Categories
Engagement

E-mail’s Impact on Workplace Relationships

My friend, Emily, prompted me to write this post and seek your input.  She’s looking for formal research on e-mail’s impact on workplace relationships, including the effectiveness – or lack thereof – of bosses who manage by e-mail.

Here’s the situation, and it’s one you might be familiar with.  Or at least know someone who is.

Managing by e-mail

A mutual friend of ours works in an office where the boss manages primarily by e-mail — giving directions and having electronic “conversations” with staff instead of talking with them face-to-face … even when their desks are only ten feet apart!  The result is a build up of resentment and misunderstanding that’s hard to overcome.

As Emily acknowledged, “It all comes down to using e-mail efficiently and choosing the appropriate medium for internal communication.  E-mail can be a great connector and communicator, but it can also break down relationships if it is used instead of personal contact.”

What we’ve found on this topic so far

Shawn Smith, a management & organizational development consultant, says in a white paper on workplace communication barriers:

“In this age of electronic communication, far too many managers use email as a substitute for personal interaction … While you should never seek to discuss sensitive or delicate matters electronically, even everyday business is better handled through personal contact when possible.  More direct contact will help create better rapport and trust.”

In Bosses: 10 Tips for Better E-Mails, written for Microsoft’s small business market, editor Monte Enbysk cites Vanderbilt management professor David Owens on managers’ use of e-mail:

“E-mail is an extremely valuable communication channel for today’s managers, but it can be abused if used carelessly or too much. [So] use e-mail as one channel of communication, but not your only one.  It’s fast and easy … But it also misleads bosses into thinking they can manage large groups of people through regular e-mails.  Use e-mail wisely, but don’t manage your company through it.”

Got research?

What I’ve learned in my own work with clients who want to improve internal communications is that too often there’s an over-reliance on e-mail at the expense of face-to-face communications.

I know lots of folks, including Emily, agree with me.  But to help her friend deal with this situation, we’re looking for formal research on the subject.  So if you know of any out there, please let us know.

Thanks!

Categories
Customer service

Georgia Aquarium – A Must Sea Experience

If you’re taking a trip to Atlanta, check out the new Georgia Aquarium.  And if Atlanta isn’t in your future travel plans, I suggest you reconsider … believe me, it’s worth the trip!

Last month while in Atlanta on business, a friend arranged a special visit to the Georgia Aquarium, the newest and largest aquarium in the world.  Here’s why I recommend it so highly:

  • The variety of marine life is incredible, ranging from beautiful & graceful beluga whales to a variety of wacky-looking sea creatures.
  • The place was designed with the visitor’s experience in mind.  There are great displays all around – you can actually walk underneath a giant tank to see fish swimming above you.  And you can get real close to the sea-life with several hands-on activities, including being able to touch manta rays.
  • Somebody there (the aquarium planners or staff) has a great sense of humor – on entering the aquarium I recall a notice that visitors are welcome … as long as they don’t bring their fishing poles!

What also impressed me was the staff’s enthusiam & commitment to the visitors’ experience.  While on tour with the Director of Education, there were several times he stopped to clean up some napkins or paper litter that was left on the floor.

Needless to say, I was hooked!

Categories
Engagement

Bad Bosses – Real & Fictitious

Found this great post on Phil Gerbyshak’s blog about a group of employees who publicly posted their letter of resignation.

Whatever it was that led them to this point, one can only imagine … if only their boss had listened to them earlier!

Speaking of bosses, check out Hallmark’s free e-cards about the Workplace: click on “Honest Boss Interview” and enjoy (unless this describes your current boss).

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Business Communicator Weighs in on Internal Marketing & Branding

I love Shel Holtz’s post entitled “Employee communications is the chicken, marketing is the egg” in which he addresses communication’s critical role in effectively engaging employees in the context of internal marketing & branding.  He notes: ” … companies are putting their reputations more firmly in their employees’ hands, not only as producers of products, but as touch points for customers.”

What’s interesting to me, however, is to hear it from a business communicator’s perspective.  Shel builds his case (including citing GlaxoSmithKline’s initiative of turning its sales force into PR ambassadors) as a platform to garner management’s “renewed attention” on the importance of internal communications.

Why does management need to listen?  Because, as Shel so aptly puts it: ” … throwing employees into the public spotlight without the benefit of a strong internal communication effort is beyond risky.  It’s stupid.”

As a marketer, I’m with you 110%.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Internal Marketing Live, On-Air

If you want to “hear” more about internal marketing, then tune in next Thursday, March 16, 2006, at 5 PM EST/2 PM PST, to Trish Lambert’s live Internet radio show – that’s when I’ll be talking with Trish about “Marketing from the Inside Out.”

The one-hour program airs on Voice America’s Business Channel and launches Trish’s new radio show, Real People, Really Leading.

I’m thrilled that she’s chosen internal marketing as her first topic, and I’m excited to be her first interview.  I’m also a bit nervous as it’s a live show with call-in questions.

But that’s also why I’m telling you about it.  If there’s anything you want to ask me directly and in real-time (beyond communicating through this blog or e-mail), tune in and let us hear from you.

Note: For those of you in the central, mountain & pacific time zones, you can listen in at work.  This may be more of a challenge, however, for those of you on the east coast … unless you’re used to working past 5 PM (like most folks I know).  So if you can’t stay in the office to listen on-line, consider going home to tune in on your home computer.  (How’s that for an excuse to leave the office early?!)

Regardless of your time zone & situation, I do hope you’ll be able to catch the show.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Internal Branding Follow Up

My earlier post comparing the concepts of Internal Marketing and Internal Branding peaked a lot of interest with a number of mentions in the business blogosphere.

One in particular led me to Regina Miller of The Seventh Suite and her blog, HR’s Brand New Experience (which I’ve added to my Relevant Links blogroll at left).  Regina has a fascinating background that combines human resources & organizational development with internal branding & strategy alignment.  (A professional after my own heart: it all comes down to leadership & corporate culture.)

Exploring her blog, I found an interview she did with Kevin Keohane, Director of Brand Engagement of UK-based Enterprise IG, in which he describes Internal Branding as “what the employer says and does to embed the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that exemplify the brand.” (One of the briefest & best internal branding definitions I’ve heard.)

In addition, check out Christopher Hannegan’s recent post in which he cites how Dow Corning has aligned employee behavior to its brand attributes.  A company that’s committed to living its brand — what a concept!

Categories
Musings

The Ultimate In-Home Gourmet Dining

I finally got the chance to experience Gourmet Station, an absolutely delightful web-order/mail-delivered catering service.  I knew about Gourmet Station from my marketing buddy & blog-mentor, Toby Bloomberg, as it’s one of her clients.

It’s an interesting concept: heat & eat three- and four-course gourmet meals delivered to your home … complete with candles and lace-trimmed napkins to enhance a special dining experience.  But until recently, I had only hear about it by word-of-mouth.

Until last month when I had the opportunity to dine ala Gourmet Station.  The meal was delectable – bistro mushroom soup and tomato basil soup (I had a taste of both … yummm!), seared salmon with herb sauce and chicken Wellington (ditto!), creamed spinach, and amaretto cheesecake.

Gourmet Station makes a great & unique gift for any occasion.  And if you can’t wait to be on the receiving end, go ahead & treat yourself.  You won’t regret it.

Categories
Engagement

Attention HR: It’s not just about the new hires

This story comes from a colleague of mine who’s making considerable progress in improving internal communications despite roadblocks from Human Resources.  Here’s the situation: HR spent over a year compiling a new employee handbook.  And the internal communications officer recommended it be distributed to all employees (to have everyone “on the same page”).

But it was not to be.  Since policies are likely to change, HR didn’t want to distribute the new & improved handbook to everyone; it was just for new employees.  And for everyone else?  They could find it on the organization’s web (according to my colleague, “buried” is more like it) in a 60+ page PDF.

What’s the message to existing staff?  You’ve been here so long, you don’t need your own copy.

I understand HR’s concern with putting out a document subject to continuous updating … it’s the nature of the beast.  But would it have been so terrible to distribute the handbook en masse – with a disclaimer about possible changes being posted on the web?  (Or if cost was an issue, giving employees the option of getting it in print or on-line?)

Sadly, with its selective distribution of the employee handbook, HR missed the opportunity to reinforce the value of ALL the organization’s employees.

Categories
Customer service Engagement Marketing

Invitation to a Brand Marriage & More

I forgot to mention this in my last post when I told you about Bill McEwen’s book, Married to the Brand.

At the end of the book, readers are offered a complimentary six-month trial subscription to the Gallup Management Journal.  It’s a great way to keep up with the latest in customer- and employee-engagement.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Your Invitation to a Brand Marriage

If you’re looking for a great business book, I highly recommend Married to the Brand: Why Consumers Bond with Some Brands for Life by Bill McEwen, Gallup Press.  And here’s why.

Insightful

What’s different about this book is that it looks at the emotional connections consumers have with brands from the consumer’s perspective.  McEwen uses the dating-courtship-marriage metaphor effectively without being overly schmaltzy.  He also shares the metrics used to measure both the rational & emotional aspects of “customer engagement.”

The building blocks of brand attachment leading to this type of engagement are based on:

  • “Confidence” – the degree to which consumers believe a company will deliver on its brand promise
  • “Integrity” – the degree to which consumers believe a company stands behind its brand and how it treats customers, especially when there are problems with the firm’s product or service
  • “Pride” – the extent to which consumers feel good about their use of and/or association with a brand
  • “Passion” – the extent to which consumers love (rather than like) a brand.

Making the Case

McEwen draws on extensive Gallup research across a broad range of industries to demonstrate the profitable “payoff of customer engagement.”  The research reinforces the importance of employees who create customer-brand relationships leading to engagement – or disengagement.

According to McEwen: “When it comes to building customer connections, it matters greatly how well the company’s employees are managed … Engaged employees contribute more.  They stay longer, and they’re more productive.  And, of critical importance, they also promote stronger and longer-lasting customer relationships.  Simply put, engaged employees help to produce engage customers.”

Here’s to a long & healthy relationship!

A good read

Well written, Married to the Brand provides substantive content that can easily be read in one or two sittings — my kind of book.  And one you’ll want to add to your business library.