COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS FOR REMOTE EMPLOYEES
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) faced a big challenge in its internal communications. It had 21.000 employees in 96 different sites, scattered across an entire continent. Nobody was controlling or coordinating the flow of information through the company's intranet. Employees were not getting the information they needed or wanted about the rest of the organization, and surveys showed that as a result, they were feeling frustrated, isolated, and generally disengaged.

ATO solved the problem using technology, creating an online "center" to the company and a place for employees to interact, despite the distance. Here's what they did:

1. "Push" with a priority messaging system
ATO created a digital delivery system for "push" communication -- info that is delivered to employees without their having to request it. The company was diligent to ensure that employees learned company happenings not from the newspaper or TV, but from the company itself. When the CEO needed to communicate urgently, the messaging system delivered a PDF (portable document format) file directly to the users' computer desktops so that it wasn't lost in daily email.

2. Allow "pull" through distribution lists
Using the same PDF-delivery system, the company created a number of group-specific distribution lists to which users can subscribe. For instance, one of these lists distributes senior management information, but anyone can subscribe. Such openness helped to improve trust between managers and staff, and the general accessibility of information helped to keep employees interested and engaged.

3. Create community
ATO's intranet is largely employee-driven. All staff members are encouraged to publish relevant news online, through gatekeepers who coordinate it all and keep news on-topic. There are also a number of "fun" virtual meeting places and forums which help to replace the casual workday interaction that happens in traditional offices.

4. Revitalize employee communications (and make them interesting)
ATO had a lackluster electronic magazine, but the initiative called for its revitalization -- as a 50-page multimedia blitz containing graphics, video clips, links, photos, and surveys. The newsletter now contains major company news, letters to the editor, a social calendar, and a CEO column.

5. Reduce information overload
Too much information can be as bad as not enough information. To help reduce info "noise" -- so that the more relevant news was visible to those who wished to view it -- ATO implemented a series of email controls designed to keep email overload to a minimum.

Remember: communication builds community, and openness fosters trust. A willingness to communicate across any company -- especially one that is spread across a continent -- helps to build engagement, interest, and morale.

Source: Communication World magazine, March-April 2004

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MEASURING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Are your employees engaged? Do they care about what they're doing, or are they just putting in their time, waiting for the end of the workday? The Gallup Organization created a way to measure the elements of "engagement" as they correlate with the bottom line -- sales growth, productivity, and customer loyalty.

What Gallup developed was the Q12, a 12-question survey designed to determine an employee's level of engagement. Results from surveys show a strong correlation between high scores on the following survey and superior job performance:

1. Do you know what is expected of you at work?
2. Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?
3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages your development?
7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?
9. Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?
10. Do you have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?
12. In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Source: http://www.workforce.com