a global corporation of more than 80 leading independent public relations firms in major markets in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  Vehr Communications global reach has just been expanded with the addition of the following firms: ·         Arenalia (Barcelona, Spain) ·         Wilkinson Media (Sydney, Australia) ·         Chayun PR (Seoul, South Korea) ·         Paper Communications (Kosovo and Albania) ·         MGH Communication Management (Buenos Aires, Argentina) ·         Rantau PR (Malaysia) Our partnership with IPREX allows us to couple our local expertise with global reach for the benefit of our clients, and the clients of other IPREX members. PR News, PR Insights This edition of March Forth provides links (on left) to some excellent blog discussions for building strategic communications plans. As practitioners, we use communications to manage reputations, build relationships and deliver results.  The Internet is changing how we do it, but how we have always done it is just as important. We hope the connections we provide here, and the various additional news outlets and blogs we connect to on the Vehr Communications' Web site, help you to understand this rapidly changing industry as much as they help us.