Social Media Platforms for Employee Communication

Badia Rebolledo, Chief People Officer, Krispy Kreme

OK, so after  the pandemic  we are now  left in the HR  world with the new flavor  of the “month,” more like  the flavor of the years to  come: “How do we engage  employees when they  have tasted other ways of  working that are now hard  to manage for the business?”

 I’ve been to various  forums and conferences  on various topics, but two  that keep coming up are:  remote/hybrid/back to  the office work and how  to engage employees when  retaining talent is becoming  increasingly difficult. For  the first topic, I am waiting  for the patent on the magic  formula. For the second,  I think I can give my five  cents to the community. So  here it goes: 

One thing I learned a  long time ago is that change  is easy; the hard part is that  it involves people. As an  HR professional, it is our  job to lead the way on how  to make it simple, fun, and  effective. 

1: Get support – You  cannot do this alone.  If there is no support,  commitment, belief, and  accountability from the  executive team, it will  become a cool HR project  with no long-term impact.  It’s not uncommon for  some members of a team  to remain silent (or vocal)  deserters. This is where  you must play your magic  and, with data analytics  from the market and your  organization, bring reason  to the table. Information is  power, so make sure that  you use it to obtain this  commitment and support. 

2: Deep change – For  many decades, HR has  slowly been trying to get  into the driver’s seat in the  business. But it has been  a slow process in which,  in my opinion, we have only managed to get the door open  for the rest of the team to get in.  However, the pandemic did help  us. We are now not only in the car,  but we are driving it and breaking  the speed limit! So, make sure you  are the designated driver in your  organization. 

Understand that to make an  impact, the change must be deep. If  you think that you will be disruptive  with the same conditions, the same  people, and the same scenario, you  are in for a big disappointment.  Although you do need to address the  issue one step at a time, each step  needs to be impactful. Make every  step count. 

3: Know your tribe and their  needs – You need to know your  demographics. You need to know  what people need and who they  are. One size does not fit all. You  may have different age groups,  marital statuses, interests, and  needs. All these play an important  part in how they will engage with  and embrace culture. For example,  with the benefits that you offer,  make sure that they address their  personal needs and interests. If this  is too complex due to the size of  the organization, then at least give  options so they can choose. Do not  offer pension plans as a benefit when  your average age is 26. If you offer  private insurance, open the options  to family, dental, and pets (this last  one is a hit with young populations). 

4: Communicate, but make sure  they listen – If you know your  tribe, then it is essential that you  understand how to talk to them.  Young professionals do not like  to talk on the phone, they do not  like to read long emails or memos,  and they seem to like short, clear  messages. So why not get involved  with Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook,  or even learn to make memes? This  has proven to be the most powerful  tool for my organization to be  able to reach the last link in the  organization. We have a population  in which 2000 out of 2200 employees  do not have a corporate email. 

“If you know your tribe, then it is essential that you understand how to talk to them. Young professionals do not like to talk on the phone or read long emails or memos, and they seem to like short, clear messages. So why not try Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, or even learn to make memes”

Nevertheless, they are all up to date  on the gossip, the campaigns, the  anniversaries, contests, awards, and  what is happening. We really are on  social media. And make sure it is a  bilateral communication channel;  you want to be listening to them all  the time. 

5: Empower others to do  the work for you – I have a  philosophy of making sure that  we create magic moments or “first  moments of truth” throughout  the life cycle of the employee. A  hire-to-retire kind of idea, make  sure that the experience that the  candidate has from the time they  look at the posting until they get  in or are rejected is so cool that  they will speak wonders of you as  an employer. Social media is too  powerful, and it can make you or  break you. 

Make that onboarding moment  unforgettable. But be truthful;  don’t oversell it. For those in the  company who have been there for  a long time, make sure you make  them fall in love with you over and  over again. Don’t make them feel  neglected because the new-born has  arrived; they were here first, and  they keep the

Assure that the development  plans are alive, offer constant  learning experiences, be connected  to the community, and be socially  responsible. Let the organization  leave a legacy in the community  and on the planet; get involved and  listen to them. 

And finally, when it is time to  part, it doesn’t matter the reason why  the separation occurs; make sure it  is done with respect, integrity, and  the way you would like to be treated  when that moment comes. 

As you can see, there is no secret  formula or magic trick, but it is a  combination of being passionate  about what you do, daring to be  disruptive, being resilient to the  constant and typical obstacles that  one gets from the old school  managers, and always looking for  what is right for your business at the  time they need it. Remember, the  only constant is change, and  fortunately, HR is here to lead it.