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5© PR News The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics Vol. 5

ForewordDear reader:

Employee communications, just like every other public relations discipline, is changing rapidly as a result of the influence of new technology, social media and evolving workplace demographics. Today, employees have unprecedented access to company information and the means to transmit it to the public swiftly and anonymously, impacting an organization’s reputation along the way. Motivating employees so that they equate their own success with that of the company is the surest way to guarantee that the information they share will reflect well on their colleagues and the organization.

High-performing organizations make employee communications a priority, and for good reason. Engaged employees are productive employees, but that feeling of productive activity can be elusive. Gallup research finds that only about a quarter of employees report being actively engaged at work. That leaves a lot of room for improvement, and it starts with internal communications.

Nurturing your staff is an art form. So is communicating with different generations of employees who possess dramatically different sets of values. As a manager, you want to motivate your employees to be willing brand evangelists without favoring or alienating any particular group. It’s one of the most challenging tasks you will face. Most executives learn the hard way that once an employee’s faith in the organization is lost, it’s almost impossible to regain.

The craft of public relations is necessarily focused on impacting the public. But if things aren’t right internally, how can your company be expected to be influential externally?

In this 5th volume of PR News’ Book of Employee Communications Strategies & Tactics, our authors meet that question in more than 45 articles covering internal crisis communications, social media policies, human resources collaboration, brand evangelism and more. Our authors share insights from their diverse backgrounds in PR practice, academia and the corporate world, illuminating strategies for connecting with employees while creating vibrant value propositions.

I want to thank our contributors who so eloquently shared their ideas, tips and best practices in this book. I also want to thank you, our readers, for letting us help you as you learn new skills and further develop existing ones.

Sincerely,

Brian Greene Editor, PR News

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PR News ADVISORY BOARD Paul A. Argenti - Tuck School of BusinessMary Buhay - Gibbs & SoellNed Barnett - Barnett Marketing CommunicationsSteve Cody - PeppercommNeal Cohen - APCO Carol Cone - Edelman Peter Debreceny - Gagen MacDonaldMike Herman - Communication SciencesLaura Kane - AflacKen Makovsky - MakovskyMichael McDougall - McDougall Travers CollinsLarry Parnell - George Washington University Mike Paul - MGP & Associates PR Deborah Radman - Senior PR ConsultantBrenda C. Siler - Best Communication StrategiesStephanie Smirnov - EdelmanHelene Solomon - Solomon McCown & Co.Mark Weiner - PRIME ResearchPR News BOARD OF CONTRIBUTORSDave Armon - Critical MentionAndy Gilman - CommCore Consulting Bruce Jeffries-Fox - Jeffries-Fox Associates Angela Jeffrey - Salience InsightRichard Laermer - RLM Public RelationsRichard Levick - Levick Strategic Comms Ian Lipner - Lewis PR/YoungPRpros Katie Paine - Paine Publishing LLC Rodger Roeser - The Eisen Agency Lou Thompson - Kalorama Partners Reid Walker - Dir. of Communications, United States Senate Tom Martin - College of Charleston

ISSN 1546-0193

6 The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics Vol. 5 © PR News

Table of ContentsForeword ........................................................................................................................ 5

Index of Companies & Organizations ...................................................................... 202

Board of Contributors ............................................................................................... 205

Chapter 1—PR’s Role in Employee Communications .............................................. 11When Employees Are the Target Audience: PR as a Roadmap for Internal CommunicationBy Amanda C. Proscia ..........................................................................................................................12Small Company Communications and Big Results on Limited BudgetsBy Will Smith.........................................................................................................................................167 Lessons Employee Communications Can Learn from Public RelationsBy Alanna Vitucci .................................................................................................................................22Using Internal Communications to Launch A 100-Year-Old Start-Up from the Inside-OutBy Leila Bryner ......................................................................................................................................25Why Half of All Internal Communications Fail and How to Fix Your StrategyBy Rob Drasin .......................................................................................................................................29

Chapter 2—Motivation and Morale ............................................................................ 35The Executive Profile: How to Build a Strong Bridge Between Leaders and StaffBy Anne May Navarrete ........................................................................................................................36Employment Value Proposition: Defining the Employer/Employee RelationshipBy Shannon Albers ................................................................................................................................40Employee Volunteerism: The Long-Lost, Highly Valuable Business PR ToolBy Rosemary Martinelli ........................................................................................................................43Stop Talking About Stats and Start Telling Stories to Make Your Company MemorableBy Jamie Ward .......................................................................................................................................47Learn and Advance Globally by Addressing Women’s Issues in the WorkplaceBy Nicole Mehr ......................................................................................................................................50Greening the Workplace: 10 Tips for Growing Sustainability EngagementBy Anne Boyle .......................................................................................................................................53Curiosity: Not So Good for Cats, but Terrific for Developing Happy EmployeesBy Guryan Tighe ...................................................................................................................................56Inner Relations: How to Align Your Strategies with Your Passion and PurposeBy Ellen Yui ...........................................................................................................................................58To Improve Performance, Companies Need to Go Beyond Financial IncentivesBy Dawn Jamison ..................................................................................................................................63

7© PR News The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics Vol. 5

Chapter 3— Internal Social Media Guidelines and Recommendations ................. 67Balancing Corporate Reputation and Employee Speech Rights on Social MediaBy Cayce Myers .....................................................................................................................................68A Look at the Type of Person Who Should Represent Your Company OnlineBy Vanessa J. Cheeks .............................................................................................................................74Taming the Wild West: Establishing Your Internal Social Media GuidelinesBy Jenifer Daniels ..................................................................................................................................77What You Need to Know About Social Media Policies But Were Afraid to AskBy Tereza Urbankova ............................................................................................................................80How to Create a Modern, Savvy and Realistic Internal Social Media PolicyBy Annie Scott Riley ..............................................................................................................................84Watch, Listen and Respond: Mobile Pre-crisis Monitoring on InstagramBy Jeanine Guidry, Marcus Messner, Yan Jin and Vivian Medina-Messner .......................................87Establishing a Social Media Presence Means Policy Must Come FirstBy Shawn Paul Wood ............................................................................................................................90

Chapter 4— Leading and Nurturing Your PR Team .................................................. 95Compassion in the Workplace: 6 Tips for Creating a Committed, Productive TeamBy Michelle Meadows ............................................................................................................................96Leading Your Remote Team: Advice for Managing a Geographically Diverse TeamBy Heather Harder ................................................................................................................................99A Communication-Centered Model for Engaging Employees to Manage ChangeBy Jaya Koilpillai Bohlmann ...............................................................................................................103Creating a Cohesive Workplace Through Inclusion and Recognition of EmployeesBy Richard D. Waters ..........................................................................................................................108

Chapter 5—Communicating with Employees in Crisis .......................................... 113Building A Crisis Early Warning System By Empowering Employees to Speak UpBy Deborah Hileman...........................................................................................................................114Breaking Bad News: 5 Rules to Help Take the Pain Out of the ProcessBy Liam FitzPatrick ............................................................................................................................119Elop’s Email: A Case Study in How Not To Communicate Crises to EmployeesBy Melony Shemberger ........................................................................................................................123Treating Employees As Stakeholders When Communicating During a CrisisBy Meghan Gross .................................................................................................................................126Talk About It Frankly: Communicating Internally Before, During and After a CrisisBy Kornél Böhm ..................................................................................................................................129

8 The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics Vol. 5 © PR News

Don’t Let It Slide: Lessons Learned from The Largest Landslide in Mining HistoryBy Heather Barnum and Lita Madlang .............................................................................................133Meeting and Exceeding the Expectations of Your Employees in Times of CrisisBy Robert S. Fleming ...........................................................................................................................138The Crew Knows You Hit an Iceberg, Now You Need to Tell Them What the Plan IsBy Paula DuPont-Kidd .......................................................................................................................142Inside Out, Not Top Down: Empowering the Critical Few for Crisis CommunicationsBy R.C. Dirkes .....................................................................................................................................145

Chapter 6—Communicating with Different Generations of Employees ...............153Improve Your Organization by Connecting With Your Multigenerational WorkforceBy Mary Schafer ..................................................................................................................................154A Millennial’s Guide to Communicating with Other Generations in the WorkplaceBy Amanda Davis ...............................................................................................................................158Engaging Millennials by Utilizing Their Talents in Content ProductionBy Reg Rowe ........................................................................................................................................161Use Differences to Your Advantage to Tackle The Generational Communications GapBy Philip A. Nardone, Jr. .....................................................................................................................164Gain Engagement and Empathy Across Generations—One Employee at a TimeBy R. Scott Simon ................................................................................................................................168

Chapter 7—HR’s Collaboration with PR ..................................................................175A Close Partnership: Taking a Holistic Approach to HR and PR CollaborationBy Elizabeth Famiglietti ......................................................................................................................176Comcast Debacle Points to Need for HR And PR to Collaborate on Defining CultureBy PR News Editors .............................................................................................................................180How PR and HR Can Join Forces to Power Corporate Social ResponsibilityBy Dawn Conway and Maureen Calabrese .......................................................................................183

Chapter 8—Your Brand Evangelist Plan ..................................................................189Brands Are People, Too: Building Your Culture and Brand Evangelist PlanBy Jennifer Berry .................................................................................................................................190The Making of an Icon: How to Create A Brand Worthy of Being EvangelizedBy Britta Meyer ...................................................................................................................................194Marketing Your Brand Is Now a Big Part of Successfully Landing New AccountsBy Steve Cody ......................................................................................................................................1974 Misconceptions to Avoid When Building A Truly Differentiated Corporate BrandBy Dorian Cundick .............................................................................................................................199

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Chapter 2: Motivation and Morale

The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics Vol. 5 © PR News

The Executive Profile: How to Build a Strong Bridge Between Leaders and StaffBy Anne May Navarrete

Open communication between leadership and employees is integral for building employ-ee trust, morale and engage-ment. Dry business language

and performance metrics through company emails barely scratch the surface of who a leader actually is. More importantly, they do very little to make a company’s leaders relat-able and connected to their employees.

Of course, employees want to know that the men and women running the show are successful, proven, experienced leaders. It gives them faith in their company and the direction in which it’s headed. But they also want to know the human side of their lead-ers. What makes management tick and what inspires them? Are they nice people? Would I want to have coffee with them? Employees want to be able to relate.

This can be a challenge, especially for companies with multiple office locations and work-at-home employees. In some cases, em-ployees not only have never met their CEO but also don’t know what any of their senior leaders look like.

As successful communicators, we can find ways to build, enhance and grow leadership-employee relations. After all, we are the eyes, ears and voice of employees and leadership. We have the intel and connections to go beyond the quarterly emails and newsletters and tell the deeper, more relatable stories

about the organization and its people. So no matter the physical distance and time zones separating a company’s leaders and its em-ployees, we can build the bridge between them strong and close.

When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.

Today, employees are seeking this relat-ability and connection more than ever. Think about your normal, routine day. On average, Americans now spend more time each day on social media than they do watching TV. We rely on social media, customer reviews and blogs to stay in touch. On the flip side, brands can interact with consumers in real time and tell their stories in ways that they couldn’t before. There is a sense of comfort in knowing someone is there on the other side. This hyperconnected world has redefined the landscape of communication—we’re accus-tomed to making personal human connec-tions everywhere we go.

That switch doesn’t turn off when we enter our workplace. Employees should have the chance to make a human connection with their leaders in this same way. This changes expectations for how communicators engage their employees.

Executive profiles can help initiate that

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© PR News The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics Vol. 5

connection. But résumé highlights and pro-fessional bios only help to establish credi-bility—they don’t shed light on the leaders’ personalities. You can take your executive profiles to the next level by weaving in per-sonal anecdotes and details that bring out their depth and character.

At Esurance, we captured great stories from our executives. They looked back on their childhood ambitions, offered words of wisdom, and reflected on those who inspired them. Start by working directly with your executive team to capture who they really are. Use the following tips to help build an im-pactful executive profile:

1. Relate. Ask executives questions about who they are outside of work. An employee in a Midwest call center might not believe they have anything in common with the CEO

The Importance of An Executive SponsorLet’s face it—you can’t just knock on the CEO’s door and ask personal questions. You’ll need someone to advocate for the project from within. Connect with an executive who shares the same passion for employee communication and is will-ing to spend time with you to develop the proj-ect. Don’t limit yourself to your human resources or marketing leader.

The executive sponsor is your foot in the door. He or she can be your voice and reason with any ex-ecutives who might be apprehensive about open-ing up about their personal lives. At Esurance, before proposing the project to the entire leader-ship team, we first built out our executive spon-sor’s profile on the Intranet. This way, our leaders could visualize the end result and understand the full scope of what we were asking of them.

A sample email to Esurance employees inviting them to get to know their senior leaders.

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in a metropolitan headquarters. But anec-dotes and shared experiences can help sway opinions and peel back the onion. At Esur-ance, we discovered that we have one leader who used to ditch chapel school (on a mo-torcycle) and another hailing from England (who tried to ditch his accent). One of our leaders has an identical twin. And, at such a modern company, it’s no surprise to find out that none of our leaders can live without their favorite tech gadgets.

2. Inspire. Appeal to your employees’ emotions, imagination and hopes. Passion is important, and you can tap into it with the right questions. Have executives look back on their childhood ambitions, share stories about what shaped them, and reflect on those who have inspired them. Esurance’s Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary shared a touching story about how the seed for a career in law was planted when he read for, and befriended, a blind law school stu-

dent while volunteering at Reading for the Blind in Los Angeles.

3. Illustrate. Employees need proof that their leaders are strong and successful. But, again, the way to prove this can be fun and relatable. At Esurance, one executive shared a great story about how he sold pizzas door to door as a young kid to pay for his band trip to Disney World. His family and friends always knew he’d end up with a sales-related career. Anecdotes like this illustrate the genuine knack and zeal our leaders have always had for their work.

4. Connect. It’s important to find ways to tie executive profile content to the company’s business. This does not mean including busi-ness metrics or asking them technical ques-tions about the job, but a little reference goes a long way. For example, Esurance executives offer words of wisdom about safe driving, which fits with our identity as an insurance provider. We also ask about their favorite tech gadgets, which fits with our position as insurance for the modern world.

5. Engage. All the interesting stories in the world mean nothing if no one reads them. You have to bring employees to your con-tent. One powerful yet simple way to do this is by creating incentives. At Esurance, we factored in an interactive element to boost employee engagement. We hosted a quiz on our Intranet homepage for two weeks, ask-ing a question that only those employees who had visited the executive profile pages would know how to answer. Everyone who respond-ed correctly was entered for a chance to win one of three $75 Visa gift cards.

Author Betty Bender once said, “When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.” It’s human nature to want to feel connected and able to relate,

How to Say ItYou have the power to sway employees’ opin-ions about their leaders. Rely on the three modes of persuasion as you draft your ques-tions: ethos, logos, pathos. Prepare questions that will demonstrate credibility, align with the business and appeal to the emotions. Connect and relate—all while entertaining and inspiring.

Here are some of Esurance’s interview questions:

What is your alma mater? ■■

If you could give your 16-year-old self driving ■■

advice, what would it be? What was your childhood ambition?■■

What do you like to do on the weekends?■■

What tech gadget can you not live without?■■

If you could meet any celebrity, dead or alive, ■■

who would it be?What’s your favorite movie?■■

What is one random fact about yourself?■■

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and walking through the workplace doors shouldn’t change that. Employees want to feel a personal connection to their leaders, and as communicators we have the ability to provide that. The gap between a sales representative in a call center and the company CEO is only as big as you let it be. prn

Anne May Navarrete is communications specialist at Esurance.

A company Intranet poll asks employees to test their knowledge of their senior leaders.

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Chapter 3: Internal Social Media Guidelines and Recommendations


Balancing Corporate Reputation and Employee Speech Rights on Social MediaBy Cayce Myers

Online reputation management has become the cornerstone of any public relations prac-tice. Whether done in-house, for a corporate client or by a

non-profit, knowing what others say online about an organization is valuable knowledge. Nowhere is this online image more important than on social media. Public relations practi-tioners frequently do environmental scanning online, specifically of social media, to assess an organization’s transparency, reputation and communication with key publics.

One public that has great influence on an organization’s online reputation are its em-ployees. An organization’s employees have the greatest access to an organization’s inner workings and have arguably the greatest stake in an organization’s management. Employees also are likely to have complaints, criticisms and access to negative information about an organization that could greatly impact that organization’s online reputation. Because of this, organizations—both non-profit and corporate—have increasingly regulated and monitored employee statements made online, particularly on social media.

This observation of employees’ social me-dia speech is an integral part of online reputa-tion management. Because public relations practitioners are frequently the most knowl-edgeable about social media, they are often tasked with scanning social media for online

complaints and drafting social media poli-cies that regulate employee social media use. While monitoring employee speech online and crafting social media policies is impor-tant for any organization, practitioners should be aware of the legal implications surround-ing both activities.

PR practitioners should position themselves in an organization not only to monitor online reputation but also to provide solutions for online employee criticisms.

National Labor Relations Board And Workers’ Rights

Since 2010, social media policies and the termination of employees because of state-ments made on social media have come under intense scrutiny by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Born out of the New Deal’s efforts to preserve and promote workers’ rights, the NLRB evaluates and regu-lates labor practices in the United States. The main source of law used by the NLRB is the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This law first passed in the 1930s has expanded over the decades to include regulations on both union and non-union workers.

The NLRB has both the power to inves-tigate and adjudicate claims of unfair labor

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practices in the United States. Agents of the NLRB conduct investigations on employers’ treatment of employees and can bring legal action against an employer. Workers can also bring claims to the agency. In 2013, the NLRB estimated that more than 20,000 such claims are brought each year.

Regulation of workers’ speech rights is governed by two federal statutes, 29 United States Code sections 157 and 158. Section 157 essentially gives workers the right to engage in “concerted activities” and protects their right to discuss their mutual work issues and grievances. Section 158(a) makes it illegal for employers to interfere with any activities protected under section 157. Read together these statutes regulate both what constitutes legitimate employee grievances protected un-der federal law and what employers can and cannot do to manage their employees’ speech and behavior. These two statutes essentially govern all NLRB cases involving employers’ social media policies (Luther Heritage, 2004; Lafayette Park Hotel, 1998).

National Labor Relations Board And Social Media

The NLRB began frequently evaluating social media policies and terminations of em-ployees because of their speech on social me-dia in the late 2000s. These cases led to many decisions that directly addressed whether an organization’s social media policy was in compliance with the NLRA and whether certain employees who were fired for their social media speech were dismissed illegally. Examining these cases along with executive memoranda from the NRLB’s General Coun-sel provides insights for practitioners in how social media policies and employee manage-ment should be handled.

Social media policies are often challenged because they are viewed as suppressing em-ployees’ right to discuss legitimate workplace grievances. The NLRB has struck down sever-al policies for violating workers’ speech rights protected by 29 U.S.C. § 157. The recent cases reveal that social media policies that are struck down often share characteristics.

One characteristic that is almost certain to invalidate a social media policy is vagueness.

5 Things to Do When Crafting a Social Media Policy

Be specific.1. One the biggest problems with social media policies is that they are too unclear. The lack of specificity means having clarity in language and rules. Complex rules and overly broad terms will doom a social media policy from the start.Recognize that employees will have and 2. use social media. Creating rules that limit social media use and anticipate every poten-tial negative posting about an organization will fail. Craft a policy with the idea that work-ers will use social media in some form.Prioritize what’s important.3. An organiza-tion cannot ban everything said about them on the Internet. If an organization values its trade secrets, financial reports or promotional strategy, then limit employee communication on those specific issues. By trying to ban everything on social media, the organization in effect bans nothing.Make sure your employees understand the 4. policy. Having a policy in place is useless if no one understands it. Providing employee training on the policy helps employers highlight what’s important. Employees may also provide valuable feedback during these sessions.Keep the policy flexible. Writing a social 5. media policy means you recognize tech-nology is changing. Because of that, social media policies should not be so medium-specific. This also means policies should not be written in stone. Update them when new social media platforms emerge.

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There is a temptation for an organization to want to cover all conceivable scenarios in a social media policy. The rationale behind this vagueness issue is that with catchall terms such as “inappropriate,” there is no objective guide to determine what is an appropriate or inappropriate post (Soloman, 2012, p. 7).

For example, a policy that bans “inappro-priate” posts could potentially be banning speech protected under 29 U.S.C. § 157. A social media policy’s vagueness usually stems from word choice. For instance, in one case a policy that forbid employees from posting “disparaging comments about the company” was held vague because there could be po-tential “disparaging comments” that would be protected under the NLRA. In September 2014, an NLRB Administrative Law Judge held that a policy prohibiting social media postings that may “adversely affect company interests or reputation” was in violation of the NLRA because it potentially limited workers’ right to speak on labor issues (Professional Electric Contractors, 2014, p. 2).

Another common problem with social media policies is when the policy attempts to control workers’ speech by requiring employ-ees to pre-screen comments with a manager. The NLRB has found this practice violates workers rights under 29 U.S.C. § 157 because it potentially chills legitimate workplace grievances.

The NLRB held that organizations may not hide their employees online. Policies that prohibit employees from self-identifying as employees of an organization, ban employee use of organizational logos on social media, or require employees to state explicitly that their posts are their own and not representa-tive of their employer have all been found to violate federal labor law. These types of re-

strictions arguably chill employee workplace speech because they restrict how an employee can discuss an employer’s policies.

These rulings leave many practitioners wondering how can an organization have a social media policy that withstands NLRB scrutiny. The answer is clarity and specificity.

Employers can prohibit employees from discussing certain issues on social media. However, the policy needs to focus on issues that are not employee grievances regarding managerial policy. Organizations can craft policies that forbid threatening, sexually explicit or harassing language. Additionally, organizations can craft social media poli-cies that prohibit employees from revealing sensitive information, such as trade secrets or other proprietary information, online.

One company that had a very explicit and specific social media policy survived scrutiny from the NLRB. In that case, a drugstore’s social media policy expressly forbade employ-ees from discussing customer information, financial information and marketing strategy. The NLRB held that none of these specific areas were related to protected worker speech. Because of the policy’s specificity, the organi-zation’s social media policy was found com-pliant with NLRA standards.

The NLRB has held that bad policies cannot be saved by placing catchall boiler-plates that state the policy is intended to be interpreted as being compliant with current federal labor laws. Employees usually are not familiar with federal and state labor laws and would not know what type of speech would be exempt from regulation. If an organization thinks it needs a boilerplate disclaimer at the end of the document, the policy needs to be re-written.

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Employee Termination for Social Media Speech

Reading the recent cases by the NLRB on social media speech, practitioners may get the sense that employees can never be fired for online speech. This is not the case. While cer-tain online speech is protected, employees do not have carte blanche to say what they want when they want (The Continental Group, 2011; Republic Aviation Corp., 1945).

It’s important to note that employers can still fire workers if their social media speech leads to workplace disruption. This termina-tion is legal even if the organization has a so-cial media policy that violates 29 U.S.C. § 157. The manner and tone of a worker’s speech can sometimes be so egregious that otherwise protected speech loses protection.

The NLRB outlined a test specifically ad-dressing when employee speech loses protec-tion under the NLRA (Atlantic Steel, 1979). When considering whether to remove protec-tion for a worker’s speech, the NLRB consid-ers four factors:

Where was the speech delivered1. The topic of the speech2. How was the speech delivered3. What relation the speech had to an ongo-4. ing employee-employer disputeThis test is applied usually when the

speech at issue arises from a direct and vocal disagreement with an employer that creates workplace disruption. It’s important to note that in the latest NLRB rulings in 2014, the Board has declined to extend this analysis to social media speech. That means that the Board may believe social media speech that legitimately discusses a workplace grievance cannot rise to the level of creating a break-down of workplace harmony (Triple Play Sports Bar, 2014).

For speech to be deemed “concerted activi-ties,” it must have very specific characteristics under the law (29 U.S.C. § 157). “Concerted activities” speech means that more than one employee is engaging in speech about a workplace grievance, not a gripe. Discussions about legitimate worker issues, such as over-time or performance evaluations, need to be between two or more workers.

In a social media context, this means that “likes” and comments on sites by followers or friends who are not coworkers does not qualify the speech as a “concerted” activity. Even when a conversation is between two em-ployees, there must be an agreement between them that the issue is a workplace issue. For instance, the NLRB held that a Facebook con-versation between two employees about filing

4 Ways to Make Your Social Media Policy Clear

Avoid jargon.1. Writing a good social media policy requires clarity. However, sometimes organizations attempt to provide clarity by using specific terms that are unknown to their employees. Jargon and complex syntax should be removed in favor of short, simple rules.Provide concrete examples.2. Sometimes a rule or policy doesn’t make sense unless it’s placed in context. Providing hypothetical examples of specific rules may give clarity to the reader. Structure the policy to be readable. 3. Hav-ing a policy that has multiple paragraphs and subparagraphs reduces readability. Hidden clauses and fine print are signs of a policy that may be in violation of federal law. Do not write a policy that makes the reader refer back to previous statements or headings.Avoid catchall phrases. 4. Sometimes an or-ganization wants to make sure it has covered every conceivable scenario in a policy. This is impossible and confusing to readers. Catchall phrases and overly broad language contrib-utes to vagueness.

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a class action lawsuit against their employer was a concerted activity. However, in a similar case an employee who complained to cowork-ers about an unfair reprimand by a supervisor was held to not be concerted activity because coworkers only showed sympathy for the em-ployee’s situation. Merely giving sympathy to an angered coworker is not enough to qualify the speech as “concerted.” Both employees must have a degree of agreement between them that this is a legitimate worker concern that needs to be addressed by management (Soloman, 2012; Meyers Industries, 1984).

In addition, these grievances need to have implications for the workplace. While griev-ances do not have to take on a formal tone (they can contain expletives), speech that makes superficial complaints about co-workers, managers and an organization are deemed to be gripes that are not protected under the NLRA (Soloman, 2012).

In August 2014, the NLRB held that a sports bar illegally terminated two employees even though they used profanity to criticize the owner’s policy of not collecting withhold-ing taxes. The owner argued that even though issues of withholding tax are a “concerted activity,” under the NLRA the employees were justifiably fired because their word choice constituted “disloyal or defamatory state-ments” (Triple Play Sports Bar, 2014, p. 4).

The NLRB held that the tone of the com-ments did not disqualify the employees’ speech from NLRA protection. The NLRB’s rationale hinged on the fact that the employ-ees’ comments were made on personal social media accounts, involved a legitimate dis-agreement over labor practices, and that the conversation was not one directed at individ-uals not employed by the sports bar.

If an organization wishes to terminate an

employee for workplace speech, the speech in question needs to be evaluated carefully. Employers should look at the employee status

5 Questions To Ask When Firing an Employee for Social Media Speech

What speech are we specifically terminat-1. ing this employee for? If the speech seems like a complaint about workplace issues, it could be protected under the NLRA. The NLRB has found organizations liable for il-legally terminating for legitimate workplace grievances.Is the social media speech in question 2. a conversation between two or more employees? If the social media speech is between two or more employees there is greater support that the speech at issue is a concerted workplace activity that is protected under the NLRA. Do we have a social media policy in place? 3. Terminating an employee for social media speech is difficult to justify when the orga-nization has no social media policy in place. Organizations need to have a social media policy and have employees sign an acknowl-edgment that they have read and understand the policy. When possible, organizations also need to provide training on social media poli-cies. This protects the organization if an em-ployee claims he/she was wrongfully termi-nated and reduces confusion and scenarios that could lead to social media issues.Is the social media speech in question ex-4. pressly forbidden under our social media policy? A policy that directly prohibits a type of speech by employees provides justifica-tion. Vagueness supports an employee’s argument he/she was wrongfully terminated. Is the organization terminating the em-5. ployee for speech only or for a combina-tion of infractions? In light of the recent decisions by the NLRB, organizations should be careful when terminating an employee solely for speech. Terminated employees may have on-the-job issues that cause them to be let go. Employers need to be specific when terminating employees and include any non-speech infractions in the termination report.

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of the speakers, the nature of the conversa-tion, and whether the issue in question is one protected under federal law or is merely a gripe. Again, it’s also important for employ-ers to look at non-speech factors, such as employee performance and office behavior, to make a stronger case for termination (Solo-man, 2012).

PR Practitioners’ Role in Social Media And Employee Management

As public relations practitioners increas-ingly become part of the managerial voice and more involved with human resources, it’s important to be aware of all implications of social media policies. While termination of an employee for social media speech is appropri-ate in some situations, it’s important to note termination may lead to larger legal problems. PR practitioners should position themselves in an organization not only to monitor online reputation but also to provide solutions for online employee criticisms. While this may take the form of termination in some situa-tions, it’s likely that termination may violate federal labor law.

PR practitioners are in a unique position to influence an organization’s approach to social media and employee management. Criticisms of management and work prac-tices may signal larger internal problems for an organization. Practitioners can use public relations and communication expertise to build relationships between management and workers to create goodwill, transparency and workplace solutions. In addition, practitio-ners’ knowledge of both the logistics of social

media communication and the legal implica-tions of social media regulation can aid an organization in crafting a legally and tech-nologically sound social media policy. This well-crafted document can reduce confusion among employees, strengthen management’s justification in regulating employees’ social media speech, and improve an organization’s online image. PRN

Cayce Myers, Ph.D., LL.M., J.D. is assistant professor, department of communication at Virginia Tech.

References

29 U.S.C. § 157

29 U.S.C. § 158

Atlantic Steel Co., 245 NLRB 814 (1979).

Lafayette Park Hotel, 326 NLRB 824 (1998).

Luther Heritage Village-Livonia, 343 NLRB 646 (2004).

Meyers Industries, 268 NLRB 492 (1984).

Professional Electric Contractors of Connecticut, Inc., No. 34-CA-071532 (NLRB ALJ June 4, 2014).

Republic Aviation Corp. v. NLRB, 324 U.S. 793 (1945).

Soloman, L. (2012). Report of the Acting General Coun-sel Concerning Social Media Cases. Memorandum OM 11-74, Office of the General Counsel NLRB.

The Continental Group, Inc., 357 NLRB No. 39 (2011).

Triple Play Sports Bar and Grille, Nos. 34-CA-012915, 34-CA-012926 (NLRB Aug. 22, 2014.

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Chapter 6: Communicating with Different Generations of Employees


A Millennial’s Guide to Communicating With Other Generations in the WorkplaceBy Amanda Davis

Joining a new company is hard enough as it is. But when you’re also in your first management position as a “fresh out of college” millennial, there might be a little extra trepidation while get-

ting started. Plenty of things ran through my head on my first day as the new communica-tions manager in IT operations at Universal Music Group. Are they going to like me? Am I going to be taken seriously even though I’m younger than everyone else? Do these people actually want to hear what I have to say? This is just a sample of the hundreds of thoughts that went through my mind. As I sat in the conference room—the largest, fanciest con-ference room I’ve ever seen—waiting to be shown into my new office, I reminded myself that I earned this, they hired me for a reason and, most important, I can do it.

There are definitely times when I’m sitting in a staff meeting and a joke will be made that I don’t understand. It could be something about the 70’s, a show that I’ve never seen, or a band I’ve never heard of and someone will say something like “I bet Amanda doesn’t get that,” or “Amanda won’t know what this means but…” I may not be well-versed in my team’s reminiscent anecdotes, but when it comes to doing my job, my young age gives me a distinct advantage. I see everything from a completely different viewpoint. I’m not afraid to take risks and try new things. And I don’t have years of being told “no” weigh-

ing me down. My colleagues see the benefit to having a millennial on the team, and they often look to me for out-of-the-box solutions. With a positive and professional attitude, I’ve garnered significant employee engagement, pushed previously stalled projects forward and implemented the foundation for success-ful department communications.

So, how do you conquer the task of com-municating with and getting through to employees who have been with the company longer than you’ve been alive? First and fore-most, don’t take any assignments for granted. Whether it’s drafting an internal press re-lease, planning the next all-hands meeting, writing the latest quarterly newsletter or leading the marketing or communications aspect of a major project, see each task, large or small, as an opportunity to further your brand. Your co-workers will appreciate your willingness to take on anything, and they will likely follow in your footsteps. It may not mean you’ll be leading them directly, but that type of attitude has a way of catching on.

Be patient, and let your work speak for itself. In time, your skill level will be more than apparent.

Next, communicate with your team exactly how you’d want them to communicate with

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you. Treat everyone with respect and use a friendly tone. Recognize that just as you want your views to be heard, there’s value in the years of experience your co-workers have. Ask thoughtful questions, and take notes during every meeting. If you’re implementing new communications standards like email templates or presentation formats, show the team how your updates will look in real-time by using them in a few sample communica-tions before moving forward. You’ll also want to ask for input when you’re in the devel-opment process and try to incorporate the team’s must-have features in combination with your improvements. This way, when you present the final look, copy, etc., you’re more likely to get a positive response.

Support your concepts and decisions with research. Especially when presenting a new idea or asking the team to consider a change in process, showing that what you’re bringing to the table follows best practices will make the thought of change easier to swallow. Put together a presentation detailing the statis-tics you’ve found, or use a case study from another organization that had good results to use as your base. Remember, even though the medium might be new (like a new social network or online advertising platform), your more experienced colleagues will want to see how it has worked before.

Don’t try to impress everyone at once. If you sense that there’s a question about your age, showcasing all of your skills and what experience you have right away can come off as boastful. Be patient, and let your work speak for itself. In time, your skill level will be more than apparent. That being said, don’t stay completely silent. You still want to give input on projects you’re involved in and of-fer up ideas when appropriate. Get your feet wet before you start doing backflips off of the high-dive.

Use your age as an ally. As millennials, we’re constantly connected, and you can use that to your advantage. Create a Yammer network and post useful articles and videos you’ve found for your department to view. Suggest developing a video series instead of the traditional email communications that are typically used. Show a demo of a new iPhone or iPad app in your next staff meeting and follow it up with a deck on the benefits and how it can be applied to your organiza-tion. By keeping coworkers in the loop on the industry’s pulse, they will see you as a con-nection to the future rather than someone they have to take care of.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do:Check your attitude at the door.■■ Make sure you communicate in a positive and profes-sional tone.Communicate your ideas with supporting ■■

facts. Your colleagues will be more likely to value your input when you share the knowl-edge behind it, especially if it’s going to be a new challenge for them.Investigate corporate culture.■■ Find out how employees are already communicating with each other and use this as a base to start voicing your thoughts.

Don’t:Act like you know everything.■■ You have great new ideas and views that you’re eager to share, but you can still learn a lot from your co-workers. Let yourself be millennial-shamed.■■ You have tons to offer your company, so use your age as an ally. Communicate new trends and explain their value to your team. Forget in-person engagement. ■■ Your more experienced counterparts may be hiding be-hind emails. Try setting up an in-person ses-sion or video call for your next big meeting.

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Finally, be yourself. There’s something the leadership team saw in you (and your age) during the interview process that they wanted in their office. If you’re a naturally outgoing person, don’t be afraid to show that from time to time. If you’re into the latest fashions, compliment people on their shoes or new haircut. If you’re a foodie, suggest trying a new place for lunch. Find common ground

and build your internal relationships from there. By being yourself, coworkers of every age will embrace you and you’ll see effective communications flow. prn

Amanda Davis is communications manager in IT operations at Universal Music Group.

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