Metropolitan Subway Company ( SubwayCorp) Internal Communications Strategy © 2012 Ingenium Communications Inc. SAMPLE

Metropolitan Subway Company (SubwayCorp)Internal Communications Strategy

© 2012 Ingenium Communications Inc.

SAMPLE

Become an employer of choice to attract and retain the best talent.

Internal Communications

The following objectives are intended to guide internal communications at SubwayCorp for the next fiscal year:

Strengthen the SubwayCorp team by fostering communication, connection and collaboration across the organization.

Provide employees with the information and knowledge they require to fulfill their role to their full potential.

Foster authentic, meaningful two-way communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Corporate

©2012 Ingenium Communications Inc. 2

Objectives

Challenges

Based on the research and the findings of the consultative process, the following emerge as core themes of challenges regarding internal communications:

Change: SubwayCorp has undergone significant changes over the past three years. It has struggled with change fatigue and low staff engagement as a result of rapid CEO turnover, significant labour strife, and persistent challenges related to harassment and discrimination complaints.

Morale: Employee surveys illustrate worrisome levels of staff morale. 87% of employees have reported “low” or “very low” morale in the most recent survey. In addition, 62% of operations staff and 74% of management employees indicate that they are actively looking for employment elsewhere. Executive interviews with the senior leadership team and Board of Directors uniformly highlight a high degree of concern about these factors in terms of business continuity and maintenance of service level standards.

Internal Communications Infrastructure: The organizational changes and market expectations have far outpaced SubwayCorp’s internal communications infrastructure. There is a significant and noticeable gap in terms of a clear centre of leadership/accountability for employee communication, which has consistently been relegated to a lower level of priority relative to externally-focused requirements. The internal communications channels such as the Intranet, newsletter and shared drive don’t meet the needs of the users, and appear in contrast to the culture of performance that SubwayCorp espouses. In addition, there is a chronic challenge in effectively communicating to operations staff who tend to be harder to reach given the challenge of shift work and a highly mobile workforce.


Challenges (cont’d)

Internal Systems/Processes: SubwayCorp’s internal systems and processes for sharing information and collaborating among employees are generally weak. While some processes have been developed (e.g. project management protocols), they have not been adequately institutionalized into the organization through communications or training. This leads to frustration, duplication of effort and gaps in efficiency felt by employees at an individual and a functional level. Similar issues exist with respect to the establishment and communication of HR policies.

Information Sharing: There is a pervasive sense among many employees that they are not empowered to contribute to their full potential because of the operational culture of the organization. Some staff members feel demoralized, under-utilized and under-valued because the conditions in which they operate do not enable them to work to the full scope of their competency or functional role. Specifically, several employees feel that their performance is significantly limited by a lack of access to the information they need to do their jobs which many interpret as a paternalistic approach to internal communications. Many observe a culture in which information is power, leading to concerns about “information hoarding” or being “blindsided” by issues or requirements.


Opportunities

Against the backdrop of challenges in internal communications, the following represent key avenues of opportunity for SubwayCorp’s employee communications and engagement:

SubwayCorp has a dedicated team of highly professional employees with a high level of commitment to their roles. Effective employee communication and engagement is likely the single most significant lever to maximizing the value of that talent to drive strong corporate performance and first-rate customer service.

SubwayCorp’s current focus on securing federal infrastructure funding holds promise as a rallying point for employees to collaborate toward a common objective. There is a strong level of engagement and enthusiasm for the initiative, which is seen as a potential watershed moment in the history of SubwayCorp.

There is significant potential to build on existing success in employee communication and information sharing. Specifically, the newly-established Project Management Office has already made significant strides in building internal discipline related to communication and information sharing. In addition, many functional groups currently have standing meetings that have proven to be very effective. These existing approaches hold promise as foundational elements of an expanded employee communication and engagement program.

The Manager community has been very effective at fostering cross-functional communication and collaboration. This group represents a significant opportunity for leveraging formal and informal mechanisms for sharing information and building a more corporate approach to staff communication.


Strategic Directions

Improve and standardize internal communications processes/tools

Increase internal resources and capacity in communication and employee engagement

Leverage the campaign for federal infrastructure funding as a catalyst for employee communication and engagement

Integrate mobile forms of communication to reach the key audience of operational staff, and help solidify engagement

Focus on the manager community in the design of communications programs and messages


Key Audiences

Primary• Administrative employees• Operations employees• Manager community

Secondary• Board of Directors


Message Architecture

Employee Value Proposition

SubwayCorp is committed to fostering a collaborative and creative environment that promotes teamwork while recognizing the important contribution of individuals. We’re committed to providing an

environment that stimulates innovation, encourages excellence and supports professional development and growth at all levels in the organization.

Administrative Staff

At the heart of SubwayCorp is our team. We are committed to being an employer of choice, offering

our employees a dynamic working environment with opportunities to learn and to contribute to a

world-class leader in transit service.

Operations Staff

Our operations team keeps SubwayCorp moving for our customers every day. We are launching a

communications campaign with new ways for your voices to be heard, and for you to be kept informed of up-to-the-minute developments at SubwayCorp

while you’re on the move.


Tactics

The following tactics are recommended for SubwayCorp’s internal communications:

• Intranet• Newsletter• Weekly email bulletin• CEO blog• CEO round tables with staff• Manager Forum• Staff events• Employee recognition ceremonies• Pilot program

‐ mobile devices for operations staff


Work Plan – Q1 January to March

January February March

Intranet updates

Newsletter

Weekly email bulletin

Manager Forum

Employee Recognition Event


Work Plan – Q2 April to June

April May June

Intranet updates

Newsletter


Manager Forum

CEO Round Table


Work Plan – Q3 July to September

July August September

Intranet updates

Newsletter


Manager Forum

CEO Round Table

CEO Blog Launch

Employee Picnic

Pilot launch – mobile campaign for Operations Staff


Work Plan – Q4 October to December

October November December

Intranet updates

Newsletter


Manager Forum

CEO Round Table

CEO Blog Launch

Employee Christmas Event


Budget

Financial Resources:Total budget (current fiscal year): $50,000

Leveraged support from Communications Division (value of in-house printing and distribution services): $20,000

Human Resources:Staff: Internal Communications Officer - 1 FTE Communications Manager - .25 FTE


Evaluation Framework

The following indicators and associated measurement tools are recommended:

Performance Indicators

Process Activity Relationship Result

• Adherence to budget

• Adherence to production schedule

• Intranet hits

• Click-through rate from email bulletin

• Blog traffic and comments

• Participation rate in events

• Level of engagement in Manager Forum

• Level of engagement in CEO Round Tables

• Level of engagement in staff events

• Feedback from staff and managers

• Staff morale

• Retention


Documents

Metropolitan Subway Company ( SubwayCorp) Internal Communications Strategy © 2012 Ingenium Communications Inc. SAMPLE