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HR Advancement Center
How to Avoid Spamming
Your Employees
Kate Vonderhaar
Practice Manager
HR Advancement Center
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
6
“There’s One Thing I Hate, All the Noise, Noise, Noise”
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Change Fatigue Versus Amount of Communication
Over-Communication Often a Key Driver of Change Fatigue
Level of
Employee
Change
Fatigue
Amount of Change Communication
Not enough information
triggers staff anxiety,
uncertainty, distrust,
and resistance to
change…
… but too much
communication leads to
information overload,
confusion about priorities,
and additional stress
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
7
Avoid Three Common Mass Communication Pitfalls
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Common Mass
Communication
Pitfalls
Emails Don’t Have
Clear Action Steps
Organization Sends
Overwhelming Number
of Emails
Leaders Aren’t
Prepared to Answer
Staff Questions
1.Communication
Hierarchy
2.Mass
Communication
Cap
3.Directive Email
Color-Coding
4.Tiered Leader
Communication
Best Practices to
Overcome Pitfalls
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
8
Building a Change Communication Hierarchy
CHOMP’s Tiered Communication Channels
Intranet
All Other Channels (e.g., posters, table tents, flyers)
Organization sends only most
important information via mass
email; in turn, staff expected to
check email as regular part of job
Centralized intranet hub captures
and stores key change information
for quick, on-demand staff access;
many emails link back to intranet
Other channels used to reinforce
key messages, ensure widespread
staff awareness of priorities
Source: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula,
Monterey, CA; HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Practice #1: Communication Hierarchy
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
9
Source: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, CA;
HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Case in Brief: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
• 207-bed community hospital located in Monterey, California
• Winner of 2011 Advisory Board’s Excellence in Engagement Award
and consistent industry leader in sub-set of engagement questions
about communicating with employees
• Leadership recognized over-reliance on mass emails to communicate,
felt too much information lost in employees’ inboxes
• Decided to limit mass emails by blocking access to organization-wide
distribution list and rigorously vetting mass emails before sending
• Organization-wide emails convey only most urgent and important
information; intranet used to disseminate supplementary, non-urgent
information for employees to access as desired
Building a Change Communication Hierarchy
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
10
Dialing Down the Email Noise
Executive Gatekeepers Permit Only High-Priority Mass Emails
Source: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, CA;
HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
CHOMP’s Vetting Process for Organization-Wide Emails
Block Distribution
List
Standardized
Request Protocol
Evaluate Message
Content
Make “Go/No-Go”
Decision
1
2
3
4
Organization blocks staff from using employee-wide
distribution list; only communications department
and six executives have access
Staff required to submit formal request for any
employee-wide emails to their respective executive
Gatekeepers make final call; if approved, requestor
granted one-time permission to send organization-
wide email
Executive gatekeepers evaluate message content
for importance and “necessity to send”
Nu
mb
er o
f Mass E
mails
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
11
Establishing a Standardized Email Request Process
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Organization-Wide Email Request Form
Organization-wide email requests must be submitted to VP
overseeing your function. Please use the template below to
format requests. All fields are required.
Today’s Date:
Intended Audience:
VP to Approve/Disapprove:
Subject Line:
Date Email Should Be Sent:
Message Purpose: Explain the purpose of this email and
why it needs to be sent to all employees.
Alternative Communication Modes: Detail other methods of
communication utilized and explain why inadequate.
Message Content: Include key dates/deadlines and bulleted
action steps. Use clear, concise language. Provide a
link to further information on the intranet (if applicable)
or your contact information in case of follow-up inquires.
Consistent format
allows for quick
evaluation, processing
Requestors must justify
need for all-employee
email; encourages self-
screening of email
requests to drive down
number of submissions
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
12
Driving Intranet Utilization
Proven Intranet Improvement Tactics
Strategies for Improving
Intranet UtilizationCapsule Description
Link all channels
back to intranet
Newsletters, emails, text messages, etc. all provide brief snapshot of
information, but also include links back to intranet for more
House role-critical
tools and resources
Intranet only means to access EMR, employee time and attendance
tracker, benefits information, and other key employee resources; this
ensures all employees visit intranet at least sporadically
Highlight most
urgent information
New and important information presented in eye-catching, prominent
location on webpage; all information organized intuitively for easy
navigation and searching
Make it fun
Fun employee hooks such as daily polls, quizzes with prizes, videos,
and “pictures of the day” encourage regular intranet use; consider
incorporating interactive social media to improve knowledge sharing
and appeal to staff’s social side
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
13
Ahead of the Pack in Communication Effectiveness
Source: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, CA; Advisory Board Survey Solutions,
Employee Engagement Initiative Database, 2013; HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
1) Staff responding “Agree” or “Strongly Agree.”
Percentage of Staff Agreeing1 with the Statement “I Am Kept
Informed of the Organization's Future Plans and Direction”
n=257,837
National Benchmark CHOMP
58%
67%
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
14
Enforcing a Hard Cap on All-Employee Emails
Barnett1 Limits Mass Emails to Three Per Week
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Practice #2: Mass Communication Caps
Number of Corporate Emails by Week
Week of
Mar 31
Week of
Apr 7
Week of
Apr 14
Week of
Apr 21
Barnett1 enforces
strict three corporate-
email-per-week limit
to reduce noise; cap
relaxed only in cases
of emergency
1) Pseudonym.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
15
Enforcing a Hard Cap on All-Employee Emails
Case in Brief: Barnett Corporation1
• Large retailer with over 2,000 stores across North America
• In 2008, instituted hard cap of three corporate-wide emails per
week after store managers complained of too-frequent messages
disrupting workflow
• Corporate-wide emails only sent on Mondays and Tuesdays to
respect store managers’ busy end-of-week schedules
• Caps resulted in 60% reduction in number of company-wide emails
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
1) Pseudonym.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
16
A Strict Timeframe for Corporate Emails
Isolating the Most Advantageous Time for the Recipient
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Sample Barnett1 Email Calendar
April 2013
Sun Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Corporate-wide emails
sent on Mondays and
Tuesdays only; timing
reflects business rhythm
and shelters managers’
typically hectic end-of-
week schedules
Health care leaders
may opt to send emails
at fixed time of day or
certain day of week,
based on patient flow;
aim to establish clear
routine so clinical staff
proactively check email
at these times
1) Pseudonym.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
17
Applying Email Restrictions at Two Levels
Corporate-Level Email Caps Store-Level Email Caps
• All corporate employees, including
C-suite, must adhere to three
corporate-email-per-week maximum
• Strict cap and day-of-week restriction
prevents information overload and
allows for more consistent manager
workflow at downstream offices
• Although not required, many
directors also apply email cap
within individual stores
• Cap typically set at three or four
store-wide emails per week
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
18
Crafting Action-Oriented Emails
Source: UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA; HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Practice #3: Directive Email Color Coding
Excerpt of UPMC “Nursing Weekly” Email
Dear Colleagues: Here is the Nursing Update for the week of
September 5, 2012
As a reminder, Red means action; Green means for your information
and exploration; and Black is communication.
Central Sterile Processing Career Ladder update: Attached are all of
the updated Central Sterile JDs and a summary chart of the minimum
requirements required for each of the positions in the ladder. Please
review and send any comments/feedback that you have by September
19, 2012.
Peer review forms: As discussed in the CNO meeting, attached are the
paper/email versions of the peer review forms. If you are not using e-
performance for peer review, these are the only other acceptable
documents to use.
Articles from NEJM and RWJ: Sharing two articles; the first is by Zeke
Emanuel et al. in the NEJM on cost containment that includes removing
practice barriers for APRNs and the other is from RWJ and is an update
on advances on IOM recommendations in the area of primary care.
Includes limited
number of brief,
important updates
Color-coded to
differentiate action
items from FYIs
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
19
Crafting Action-Oriented Emails
Source: UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA; HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Case in Brief: UPMC
• 4,500-bed, 20-hospital integrated health system headquartered in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
• Chief nurse executive established email color coding system to delineate
types of information and call attention to most important updates
• Red indicates action items, green indicates items to share with staff, and
black communicates any other information
• Emails with red action items require nurse managers to respond to Director of
Strategic Initiatives; director follows up with non-compliant nurse managers
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
20
Indicating Email Priority in the Subject Line
1) Pseudonym.
Priority Color Coding Scheme at Fowler Corporation1
Color Capsule Description Example Content Sample Subject Line
WhiteGlobal message, highly important
and relevant to all staff
CEO announces
financial results,
strategic plans
WHITE: 2012 Accomplishments
and 2013 Priorities
Red
Message highly important and
relevant to all staff but required
follow-up may vary by department
Changes to culturally
sensitive corporate
policies
RED: Important HR Policy Update
Regarding Gift Acceptance
Yellow
Message requires action or follow-
up but relevant only to particular
business unit
New process roll-out
in R&D
YELLOW: R&D Managers Must
Attend Process Training on Friday
Green
Message includes nice-to-know
information; no action or follow-up
required
Reminder about
employee volunteer,
social opportunities
GREEN: Optional Employee
Volunteer Day on Thurs, Apr 25
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
21
1) Pseudonym.
Indicating Email Priority in the Subject Line
Case in Brief: Fowler Corporation1
• Global pharmaceutical corporation with over 50,000 employees,
headquartered in Europe
• In 2008, head of internal communications created process for
triaging organizational emails based on content type, urgency,
and intended audience
• Urgent emails marked “White” or “Red” depending on level of
follow-up required; non-urgent emails marked “Yellow” when
pertaining only to specific business units, or “Green” when
providing simply nice-to-know information
• Message “color” clearly specified in email subject line
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
22Practice #4: Tiered Leader Communication
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Giving Leaders a Weekly “Heads-Up”
Components of Tiered Communication
Communications
team consolidates
need-to-know
information for
leaders in one
email at same time
each week
Email uses consistent
structure and color
scheme, making it
easy for leaders to scan
Managers equipped
with “frontline version”
of message to share
with staff
Leaders find out first
so they can share
information with their
staff before all-staff
announcement is made
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
23
Source: Scripps Health, San Diego, CA; HR Advancement center interviews and analysis.
Make It Easy for Leaders to Share Information
with Staff
Information to Share Directly with Staff
5-Minute News to Know
(Week of March 23, 2015)
All staff will soon be evaluated according to Teamwork, Accountability,
Service, Innovation, Integrity, Excellence, Efficiency and Compliance. The online
Scripps Career Center (SCC) includes an improved performance management
process and one set of performance elements based on Scripps’ Principles.
• To align all work with Scripps strategic objectives, staff, have been assigned
two performance objectives for FY15. These performance objectives are
directly aligned to Scripps strategic objectives, and are reflective of
performance objectives assigned to your manager. The performance
objectives results will NOT be used to calculate your merit increase in FY15
(performed August-September 2015), but will be incorporated into staff
performance evaluations for FY16 (performed August-September 2016). Your
manager will review your performance objectives and the performance
elements with you, but you may also log in to the SCC to review.
• As published last month, the performance management module will be
available July 20 – Aug. 15 for self-assessments and Aug. 1 – Sept. 30 for
your manager to complete your performance evaluation.
Go to the Performance Management website for more information. Additional
training and information will be available in the HR Hubs before the self-
assessment process begins July 20.
Information maps to
weekly manager
email topics
Consolidates all
need-to-know
information for staff
to easily digest in
five minutes
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
24
Source: Scripps Health, San Diego, CA; HR
Advancement center interviews and analysis.
Make It Easy for Leaders to Share Information with
Staff: Case Study Details
Case in Brief: Scripps Health
• Four hospital, five-campus, 1,343-bed system based in
San Diego, California
• Communications team sends out weekly manager email
to all leaders, weekly emails include Five-Minute News to
Know a streamlined version of need-to-know information
to be shared with all staff
• For complex or sensitive announcements leaders receive
resources to help them share information with staff;
resources may include PowerPoint template, talking
points, Q&A, or infographic
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
25
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Give Leaders Time to Share Information with Staff
M
M T W Th F
Send weekly
leader email
Send housewide
communication
Leaders ask clarifying questions
and share information with staff
Recommended Timing for Regular Tiered Communication
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
26Bonus Practice: Evening Email Blackout
Source: Edelman, Toronto, Canada; HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Establishing a Realistic Email Blackout
Edelman Toronto’s 7pm-7am No-Email Rule
MEMO
To: Edelman Toronto Office Staff
From: Lisa Kimmel, President
Re: 7pm-to-7am No-Email Rule
Do not send e-mails between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., UNLESS it is an absolute
emergency. If you must get in contact with someone, please do so by phone
as we do not expect for employees to be checking e-mail from home during
these hours. If you are working during these hours, and need to
communicate via email, please delay delivery until the following morning.
The Toronto Leadership Team has committed to abiding by this new rule, so please
call us out if it's not being followed.
We recognize that this e-mail rule does not apply to other Edelman offices, our
clients or agency partners, so it may not always be possible to follow it. That said, if
we all do it the majority of the time, it should help to minimize stress to a certain
extent.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Lisa
Employees can
work after-hours
but should delay
email delivery until
the morning
Executives
acknowledge rule
cannot always be
followed but
encourage good-
faith effort
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
27
Source: Edelman, Toronto, Canada; HR
Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Establishing a Realistic Email Blackout:
Case Study Details
Case in Brief: Edelman Toronto
• Toronto, Canada office of the global public relations
firm Edelman
• Implemented 7pm-7am email blackout in 2010; rule still
in effect
• Edelman offices around the world beginning to adopt
similar email blackout rule
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
28
Avoid Three Common Mass Communication Pitfalls
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Common Mass
Communication
Pitfalls
Emails Don’t Have
Clear Action Steps
Organization Sends
Overwhelming Number
of Emails
Leaders Aren’t
Prepared to Answer
Staff Questions
1.Communication
Hierarchy
2.Mass
Communication
Cap
3.Directive Email
Color-Coding
4.Tiered Leader
Communication
Best Practices to
Overcome Pitfalls
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
29
Source: Advisory Board
A Handy Reminder About How to Keep
Your Inbox (More) Manageable
Download the infographic
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
30
Source: HR Advancement Center interviews and analysis.
Build Your Own Custom List of Tips for Your Team
Customizable Reminder Card with Email Tips
Reminder Card Available
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • advisory.com
31
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