With more and more organizations leveraging social media to reach employees, the concept of “workplace communications” is rapidly evolving. Tools such as Facebook and Twitter are providing companies even more avenues for reaching employees. This expanded connectivity offers many advantages, but also calls for new guidelines to ensure that the communications experience remains productive for both employer and employee. While these guidelines may vary from organization to organization, here are some ideas to consider:

• Secure management support: Make sure managers understand the role of social media in your business and actively support its appropriate use. For example, a team leader might consider a microsite to encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration among his/her direct reports.
• Define rules of engagement: Have protocols in place to ensure that social media use (internally and externally) adheres to your organization’s policies regarding code of conduct, ethics, confidential and/or proprietary information and privacy.
  
• Provide education and guidance: Offer educational material and training to ensure that employees understand company guidelines for workplace communications, particularly social media.
  
• Have checks and balances: Not all employee-generated content is created equal. Just as Wikipedia has processes for reviewing user contributions, your company should have guidelines to support the quality and accuracy of employee postings.
  
• Make sure the medium suits the message: Choose the right tool for the task. For example, consider instant messaging to alert HR about a critical, time-sensitive issue, a vodcast/podcast to provide advance notice about changes to your company’s 401(k) plan or community forums for brainstorming.
  

A final thought: With increasing advances in communications technology, companies will soon have the capability to connect with employees virtually anytime, anywhere. That said, be sure that the volume and frequency of your workplace communications are what employees can reasonably manage, and that your efforts ultimately promote productivity and performance.

It can take years to build a great brand … and just one misstep to undermine it. Witness the recent experience of pro basketball superstar LeBron James. Since joining the NBA seven years ago at the age of 18, James has been quick to build a strong personal brand as a team player and hometown hero, while amassing a tidy fortune at the same time. Unfortunately, the basketball wunderkind’s media savvy appeared to desert him when he announced his much-anticipated NBA plans on July 8th, during an hour-long ESPN special titled “The Decision.”

Part infomercial, part kiss-off to his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the event was an ill-conceived PR disaster that left the James personal brand in tatters, earned the derision of fans nationwide and prompted the one-time media darling to appear defensive and uncomfortable in subsequent interviews. While James’ situation is unique in many ways, it’s also a very familiar tale about a brand that’s lost its way. So what should you do when your brand takes a wrong turn? Here are some ideas to consider:

1. Do some soul-searching. When your brand goes south, change for change’s sake is mighty tempting. Surely a new PR firm, ad agency, marketing guru or even CEO will have the answer and quickly right the ship. While it’s true that a fresh perspective can be helpful, more often than not, it’s better to look inside, rather than outside, for initial guidance. Think about your brand values and brand essence. What did your brand stand for in the beginning? What does it stand for now? Is there a gap? If so, is it because your brand has changed or because you’ve lost touch with your brand? Some candid reflection might lead you to the source of the problem … and to a meaningful solution.

2. Throw out the Kool-Aid. In the end, your brand promise has to deliver, so be sure you and your team can clearly separate the facts from the hype. If you can’t, your consumers or employees will do it for you. And in this age of instant information, they won’t be shy about pointing out the discrepancies between your brand promise and brand reality.

3. Hold your brand stewards accountable. Brand stewards must be uncompromising about protecting your brand. "Yes men" need not apply. Great brand stewards can dissuade management from wrongheaded ideas and stave off brand disasters. So if your brand is starting to flounder, take a look at your brand stewards and be prepared to ask some tough questions.

4. Focus on action, not words. Strange advice to find in a communications blog - nevertheless, it’s important to remember that the best way to repair a damaged brand is not through a well-crafted sound bite, but through right action and timely follow-up.

5. Try a slice of humble pie. Believe it or not, brand-building and humility can go hand in hand. While some brands have made their mark by relying on a brash, in-your-face marketing style, brands that endure more often than not exude a sense of dignity, class and quiet confidence.

6. Lead with your heart. Instead of searching for the next cool idea that will generate a lot of media buzz, take a moment to consider this question: Why is the world a better place with your brand in it? After all, a great brand isn’t about a person, product or service; it’s about a human experience. But be warned - if you find yourself grasping for an answer about your brand’s raison d'être, your current crisis is more than a blip on the screen and major changes may be in order.

We used to think of crisis communications planning as something you’d need if something bad happened. But with disasters befalling more and more global brands these days, it seems that crisis is now the new normal. And that means your internal communications function better be ready to spring into action when bad things happen. To help you handle your internal messaging when disaster strikes, here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

• Stick to a few key points: Craft two to three key points you want to make about the issue. Keep them short enough to fit on a few 3x5 cards, easy to remember, and simple to convey to others.
  
• Forget the platitudes: This is no time to hide behind corporate-speak. Be candid, stick to the facts and give your employees the respect and honesty they deserve.
  
• Have FAQs prepared in advance: Think about the questions employees are likely to ask first, and include them in an FAQ handout (if appropriate) for the face-to-face sessions.
  
• Prepare for an emotional, or even hostile, environment: Depending on the nature of the crisis, people may be upset or angry in your sessions. Think about how you’ll want to handle such situations and keep them from escalating.
  
• Share the news verbally first: Although it may be tempting to send out an email as your initial communications effort, it’s better to convey your news in person; for example, in an all-hands meeting or several group sessions held simultaneously. Face-to-face communication shows that you value employees, allows you to dispel rumors and gives you greater opportunity to assess and manage employee reaction.
  
• Allow time for questions: In your face-to-face meetings, give people an opportunity to ask questions, share their concerns and yes, even vent a little. Doing so will enable you to identify key concerns among your workforce.
  
• Don’t leave employees hanging: Let employees know when you’ll have more information to share. And be sure to follow up when you say you will, even if it’s to say you don’t have all the answers yet.
  
• Set up a triage system for handling additional questions: Provide a channel that employees can use to submit follow-up questions and get prompt answers. Whether it’s a locked drop box, an 800 number or a temporary website, be sure to give employees a means of getting questions answered after your initial meetings.
  
• Make sure your internal and external messages are in sync: Take care that the messages you’re providing to employees and the ones you’re sharing with the public are aligned. There’s always a chance that an internal communication might be “shared” with your local news station — or posted on the Internet — so be consistent with your messaging.
  

In today’s volatile business environment, it’s foolhardy not to have a crisis communications plan in place. No matter how profitable your company, how beloved your brand or how impeccable your corporate reputation is today, bad things can and do happen. How well your communications team prepares for them now will affect how you fare as a business, and as an employer, in the aftermath.

We know the communication challenges organizations face. Whether it’s introducing a new health care plan, announcing a merger or reinforcing corporate values, we’ve been there before. We understand what your employees want and need to know. Check back often for some straight talk on hot employee communication topics

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) into law. Since then, what have you done to communicate this legislation, and its implications for health care coverage, to your employees?  If you said “Nothing,” you need to break out of your holding pattern right now.

Consider this: Your employees have been hearing about health care reform for more than a year and, during this time, have probably developed their own ideas of what this legislation might mean for them. Some of their perceptions may be right, and some may not. In either case, it’s up to you to deliver the facts about changes to your company plan. 

And while you may not have all the details about the overall impact of the PPACA, there’s plenty you do know and can share with employees today.   

That said, here are some thoughts about tackling this important topic:  

• Start small: You don’t have to create a complex communications strategy to begin addressing legislative changes affecting your employees. In fact, it’s probably easier and more practical to focus on changes occurring in the near term. You can begin by sending out an email, along with a list of FAQs, outlining key changes in 2010 and 2011 and the related impact on your plans.
• Be honest about what you don’t know: It’s perfectly fine to tell employees “This is all the news we have right now. We’ll continue to follow the legislative process closely and will provide further information about potential changes to your coverage and costs when we have those details.”
• Find common ground with your current plan: Point out areas where the new law supports features already reflected in your current plan. For example, if your plan provides preventive care services, explain the new law’s support for recommended preventive tests and screenings.  
• Offer ongoing updates: Because effective dates to the PPACA’s legislative changes will span several years, let employees know that you’ll provide follow-up communications as new regulations are issued.
• Reinforce the importance of health care consumerism: Remind employees that it’s more important than ever to be informed about their health care benefits and to actively manage their health. Take the opportunity to promote health and wellness tips, tools, and resources your company provides.
• Provide an avenue for employees to submit questions and receive timely answers:  Provide an email address and / or a dedicated area on your benefits website where employees can get their questions answered. This resource will also help guide you on what further information employees may want and need regarding the new legislation.

Now all you have to do is make a start. By communicating about the PPACA clearly and effectively — without further delay — you’ll help your employees manage the upcoming changes to their health care choices, coverage, and costs.