Think about how you distributed ESOP statements last year. Perh
aps you held a meeting, sent them by mail, or personally delivered them with high fives and hearty handshakes. Although the face-to-face options may not be possible this year, the need for connection is so much greater now.
This is the right time to strengthen your messages about employee ownership and develop different communication approaches for your “new normal.”
Over the last three decades, Workplace Development has provided solutions that help companies tackle some of the stickiest ESOP communication challenges including: painful business disruptions, dramatic changes in operations, distribution policy adjustments and, of course, the everyday issues that come with geographic separation.
From a healthy social distance, our Virtual Annual Meetings, Video Statement Communication, Plain Language ESOP and Business Communication Tools help cultivate the teamwork, employee-owner resilience and business acumen. Your company can benefit from these approaches in the new COVID-19 reality.
Virtual Annual Meetings
For some companies meetings have never been possible, we have coordinated virtual annual meetings each year for these employee-owned clients. In the year of COVID-19, we can bring this approach to your company. Workplace Development guides ESOP leaders in crafting concise – and understandable – messages about thinking like an owner. These events blend the your vision with the external credibility and experience of Workplace Development associates. Using plain language and pictures, we help transform employee-owner anxiety to employee-owner resilience. If needed, we manage the technology for the event. Virtual Annual Meetings are an opportunity to strengthen your company’s community of employee owners even though you cannot be in the same location.
Video Statement Communication
Employee owners will take special interest in the stock value this year. When there is economic uncertainty, it is an optimal time to reinforce the basics. The disconnect between an employee owners current experience and the value on their ESOP statements may be particularly stark this year. This is an opportunity to deepen awareness and appreciation. We work with you to create a concise message with our personalized Video Statement Communication that delivers your messages and big-picture business awareness to your employee owners’ mobile devices. Our cost-effective remote production allows you to share a short, personalized video (no videographer or on-site visits needed) that communicates with participants in a very personal way.
Plain Language ESOP & Business Communication Tools
With employees working from home, managers may want tools to initiate conversations with employee owners. Many ESOPs are using Workplace Development’s custom plain language (English and Spanish) tools to address specific business and ESOP questions in a consistent and clear fashion. It is too much to expect all managers (and all ESOP Communication Committee members) to become expert in all the nuances of your ESOP, but with the right tools they can become a trusted resource for accurate and meaningful answers. Accessible information and answers help people be more adaptable and confident during periods of uncertainty.
If you would like to learn more about Workplace Development’s virtual ESOP Communication Services, call Cathy Ivancic 330-896-7285 ext. 101 or email her at civancic@workplacedevelopment.com.
