Woodbury, N.Y.
Amy Miller
Managing Director, Marketing and Sales Operation
Clever Devices
Clever Devices understands first-hand the challenges of effective and meaningful internal communication. We strive to keep our current employees informed, onboard new hires and assimilate employees who have become part of our team through acquisitions. We are also sensitive to the fact that almost 50 percent of our employees are based in one of our six satellite offices or out of their homes.
As it is, our team members are currently managing an onslaught of messages and information delivered via a wide range of communication vehicles, so we have the added challenge of ensuring our internal messages are received.
Our internal communication goals are simple: establish common knowledge, engage employees and drive our business objectives so that we can better serve our market.
While it is an ongoing process, we have identified some best practices that we would like to share.
- Be Authentic. We learned early on that it is critical that we speak with an authentic voice and are honest and open with our employees. As a privately-held company, we may not have the same reporting obligations as public companies, but our employee base is professional, talented and very bright, and it is in our best interest to keep them informed.
- Deliver Consistent Content. We work hard to ensure that our messages are consistent. There are key themes and topics that our employees have come to expect. We share our successes and our lessons learned; our strategies, goals and financial performance; and industry updates. We also reinforce our tagline, “Transit Matters Here,” at every possible juncture to ensure that this is foremost in our employees’ minds.
- Use Multiple Delivery Vehicles. We have learned to not rely on a limited number of communication methods. First, people have different ways of learning and multiple methods ensure everyone is more likely to absorb the information. And secondly, repetition is good. In addition to traditional methods, we also have formal channels, such as our quarterly town hall meetings and our monthly newsletter, and we start each workday with a well-attended conference call to review project status and set priorities. We also have more informal methods including fun sessions such as “Breakfast with Buddy;” a cross-functional, multi-location culture committee that brings employees’ ideas forward; and a well-established open-door policy.
- Be Relevant. The messaging must be relevant to employees and be inspirational. We work hard to treat employees like customers; we have to be proactive with the messaging, giving them the information they need at the right time and making sure that they hear it from us first. We are sensitive to the frequency of messages, taking care not to inundate them, and we are sensitive to remote employees, avidly using a variety of conferencing and communication tools that encourage collaboration and keep everyone informed. It is also important to celebrate individual and team accomplishments. In addition to management recognition, we have spot bonuses and shout-outs where peers acknowledge each other, resulting in team members feeling valued.
- Listen. Last, but definitely not least. Communication has to flow in both directions, and it is critical not only to listen, but to demonstrate the ability to change. Some recent changes in company policies such as our dress code, the number of paid holidays and paid time off for volunteering are the result of listening to our employees. We have to continue to create opportunities for dialogue and feedback. Buddy Coleman’s father, Frank, was one of Clever Devices’ founders and he used to say, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. You should listen twice as long as you talk.”
Like all of you, the face of the workforce at Clever Devices is changing and we have to adapt to meet their needs. Millennials and Generations X and Y expect a collaborative workplace and want to be part of the process, and strong internal communications can certainly go a long way toward employee engagement and satisfaction.
