Using Technology to Reach Non-Wired Employees

Corporate communications are a much straightforward exercise when it comes to reaching white-collar employees, but how do you ensure that the other very important part of your audience, the blue-collar or ‘non-wired’ staff are also kept in the loop? How do you make sure that they too get important company information and understand and apply corporate values.

Generally, you have two alternatives

1) Printed material such as magazine and flyers, whose limitations are the fact that they get outdated quickly, cannot contain up-to-the-minute information and are easy to dispose of.

2) TV screens (or digital signage) on which you can communicate fresh, location- relevant messages in a variety of formats (video, text, images). These can also be used to redirect staff to other channels (see magazines) for more details.

Reach even the most ‘unreachable’ groups of your organisation by delivering bite-size, visual engaging communications that are of interest to them. Here are 3 such groups and how this environment helps you connect with them.

1) The On-the-Goers- whose jobs involve a lot of moving around from one location to another and who can easily ‘escape’ corporate communications. Well-organised, static information displayed on a screen could allow staff to take in the message without even knowing it.

2) Feed ‘Time-Starved’ employees with information in areas where they usually spend some time in (reception areas, elevators and escalators, hallways). Screens can be easily installed in these locations so that short and concise messages reach even the busiest and least ‘wired’ employee of all.

3) Information- Avoiders are those that are not really interested in corporate messages or are discouraged by managers to perform any activities not directly related to their jobs. Digital screens could be a useful way of getting the message across in an non-intrusive manner as you allow them to digest information at their own pace.

Digital screens can allow your company to communicate a variety of messages that can be instantly updated, without changing the medium as you have to do in the case of printed material. You can display:

– training and job-related information;

– video corporate messaging;

– photos (why not use ones taken by the employees themselves);

– social media, news and weather feeds;

– web pages;

– multilingual messages if the situation requires it.

…and help non-wired employees stay informed, feel part of your company and be better equipped to change.

A Corporate Executive Board research shows that managers struggle breaking news to employees because they have never been prepared for it. Much of this ‘unpreparedness’ is caused by lack of information. Use digital signage to tackle this issue and connect with your non-wired staff in a relevant, impactful and beneficial manner to both parties involved.