Are you old enough to remember when “junk mail” described all those flyers, catalogs, and solicitations we unloaded every day from our physical mailbox? Most of those pieces of mail were tossed aside, unopened, and trashed.
Today, it’s our electronic mailboxes that are filled with “junk” every day. Some of those unsolicited messages from outside our organizations truly are junk. But many messages we write to communicate with employees are treated like “junk.” Translation: they never get read.
“No one reads their emails!”
It’s one of the most common complaints related to employee communication we hear from many managers. And we understand their frustration. We’ve all been conditioned to rely on email as the first line of defense in internal communication. The problem is that email doesn’t work as well as it used to because of the sheer volume of messages that clog our inboxes. Studies show that the average professional gets over 120 email messages on average every day.
Rather than wringing our hands or continuing to nag our employees about reading their emails, we need fresh, more effective approaches to getting information in front of employees. Following are several ideas drawn both from Stamp & Chase’s experiences working with smart organizations and from the world of advertising and marketing.
Workplace “billboards”
Sometimes, the slogan “everything old is new again” is absolutely true. Sharing information in a big, visible way so that employees can’t miss it sometimes works best. It’s why billboards along the highway work. And it’s why old-fashioned bulletin boards should be resurrected. Of course, today there are also updated electronic bulletin boards for sharing key information across an entire organization. Bon Secours Mercy Health effectively uses the screen savers on all its computers to share and remind employees of important news and information.
Internal texting
Text messages communicate a sense of urgency and immediacy that email doesn’t. We’ve worked with organizations that use the chat function on platforms like Teams and Slack to make messaging shorter, quicker, easier – and more effective than email.
Rethink inclusive distribution lists
The idea that sending more email messages to more people ensures everyone gets the information they need is flawed. We hear from staff and managers that big distribution lists that include too many recipients without a real, consistent need to know just cause electronic overload. A simple way to take steps to improve this problem is to send a quick survey that asks the question: “How often do you open and read this email?”
“Extra, extra! Read all about it!”
Abandoning email completely is unrealistic. So, while we’re finding ways to email less often, we can also focus on making electronic messages more compelling and effective when we do use them. Thinking like professionals in advertising and psychology can be helpful. The first and most important idea is to make your subject line more of a headline that makes people want to read your message. Here are several straightforward tips:
- Questions peak interest – For example, “When will that big temporary wall be coming down?” instead of “Construction Update”
- Numbers draw attention – For example, “Three ways our new equipment will simplify your life” rather than “New equipment to be installed”
- How-to explanations make it personal – For example, “How to be sure there’s no gap in your health benefits” “2027 Benefits Enrollment”
The ultimate form of personalization in employee communication
Finally, the more personal a message is, the more people will pay attention. Of course, there is no form of written communication that feels more personal than a face-to-face or telephone conversation. This method of sharing a very individualized message offers another big advantage. Seeing how the other person reacts to the information helps us build trust and a stronger relationship with them.
Just like excessive amounts of printed information used to land in our mailbox, today’s email has become far less effective because the volume is simply overwhelming. Great leaders consider email alternatives first, then think about how to make their messages more compelling and useful when they do send them.