Internal Comms When it's Scorchio!
It’s hot. It’s obvious.
So does it really need internal comms?
Answer – obvious or not, there’s still an important place for comms when it impacts your employee wellbeing.
In the self same way as we still expect government public health messengers to come forward with advice when the mercury’s rising, it’s right and responsible to ensure that you’ve set the tone for what’s expected (and not) of your staff.
Weather-related comms doesn’t of course require a major all-singing all-dancing campaign, but it is an apt time to evidence employee engagement and to reflect on which of your stakeholders may or may not be impacted by the heat burden.
Here’s some suggestions for comms which may be relatable for your business in light of the soaring temperatures:
- Dress code expectations: If you’re a formal attire business, you might want to advise staff of a refrain from such strict policies. You might be removing the need for ties, or reflecting that more casual and comfortable clothing is entirely acceptable for the period of highest heat.
- WFH (again): For those who’ve moved back into an office environment, it might be sensible to allow staff to work for home where it is practicable to do so – part icularly if to stay at work would mean facing a much more stifling environment.
- Reduction in productivity: No business leader will ever love the idea of downing tools or reducing output, but it may be pertinent to convey to staff that reduced productivity is indeed anticipated. In the same vein, this decision would warrant externalised comms for appropriate customers and stakeholders.
- Gestures and generosity: All companies take a different approach to providing welfare touches when special circumstances or seasonal matters call for it. In recent years, during the summer, we’ve had clients who have chosen to do such touches as providing free ice lollies, reducing the work-day with full pay, giving out bottles of water, placing fans on all desks, and even hiring a commercial ice-cream van to serve staff from the car park! Ensure if you’re doing such actions, you communicate to ALL staff through ALL mediums. It will sit poorly with less desk-based staff if they fail to see this message because you only relay the gesture via an email.
- Safety first: Where your business involves staff working outside, and more likely to be in the direct heat, it warrants communication to reflect your altered expectation, and to encourage them to stay hydrated, to change their schedule such that they can avoid the worst period of heat, or, even, to finish early if the heat reaches a certain point.
- Flexibility of hours: Many businesses are likely to suggest that staff can alter their working hours – especially if the work role would mean doing so during the worst of the temperatures. As ever, ensure you convey such communication early, and with as many methods as possible so that ‘in the field’ workers are not missing out on certain standardised comms.
And finally, don’t forget that for some, there will be external comms opportunities too.
You may see media scope in talking about the boss running a car-park ice-cream parlour for the day; free water being given to all customers and their dogs; employees volunteering to check on one member of the local community each; the company donating hundreds of choc-ices to a care home or day centre.
As ever, do get in touch if you would like help with future comms projects, and if you’re so inclined, please share stories of how you and your companies have dealt with a heatwave.
deborah@lexiaagency.co.uk