Spreading the word

With many organisations seeing hybrid working as the norm, more emphasis is placed on keeping staff who are not in the workplace every day informed and updated on a range of organisational issues affecting them.

Electronic communication is still the key, with e-mail, unsurprisingly, still being the front-runner. What is interesting is the prominence of third party messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger. Within many teams, WhatsApp groups sprang up during lockdown as a means of keeping morale up—less about work-related issues and more about general chat. That this is still popular is good news (keeping up the information flow) and bad news (relying on an unofficial, and commercial platform).

Face-to-face Town Halls being more popular than the virtual alternative is possibly related to a desire to create more in-person events to encourage workplace attendance.

Of the ‘other’ responses, two alternatives are audio files and a regular newsletter. The high prominence of company away days shows that some businesses are happy to invest significantly in keeping employees informed and engaged.

Within SPACE, we have a Wellness Group who are tasked with curating a range of events and initiatives across our locations. One of the frequent criticisms made against such groups and campaigns is the difficulty in calculating the benefits. That being said, diverse organisations have reported that for every £1 spent on employee wellness (and this can take many forms), the benefits can be as much as £7. With 70% of respondents saying they have a formal group tasked with addressing the staff experience, there is definitely value to be gained.