STORES Magazine - November 2008 - (Page L18)

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE The Employee Communication Revolution BY PAT QUINN arallels often are drawn between the world of advertising and that of employee communications. This is only natural, as both can be classified under the “fine art” of persuasion. In order to succeed in any industry, employees must be persuaded to buy into the company’s vision and execute on its basic promise to customers. P Pat Quinn is managing director of Creative Options, a Protiviti company. It is important to recognize that employees are also customers. Like consumers, the average employee encounters 3,000 advertising messages each day. Ten connect, and only three can be recalled the next day, according to David Shenk’s book, “Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut.” Consumers are bombarded constantly with different advertising messages fighting for attention, which is why they have learned to filter out much of this “white noise” of daily life. This white noise is a product of the Industrial Revolution, where mass production led to mass marketing, with the same messages being repeated until consumers’ recall factors were high. In the mid20th century, however, a small group of visionaries brought significant change to advertising communications. The 1959 Volkswagen Beetle campaign is regarded by many as the symbol of this creative revolution. Clever taglines such as “Think Small” and “Lemon” kept messaging simple, insightful and enabled consumers to identify with this non-conformist automobile. L18 STORES / NOVEMBER 2008 Lost art of persuasion Few people likely will dispute that employee training and awareness are essential to an organization’s success. But has the art of persuasion in this critical communication area been forgotten within the corporate world? While many consider sending an e-mail or posting a message to employees a communication “mission accomplished,” these efforts tend to fall short. The reason for failure often can be attributed to a lack of understanding about what it means to build a lasting connection with employees. Staying in touch with employees is critical. To move beyond assumptions and identify real issues, you must talk with them directly. Otherwise, how can you design a communication strategy that will reach them? Consider the array of issues on which you seek to connect with your employees: loss prevention; safe work practices that protect employees and customers; customer service; and the operational efficiency necessary to run a store smoothly. Because so much is expected of employees in terms of ongoing learning and message retention, shouldn’t we rethink our standard communication approach? Is it really enough to employ the industrial age marketing philosophy of, “If we hit them over the head with something long enough, they will remember and act on it”? Fresh approach Consider these points as you begin planning your employee communication program for the new fiscal year: What is happening in the stores? Hold a briefing on the project, beginning with a tour of operations. This will allow the communications team to see risk exposures first-hand and understand the context and environment in which they must communicate. What is a day in the life of an employee truly like? Speak with or hold a focus group with employees at the store level to obtain this insight. A well-orchestrated research strategy will help bring into focus any disconnect between the C-suite and ground-level employees. What is our strategy? Before identifying a creative angle for reaching employees, craft a strategy and clear road map that will help you connect with this audience. Status quo is not acceptable The 2008 Loss Prevention Capabilities and Needs Survey (available at www.protiviti.com) revealed a priority gap between the C-suite and corporate LP management. Fifty-seven percent of senior retail executives view internal marketing of LP practices and strategies as an area needing improvement; only 21 percent of LP corporate management agreed. In addition, achieving better awareness program implementation made the Csuite’s top-five list of priorities, but was not recognized by LP corporate management. These results speak volumes about the communication divide. Senior retail executives see the need for marked improvement when it comes to communication, both within the confines of the corporate head office and out to the stores. The status quo is not acceptable. As we approach the cusp of this employee communications revolution, will you help drive it? WWW.LPINFORMATION.COM http://www.protiviti.com http://www.protiviti.com http://WWW.LPINFORMATION.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - November 2008

STORES Magazine - November 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Every Cup Counts What Shoppers Think Less Park Time, More Shop Time 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Retail Held Captive First Look Concept2Watch Marketing Technology Custom Software PCI Compliance Data Security Arts Update Newsbeat LP Issues: Q&A Cover Story Surveillance Systems Online Fraud Industry Perspective LOEB Retail Letter Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - November 2008

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