The tactics comms pros can use to keep employees on board during frequent change

Executives can spend months planning a change and still lose track of what employees were told about it last time. Employees usually don’t view change the same way.

We spoke with Emilie Bingham, vice president of communications and brand at ShipStation, about keeping executive messaging in step with what employees are living through and how to tell when trust is starting to come back.

Bingham will share her insights at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference next week in Austin. To register, click here.

Ragan: What’s one practice that has helped you keep executive messaging in step with what employees are experiencing day to day during a stretch of continuous change?

Emilie Bingham: Bring some history. When working through an upcoming change, remind executive leaders what has been communicated to the company in the past, either on this topic or something similar. Because executives are often involved in many conversations planning for the change itself, they may not remember the finer details of what’s been shared and with whom. You can be the voice of the employee base.

Which part of your change communications approach has held up best through back-to-back transformations, and what makes it work?

No matter the change, I will always map out the audiences we need to communicate to. This could be subsets of employees, broken out by department, location or management level — wherever groups diverge on a certain topic.

I’ll break down every group, including: what they know, how they feel, how we would like them to feel after the change and the best channels to communicate with them. If I don’t know this information, I’ll ask people who know better or, if available, consult engagement data.

This is foundational information to refer back to, as we start to build out key messages and a communications plan in more detail. As drafting gets started and more people begin to weigh in, it also becomes a helpful reminder of the team members on the other side of your communications. Are we meeting them where they are? Does our plan instill the feelings we intended?

After a layoff, what helps the employees who stay find their footing and reconnect with their work?

First, immediately following a restructuring or layoff, employees are going to examine the reasons you give for why these changes took place and decide for themselves if those reasons feel true, reasonable, and in service of the goals or strategy the company has been working toward. Be as honest as possible, speak plainly and make it clear where you’re headed next — and how these changes will help you get there.

Second, follow up on that future state you’ve outlined. Shared goals can unify teams, and beating expectations can reinvigorate motivation. Check in regularly on performance and celebrate the work that’s helping the business achieve its goals.

What’s a tool or resource you’ve given managers that helps them turn uncertainty into clarity for their teams?

Employees look to their managers in periods of change, which makes sense. They interact with their managers every day and have built strong relationships with them. Equip managers with short and simple talking points — written in plain language. Remind them that it’s better to say “I don’t know” than guess if they get a question they’re not sure how to answer.

Can you share an example of a leader who rebuilt credibility with employees while keeping a transformation moving forward?

My company is the byproduct of a recent merger, combining two comparable companies in the shipping and logistics space. The executive leadership team is now made up of leaders from both sides of the merger, meaning every executive had to introduce themselves to a wide swath of the company and quickly build credibility from scratch. The communications team helped support this with a series of videos introducing them to the company. We leaned into showcasing their tenure, expertise, and — crucially —  personalities.

What signs tell you employee trust is coming back after a period of disruption?

Look for two signals. First, overall engagement numbers should improve. Employees who are more invested in the company will open and read more emails, attend more town halls and ask more questions. Second, when employees do engage, pay attention to the tone and tenor of that engagement. What kinds of emails have the highest open rate? At town halls, what kinds of questions are being asked — are they asking about restructuring or about the company’s plans?

Don’t forget to check in with people directly, too. Build a wide network of people around the business that can give you a richer understanding of employee sentiment.

Sean Devlin is the senior internal communications editor at Ragan. You can follow him on LinkedIn here.