What I Learned Yesterday

(originally posted September 20, 2008)


What is Internal Relations? It’s a process of forming relationships between management and employees. Basically, employee relations makes employees feel like they are an integral part of the company and are committed to its goals, missions and objectives.

So in class yesterday, we talked about organizational culture and how it can be changed. At first the kids didn’t understand why pr people needed to know about organizational culture or why it fell to pr people to change (or uphold) the culture. Then they got it. I think. (Ok if you’re reading this and don’t know why, it’s because PR people are part of the decision making process, then it’s our task to promote understanding of the concepts to employees).

But the real learning here is that kids don’t like team building. They find it corny and not really conducive to team building.

I had to laugh because, well, most of the team building that I’ve ever done in my life was pointless as well. I think it’s because all the team building was forced upon the employees. It wasn’t a choice. Leadership decreed that “you will be a team and you will like it” and then sent us off to team build.

Teams are built from trust and shared experiences. Teams are built from people who actually want to care about each other. And you can’t force that.

So let’s get back to Internal Relations.

Many employers forget that they need to communicate with their employees. Or they think that a single communication is enough. Not so fast, Kimosabe.

Employees make your company’s first impression with customers and potential customers. In short, they make you great, or they make you awful.

And when you don’t give them information, they M.S.U. Yep, they make stuff up. Nature abhors a vacuum. And in the absence of information, they will start to make it up. And two employees together will make up more stuff. And before you know it, rumors and misinformation is rampant. Let the chaos and unrest begin. And once it begins, it’s hard to stop.

So employees are your first and most important market. Keep them informed and you keep them happy. Happy people are productive people. Your bottom line is happy.