With flu season underway and concerns about the pandemic H1N1 virus running high, companies should be keeping employees informed of the latest developments and actions they can take to keep themselves, their coworkers and their families healthy. We recently worked with a company to educate its employees on the pandemic H1N1 virus and seasonal flu preparedness and wellness strategies. To ensure communications are effective and relevant, here are three key considerations for companies:
• Like the virus, information related to H1N1 will evolve on an ongoing basis. While it is helpful to consolidate all important information about the virus into a single source to share organization-wide, companies should be wary of including details that are likely to evolve—vaccine availability and cost, workplace policies, contingency plans—in communication materials that will be difficult to update on an ongoing basis (e.g., printed brochures, laminated posters and video presentations).
Solution: Have “permanent” communications materials just reference that a contingency plan is in place or that employees should abide by the company’s workplace policy if they get H1N1, then direct employees to standalone sources that can be refreshed easily with additional details.
• Individuals need to hear information about a company three to five times to believe that the information is credible (Edelman’s 2009 Trust Barometer). Yes, this post is about how companies can communicate about H1N1, not general company news. That said, the insight here is applicable to all communications in general – repetition pays off, and distributing information on multiple channels will improve believability and acceptance.
Solution: Create a cascading, multi-tier program to engage all employees in H1N1 awareness and prevention. Develop a communications plan that includes different outreach methods such as printed brochures, one-page tip sheets, Flashcast presentations (a communications tool that replaces traditional video with both online site content and videos), town hall meetings and posters. Involve senior leaders in delivering communications to build broad participation and support for H1N1 awareness while simultaneously further diversifying communications channels to enhance credibility.
• Catch phrases are memorable. We are not suggesting a costly marketing campaign with logos and brands for your H1N1 employee communications, but a core element or message can serve as a focal point for delivering memorable, informative and instructive communications.
Solution: Ask: If you had to sum up your H1N1 communications with a single phrase, what would it be? What three to five words are critical to the message you are trying to convey?
Posted by Shook Yee Teh
