Cost of Living, Comms & Creativity
Effective communications is so much more than knowing when and where to send a press release.
Too many businesses become so pre-occupied with outward facing comms opportunities, that they can equally fail to see the very real and present scope for communicating with, and delivering for, their own staff.
This, in turn, serves to aid your level of employee connection and receptiveness, thus benefiting recruitment, retention and wellbeing.
Naturally, the nay-sayers will question whether some efforts at employee engagement are purely the preserve of HR, and not for your communications team.
But is it so black and white?
The cost of living is perhaps a perfect opportunity to initiate communications tactics which engage your staff and which could, and may, see PR and HR working in harmony for the best outcomes.
Here are a few tactics which companies may want to explore in the weeks ahead, given the likelihood that more and more families will be reflecting the impact as we move through the summer and toward the cooler months where fuel bills will inevitably bite…
- Monthly bulletins:
Sure, all of your staff are probably well versed in sourcing advice and handy tips via the internet. But what if you were to take it upon yourself to provide a staff-focused cost of living support bulletin? Perhaps you could include in it such things as
ü Recently publicised store offers
ü Updates from monetary pundits like Martin Lewis
ü Company-specific initiatives which allow staff to get discounts / avoid costs
ü Trade membership savings benefits
ü Offers and gestures made available to employees via your county chamber of commerce
- Update Your Employee Benefits and Share in Revised Comms
When was the last time your company refreshed its stance on what is offered for staff, which discounts are available, and to what extent employees are eligible for particular initiatives?
Spend time producing an e-booklet or printed resource which might include aspects such as the cycle-to-work scheme, bonus structures, the use of salary sacrifice, interest-free loans, and even free car parking for electric vehicles.
- Financial Literacy Education
By creating a PR-worthy partnership with your local bank or building society, there’s every opportunity to develop some online and in-person financial literacy training, bespoke to your business.
Spend some time chatting to an appropriate financial institution which might welcome the marketing scope for this collaboration.
- Money Advisory Drop-ins
Similar to the above initiative, again, this one is great for developing some internal and external PR. Can you commission money advisors and savings specialists to have a regular slot in your workplace?
This would work particularly well for those of your staff who would welcome confidential 121s about their personal finances and levels of debt, but who, given their work hours, might find it difficult to access such a professional.
- Market Day at the Office
What about truly communicating to your staff that you ‘put your money where your mouth is’ when it comes to generating opportunities which support their household budget?
If your business venue is such that it would allow for a physical initiative of this kind on-site, explore the idea of a monthly fresh produce market. Ideally you would collaborate with a local food and drink supplier, and assist employees by creating access to goods at a subsidised price.
You might find this another very good external PR opportunity – working with the right trader from the community, and perhaps utilising their supply of ‘imperfect’ produce which could be donated altogether, or offered at a reduced price rather than it being wasted.
- And don’t forget your remote workers…
There’s a danger of conceiving great comms concepts which then unwittingly fail to benefit your WFH employees, or even those who operate a hybrid week and only visit your site a certain day(s) of the week.
Bear that in mind with any cost of living provision – including remote provision of financial welfare appointments, and possibly introducing fruit and veg boxes or vouchers, as your ‘remote’ option, for those unable to attend a market day initiative.
As ever, if you’d like some creative comms or employee engagement ideas implemented or project managed, do get in touch.
I’d also welcome hearing about other tactics your firm is using.