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‘Going Green’ with the help of the Intranet

Intranets have the opportunity to play a front line role in corporate efforts to combat global warming. That is according to the Intranet Benchmarking Forum’s (IBF) latest brieifing paper: ‘The green intranet’.

The document provides organisations with 10 tips for using the intranet to combat climate change and build environmental practices. It draws on real-life examples from organisations including: IBM, Aviva, BT, Highways Agency, Nokia, Yahoo! and Sun Microsystems.

Here are the IBF’s 10 tips in summary:

Automate administrative processes
Use web meetings to cut travel
Convert travellers into online collaborators
Use the intranet to enable telecommuting
Enable car pooling
Make more efficient use of office space to enable reductions in real estate
Migrate printed documents online
Engage employees in greening the organisation
Provide environmental performance data
Provide visibility of employees’ availability and whereabouts

Melitta

By GenevaCom| June 17th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

Wikipedia: a new frontier in PR

Wikipedia is one of the World’s most important sources of information online, accounting for 8% of global internet traffic with around 60 million unique visitors a month. As such, it can play an important role in managing a company’s public perception and reputation – but recent research has revealed that firms are failing to actively manage these challenges and capitalise on the available opportunities.

The study by Lundquist, an international strategic communications consultancy, looks at how Italian companies are featured on Wikipedia and forms part of its research series examining how companies are taking advantage of new trends in web communications.

The study found that, despite having dedicated Wikipedia articles, information on most major Italian companies is generally limited, scoring on average just 8.4 out of a possible 18 points for completeness. One reason could be that companies have been scared off engaging with online communities following a variety of scandals involving corporate manipulation of Wikipedia articles.

Effective public relations with online communities has had proven success, however. Fiat, for example, has achieved high viewing figures for its corporate information on Wikipedia as a result of engaging directly with the site’s editors.

“The most important thing for companies is to realise that Wikipedia can boost their international profile,” said Joakim Lundquist, founding partner of Lundquist Srl.

Tips from the report include:

Respect the Wikipedia community and understand how the site works
Only edit the verifiable facts in your article, such as no. of employees.
Make copy-right free images and media available for Wikipedia
Use discussion pages to interact with Wikipedia editors and express opinions
Monitor your Wikipedia article for updates and vandalism.

For more about the study and its findings, download the Executive summary >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| June 9th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

Neglecting Internal Communications is failing employees, says survey

A recent YouGov survey of 524 white-collar workers in the UK, commissioned by financial comms agency Financial Dynamics, found that only 15 per cent of respondents felt that their employer had communicated news about job security “very well”, while 37% said communication had been poor or non-existent.

And the worrying statistics don’t end there.

Less than half (48%) agreed that they had a clear picture of their company’s performance – with the ‘rumour mill’ seen as a more trustworthy source of information than official channels.

And when it comes to leadership communication, only 28% of respondents said they trusted messages from their chief executive more than “a little”, and just one third have regular face-to-face time with their superiors. Yet a significant 81% said that face-to-face contact with their line manager was the most trusted form of communication.

Nadia Kelly, director of PR at Ask Jeeves, warned: ‘Too many companies have turned their attention to protecting their external reputations during the recession at the expense of their internal reputation. But the two need to be absolutely integrated, especially in uncertain times such as these.’

For more information, read the PR Week article >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| June 7th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

Companies underperform in CSR, survey says

Half of employees are disappointed by their companies CSR performance according to a new study led by coaching, consulting and training company Krauthammer, the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University of Rotterdam. One explanation for the split could be that some companies just aren’t communicating their CSR activities to staff well enough.

“CSR is needed, especially during an economic crisis,” said Professor Rob van Tulder from Erasmus University.

“The global economic crisis puts the spotlight on CSR in an almost perverse manner. On one hand everybody acknowledges that the causes of the economic crisis lie with a clear lack of CSR. On the other hand, it’s fiercely disputed whether the solution to the crisis entails stepped-up CSR efforts. In the end, the systematic nature of the crisis demands longer-term approaches involving all relevant actors.”

Four findings from the survey

Employees are doing it for themselves (PSP) – and are watching.
Corporate performance is divided. Around 50% are operational or exemplary. The other 50% are perceived to be failing.
There are serious gaps between the practice employees seek and experience they get when it comes to: People, Planet and Profit.
What employees really want…
People – Training, with 96% expecting it systematically, with external trainers
Planet – 60% of people want their company to practice the belief that “the economy and ecology are one, taking responsibility”
Profit – 59% want it to practice the credo that “long-term competive advantage depends on the efficient use of resources

For more information, download the Executive Summary or full report >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| May 21st, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

Communicating to boost morale and performance in a downturn

Only 40% of full-time UK employees feel their company has a clear plan to withstand the recession, according to a new study by Threshold Communications, specialists in communication and behaviour change.

These figures are particularly important to business leaders as the research also shows that a link with productivity and morale. Of those who feel strongly that their company has a clear plan to withstand the recession 82% have considerably more enthusiasm in their day-to-day jobs and 86% feel committed to their organizations long-term success.

The research also stresses the importance of good manager/employee communications, stating that: “People don’t leave companies – they leave managers”. Key in this relationship is the managers ability to listen and respond to staff.

Other key findings:

The extent to which employees beleive their company has a plan to withstand recession, correlates directly with their motivation and long- term commitment.
Most employees are not confident that their organization has a plan to withstand recession.
Employees are considerably more likely to trust their direct line managers than senior leaders.
Only 32% of employees feel that the way in which their line manager communicates with them supports their motivation.
Where line managers talk through company plans and aims employees are significantly more likely to feel motivated and committed.
Where line managers genuinely listen and seek input and ideas, employees are significantly more likely to feel motivated and committed.

For more information about the survey and its findings, see the full report >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| May 20th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

Online communications during a crisis

In October 2008, when the Financial Crisis was in full tilt, Lundquist Srl, a corporate communications consultancy based in Milan, surveyed 51 of the worlds most important banks to discover what information, if any, they were putting on their respective websites.

The research highlighted a growing gap between the demand and supply of corporate information. While users are increasingly turning to online resources for answers, on the whole banks are ignoring this important medium as a means of sharing key information.

Learning from the survey, Lundquist suggest that to effectively communicate online the following principles should be kept in mind:

Honesty – demonstrate awareness of the situation as the first step to regaining confidence
Clarity of language – make the information easily understandable, include things such as an investor Q&A or a well written management statement
Completeness – provide background by explaining the context
Link to other resources – such as reliable third party information
Authoritativeness – the presence and opinions of company management should be felt
Easy to find – make the information users want to find highly evident
Coherence – online message must be integrated with traditional media channels
Interactivity – make use of technologies such as: video, Q&A and dedicated contacts

A summary of the survey’s findings was presented earlier this year to the annual meeting of the world federation of stock exchanges Zurich. For more information, download a copy of this presentation >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| May 8th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

Out of sight, out of business!

As communicators, we know that in tough times it is more important than ever to maintain, if not increase, communications with staff and stakeholders to give them confidence in the future of your business and keep them loyal and positive.

A recent study by The Nielsen Company has given further credence to this approach, as it shows that consumers who have been exposed to ‘more’ advertising and marketing messages have more positive perceptions about the long-term health of their financial institutions; with those stakeholders who have seen ‘less’ messaging having lower levels of confidence in their institutions.

“This research shows that ‘out of sight’ can mean ‘out of business’,” said Richard Khaleel, EVP of Nielsen IAG’s Financial practice. “The current economic climate makes it more important than ever for financial institutions to bolster confidence among their clients and this study clearly demonstrates the link between advertising and confidence levels. With constant scrutiny on the industry it’s clear that taking control of the message in advertising and press can make all the difference for a brand.”

More about this AC Nielsen study >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| April 29th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

BM Survey: Role of Purpose and Performance

The current recession is deeply related to a loss of confidence and trust and, in many cases, is negatively impacting corporate reputation. Purpose & Performance in a downturn makes business sense; it helps restore trust, provides focus for business strategy, is a reputation differentiator, and can motivate employees and give them a sense of direction.

To find out more about how companies communicate Purpose and Performance (P&P), Burson-Marsteller conducted a Europe-wide survey of 200 leading corporate executives and opinion-makers in 11 countries. Highlights from the survey were:

Purpose and Performance is relevant to all businesses
Business reputation is driven mainly by Performance – but Purpose is gaining ground
More than 90% see corporate Purpose under increasing scrutiny compared to five years ago
CEOs are key to the oversight of P&P
98% say CEOs need to drive a broader sense of Purpose with employees
69% believe that companies that focus on P&P are seen as role models, and even deflect criticism
Nearly 3 in 5 see a tension in focusing on both P&P

Purpose is key to both internal and external communications. Employees need to understand, engage and take ownership of this corporate purpose. External stakeholders need to be aware and convinced by it.

“Companies need to ensure that trust and confidence is maintained. External stakeholders will need fact-based evidence that the corporation is serious about its commitments as a corporate citizen, including corporate governance,” said Joanna Corsaro, Head of Burson-Marsteller Geneva and Vice-Chair of the EMEA Corporate Practice.

“This is a difficult exercise, and Burson-Marsteller’s Purpose & Performance Diagnostic Tool can help understand where the corporation stands in the eyes of different stakeholders and where it wants to go in the future.”

Find out more about Burson-Marsteller and their Diagnositc tool >

Melitta

By GenevaCom| March 26th, 2009|Other resources|0 Comments

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