Employee Relations – Internal communication

We cannot deny the fact that effective internal communication is vital to any organisation. Change is often the only constant in today’s workplace. Change management programs often fail because of poor communication. Consultation and dialogue motivate employees through giving them a sense of ‘ownership’ of initiatives and strategies. Good communication also helps prevent damaging rumours. When there is an information vacuum and a lack of communication that employee relation is at stake.

Employees are an organisation’s best possible ‘goodwill ambassadors’. Today, knowledge is often a company’s biggest asset. For instance, when key employees leave, that knowledge could be lost. Service and quality are more important than ever. The company is thus both dependent on loyal and motivated employees. PR should act as an advocate or representative of employee interests as well as a disseminator of management messages. True Public Relations is based on dialogue. This means a willingness to listen and change policies/practices when appropriate. The Excellence Study (Dozier, Grunig and Grunig 1995) found that a participatory corporate culture was a key predictor of excellent public relations.

At Sedeco, internal communication is a key component. When I started my internship, I wasn’t really at ease with the employees of other departments. The Job Fair enabled me to break this barrier and move towards them. Each and every employee was keen at participating, voicing out their opinion and suggestion on how to make the Job Fair a success. Indeed, it was since as I said earlier if an employee is happy with his work conditions, he will advocate and encourage others to join in. As a result, internal communication plays a major role since the primary publics need to feel “valued”. A satisfied employee makes a good ambassador, don't you agree ?

Cheers,

Danitza

PR and Journalism - A Love Hate Relationship

Journalists and PR practitioners have something of a love hate relationship. Many journalists say they regard PR people with suspicion - some would even characterise the relationship as “hate hate”! This attitude has been so prevalent among journalists mainly because :

• Journalists think PR people only provide the “good news”
• PR is perceived to be about manipulation, deception and cover-ups
• Many PR practitioners are ex-journalists - perhaps their former colleagues think they have “sold out”
• Journalists think public relations is out to hijack and subvert their news values

Public Relations and the media can be considered as a case of mutual need. It is perhaps inevitable that the relationship between PR and the media will sometimes be adversarial. However, PR and the media need each other. For instance, PR needs the media as a key channel of communication with a variety of primary target audiences.

The media’s need for PR may seem less obvious but is just as critical:

• The media needs PR as a source of convenient, fast, reliable and accurate information
• Many modern media organisations have limited journalistic resources and simply don’t have the time to research every story or generate every lead
• PR practitioners can facilitate communication between the media and their client or employer organisations

During my internship at Sedeco Ltd, I learnt the importance of being available and maintaining a good relationship with the media. During the coverage of the Job Fair, a journalist from Le Mauricien, a local newspaper in Mauritius, wrote an article on the aim of our participation and what Sedeco was looking for. I provided all relevant information to the reporter and he wrote an objective article on the matter. Therefore, it is important to understand that unlike advertising, publicity and news reporting cannot be controlled by the company. A good relationship based on trust with the media can lead to the success of a company. Do you agree ?

Cheers,

Danitza