The following is the third in a series of excerpts from materials presented by Mark Feldman at the Employee Engagement workshop session at the 2014 Cause Marketing Forum (CMF) in Chicago. The interactive session brought together businesses, agencies and non-profits to discuss the strategies behind cause-focused employee engagement programs. Here are some quick tips and key lessons for those not able to attend.
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Employee Communication
Tips for how to effectively inform and reach employees:
-Create a compeling theme and call-to-action to unify and rally employees
-Identify internal employee champions throughout the company to cascade messages and stories
-Ensure c-level support and utilize their voices, authority, and participation
-Share the passion, enthusiasm and stories of employees at all levels
-Maximize technology, Facebook, microsites, and blogs
-Consider creating a movement, rather than just a program
-Share results as quickly as possible
Pothole to avoid:
–Be proud, but modest in claiming your impact
Senior Executives
Tips for how to engage and gain support of senior executives:
-Position engagement within the context of a company’s culture and bottom-line
-Speak business language
-Share engagement surveys and employee testimonials
-Place executives on boards that are relevant to the company’s issue focus and strategies
-Bring executives into the field on site-visits to experience social issues first hand
-Expect that executives volunteer; get them out there
Pothole to avoid:
–Be prepared. Sometimes executives get so inspired and engaged that they jump to create immediate solutions to social problems that aren’t really needed
Partners
Tips for how to select and engage non-profit and other partners:
-Work with local non-profits to identify and assess true needs employees can address
-Make sure the organizations share common a vision and goals
-Select partners that have the capacity to help lead and execute activities
-Enable social issue experts and universities to share knowledge with employees
-Identify teams that are detail and action oriented
Pothole to avoid:
–Activation always takes more time than you think it will
Click here for a copy of the more detailed Employee Engagement Factsheet that was handed out during the workshop.
Read more from the CMF14 session in our following blogs:
8 Things to Consider When Designing A Cause-Focused Employee Engagement Program
A huge thanks to everyone who participated in this workshop. We look forward to hearing tips for the entire CMF community!