Posted At : September 25, 2008 10:17 PM | Posted By : Judette
Related Categories: Employee Communications

I chatted IABC member Kathy Collura of Collura Consulting today on the role of the responsible communicator in tough financial times.

Kathy is from Georgia and she has 27 years of employees communications experience. With news of the financial meltdown still dominating the headlines (Mc Cain suspended his campaign today to deal, he says, with the crisis), there is an important role for communicators to play.

In a previous posting I painted the solutions with a broad brush. "Enable dialogue," I wrote, but Kathy really defines how in an white paper that is soon to be published by Melcrum.

Some of her recommendations are listed below:

Have another long talk with Finance and Operations executives.
Partner with them to develop and execute a communication plan that addresses how corporate issues affect employee concerns.
As you’re developing the communication plan, talk to employees to be sure you’re addressing what is hot for them.
Help your CEO speak to the issues with employees. He or she should address employee concerns about paychecks, retirement and insurance. Most organizations should address job security, too.
Make the conversation two-way and in the context of your business and industry.
Use the plans you’ve developed with HR, Finance and Operations to keep the conversation going and get other leaders involved. (Don’t forget to prepare your CEO to address the topic of executive compensation—it’s in the spotlight again.)
Lobby for employee financial counseling.
Join the companies (including IBM, Microsoft, and PepsiCo) that offer employees financial counseling from outside experts. Independent financial experts can provide the kind of personal advice that employees are seeking, but that companies are prohibited from providing. Start with a basic course that addresses employees’ immediate concerns with practical easy-to-use suggestions. Consider targeted sessions for specific demographic groups’ concerns (such as Baby Boomers).