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Hands on approach to staff retention

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TV screens in classroomRichard Bednall, Managing Director of In situ productions, suggests how firms might improve internal communications and win the loyalty of their staff in the face of today’s fast paced working environment.


In surroundings which often leave little time for the niceties of staff welfare and for their feelings of well being, few companies can claim to really communicate with their staff.

Poor internal communications, stress and feelings of being undervalued are identified as some of the key reasons why employees leave companies. Employers who overlook this are making a massive mistake. Not only are there the direct financial costs of replacing staff but a great strain is placed in on HR departments. The loss of key skills, a disruption to operations and the negative effect on staff morale are all contributors.

Companies need to wake up and listen to their staff and ensure they maintain all important communication structures providing a cascade of information from director level through to the post room. Communication needs to be two-way; with issues being addressed by placing a greater emphasis on listening and responding to employees concerns and ideas.

Video production companies such as In situ productions are striving to provide solutions to this endemic problem. Video ensures messages are delivered to all employees, swiftly, consistently and as effectively as possible. A takeover bid, company re-organisation or even large scale redundancies are all events that can occur unexpectedly.

Companies need to ensure they have a method of rapid response in place guarding against these issues to inform, explain and reassure staff before rumours quickly begin to lower morale. When companies are facing daily external pressures from competitors it is easy for them to forget their own workforce. How can companies maintain a ‘personal touch’ to business guaranteeing that staff feel reassured and appreciated?

Case Study 1

Staffware, leading Business Process Management specialist:

  • Headquartered in the UK with seventeen offices across the globe
  • Has over three hundred and fifty people on its payroll
  • Needed systems in place to ensure their employees are the first to be made aware of any new key corporate decisions.
  • Staffware now produce a video news bulletin documenting the news and forthcoming changes employees can expect to occur. The final video is distributed to the international operating divisions over the company intranet, thus enabling a huge workforce to be reached potentially within minutes of entering the company website or receiving email. This unique approach has succeeded in creating an inclusive working environment in which workers feel valued.

    Case Study 2

    Shell, Dutch petrol-chemical giant:

  • Needed to communicate the success of their new Sales Mangers Academy to Sales Directors in all of their transcontinental branches
  • Wanted to demonstrate the operations and achievements of the project on a one to one basis with their managers
  • Devised a creative solution to this problem by commissioning a corporate communications package
  • This short show reel was shot on location as a documentary and included interviews with participants, facilitators and Shell staff.
  • Talking about Shell’s approach to internal communications Giles Watkins, Global Competence Development Manager, claims that this medium is used extensively within the organisation, giving them the opportunity “to communicate a consistent message combined with relative value for money and flexibility of use”. The video can be adapted for local markets, providing a cost effective way to promote and raise awareness of the Sales Academy with comparatively little effort.

    Shell and Staffware are making considerable progress with their approach to internal communications. By combining new developments with the opportunity to provide continued support they have the chance to provide a rapid response to change and staff retention issues.

    A recent article in the ‘Economist’ suggested that “in the Workplace of the future, the fiercest competition may not be for customers but for the hearts and minds of employees”. Maintaining solid communications links with staff swiftly, comprehensively and considerately may be the key to this.

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    3 Responses

    1. Staff retention through Induction
      I am interested in sharing experiences of why inductions fail – what do you think?

    2. time to internalise
      Just reading the comments about the video. Also the face to face communication – I agree that this is a must – but you must give people time to internalise the information.

      So if individuals are asked if there are any questions once the information is given, don’t be surprised when you get a sea of blank faces – go back and ask them again a few days later.

    3. Video for internal communications
      If videos are well done (and this is a major caveat) they may not be entirely useless. However I do strongly question their value on a cost/benefit basis. Too often they are boring and not relevant, saying far more about senior management’s preoccupations than those of the average employee.
      I believe there are 3 golden rules of communication that should be respected if you want it to be truly effective:
      1) make it face to face
      2) from the employee’s direct supervisor
      3) rephrased in terms that are intelligible and above all relevant to the employee(s) being addressed.
      (Ref: Communicating Change, Larkin)
      This is harder work and less exciting for senior management than making a video, but it is usually a lot more effective, and probably considerably cheaper, too.

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