By Carrie Grace Irwin
KWI recently hosted a gathering of HR and communications professionals for a salon titled “What’s ConNEXT? – Redefining Corporate Community.”
“The lines are more blurred than ever between home and work,” KWI CEO Leah Gladu says, “and while there are best practices out there, while everyone is dealing with the same challenges, the same solutions don’t always apply.”
What do employees want in a post-COVID workplace?
- 74% of workers say that having the option to work remotely would make them less likely to leave a company.
- However, employees also cite challenges with remote work:
- unplugging after work (22%),
- loneliness (19%) and
- communication/collaboration (17%) (FindStack)
While general statistics can be a useful starting point, they miss the nuanced needs of a particular company’s workforce. KWI brought in panelists to discuss their unique experiences with pressing issues.
- Jackie Reedy (Senior Director of Internal Communications at Unifi),
- Akilah Charlemagne, SPHR, SHRM-SCP (President of SHRM Atlanta)
- Patricia Campbell (Senior Director of Change Enablement and Vendor Management at Cox Communications)
Audience members’ questions for panelists generated enriching conversations around topics including:
- Empathy in the workplace
- Communications processes and creative approaches
- Surveying and feedback
- Maintaining employee engagement
Annie Mullins, Head of Talent at KWI, prompted the audience to reflect on challenges their organizations are facing. Here’s what we heard:
- “How do we keep up engagement with high turnover?”
- “Communication overload!”
- “How do you keep your culture rich with so many employees remote?”
- “How do we communicate with a varied workforce, especially large changes that affect everyone differently?”
Our panelists discussed a variety of solutions, including video, newsletter, survey, events, policy changes and more. We also compiled several resources for continued insights and recommendations:
- We frequently share insights and best practices on our blog, such as:
- Additionally, you can find resources from SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management:
At KWI, our mission is to build community by putting people at the center of business. We help our client partners do this by building strategic internal and external communications and marketing programs, including: audience engagement, change management, data insights, digital employee experience, creative design and video, leadership development, social media and media relations.
We take a data-driven, people-first approach to everything we do. Our team focuses on authenticity and connection to help our clients get the business results they need, and we understand the power that employees truly have within their company.
If any of these topics and ideas resonate with your company, drop us a line – we’d love to discuss how KWI can help you identify opportunities for growth.
