Everyone wants to work for an organisation that is well regarded by our families and friends, and to feel proud of the organisation we are part of.
In recent media coverage, The Consumer Council for Water reported that Thames Water and Southern Water were the two most complained about water companies, this amidst a torrent of relentlessly negative coverage about the industry. For your employer to be on the receiving end of continued public criticism must present a huge challenge to maintaining staff morale.
This is making us at D&D speculate what additional effort any company in the spotlight should be putting into engaging with staff, to keep them motivated, and determined to play their part in addressing the complex issues that face their industries generally and their employers particularly.
It’s our belief that these programmes can sometimes depend too much on a ‘broadcast’ model of communications, and not enough on marketing to employees. It’s vital to take as much care and attention with employees as organisations put into connecting with customers.
Regularly listening to and visibly acting on your employees’ views and concerns is always a valuable use of your time. Inviting them to engage and share with you how they think critical problems should be addressed can also be productive. In our experience, people at the coal face often have innovative answers and are always the key to successfully implementing solutions. Involving them not only helps solve problems but can also boost the organisation’s spirits.
If this is something you’d like to discuss, we always have a listening ear available.