Employee Communications – A Case Study

Any policy decision that affects a large number of employees is a big deal for a company of any size. The job of internal communications is to convey information, reassure people who may be nervous about change, and offer opportunities for engagement and the exchange of ideas.

The Challenge and the Opportunity

In this case, the challenge and the opportunity were to manage communications for employee-shareholders before, during, and after an interstate company relocation.

The company had decided to relocate to another jurisdiction, and away from its home of half a century. The employees at this company had an unusual degree of influence on decisions about the move: they were also the company’s shareholders. This case study highlights our content creation at the intersection of employee communication and shareholder communication at an employee-owned company. 

The Background

In the early 21st century, the nation’s oldest employee-owned corporation had to navigate many challenges. 

• Market changes: the internet and wide access to the personal computer, which reshaped its industry – the news and information business
• Rising cost of operations in the fast-gentrifying nation’s capital
• A workforce of employee-owners, many of whom had invested their life savings in the company
• Skyrocketing costs of healthcare for an aging workforce
• A restive labor union representing non-management workers

Yet the company was run by people who had risen through the ranks and were themselves heavily invested employee-owners. To the extent possible, everyone was in the same boat. 

The board decided that the company needed to relocate to remain profitable and growing.

This meant coordinating the flow of information to the 100+ employee-owners who would be moved to three different locations.

Another challenge and the big opportunity were to reveal the full rationale for the move, and pull back the curtain on the strategy that got an extraordinary deal. Employee-shareholders got all possible amenities they cared about. The way information was handled before, during, and after the announcement – and after the move – made for the smoothest possible transition. 

The Solutions

Many kinds of content were developed, in multiple formats:

• Survey to understand employee-shareholder priorities and concerns
• Print collateral to explain the process and the rationale
• A website to access 24/7 information, photos, and drawings on:
  • Purge and pack schedule
  • Move out/move in timetable and instructions
  • Building construction as it progressed
  • The new, modern workspaces
  • How to submit questions, suggestions, and concerns
• Digital and print updates on options and amenities – 
  • Transportation, parking, and carpooling
  • Restaurants and markets
  • Health care, hospitals
  • Libraries, civic resources, entertainment

The Impact

• Workforce surveys after the move confirmed that their transition had been successful
• All publications went out on schedule during the move
• There was enough communication throughout the long process that all stakeholders felt their priorities had been considered and were implemented where possible