During the past 24 months, we have seen elevated levels of labor activity in organizations including record increases in labor organizing petitions and high-level corporate contract negotiations across a diversity of business sectors.
This is driven in part by the post-pandemic work environment and increased employee activism. An additional challenge for organizations is understanding how best to communicate and connect with a rapidly changing workforce that is younger, more politically active, more skeptical of senior management, and consumes media in small bites.
It is more important than ever that internal teams, including legal, communications, HR and other senior leaders, understand how to reach employees and build connections that will sustain over time. Gallup has reported a decrease in employee engagement at the same time government agencies are reporting labor organizing rates not seen in decades.
However, should employees file an organizing petition, they deserve and expect to hear from their employer and to have all of the information needed to make a fully informed decision about labor representation.
Five keys to effective communications
Here are five keys to building a strong labor relations team and communications strategy.
- Align on the core team members – An employee engagement team generally consists of legal, corporate communications and human resources at a senior/HQ level, as well as facility managers and supervisors at the local level.
- Build a strategic program – Ensure that all involved understand the overall goals and objectives for building strong connections with employees using the most effective communications channels. This includes core strategies, key messages, relevant programs, regular events, and effective measurement.
- Know your audiences – Understand the demographics and dynamics of your workforce. Many organizations today have a hybrid group ranging from Gen X future retirees to newly onboarded Gen Z workers. Recognize how each group hears messages, consumes information and connects IRL (in real life). Additionally, decide the best way to assess employee sentiment using in-person engagements, such as one-on-ones and floor walks, as well as the best data available. Annual employee surveys can be a starting point but never relied upon exclusively to gauge how employees feel.
- Bold content counts – The challenge with internal communications is breaking through the clutter of company messages to reach and influence team members. Bold content has strong, succinct language, design that pops and is available across all communications channels such as in-person updates, employee apps and social media. All content should have a clear message – avoid ambiguous or inconclusive language.
- Prep for the petition – While employees should be consistently reminded about the virtues of working for an organization, we recommend developing and approving labor campaign content and a coordination calendar in advance. This content should amplify the company’s history and values, provide additional background on union membership and emphasize the power of their individual voices while also reinforcing employees’ rights.
Even with anticipated changes forthcoming with the incoming presidential administration, strengthening the relationships between an organization and its workforce is always critical to the group’s overall success.
Building a strong internal labor team and communications program to support elevated engagement is the first step to ensuring your team continues to use their own voice to be heard in the workplace.
