Celebrate Employee Ownership This Month

Each October, employee-owned companies are encouraged to share their ESOP stories with internal and external stakeholders. Internally, it’s the perfect time to educate and inspire your workforce to know more about how the ESOP works. And let’s have some fun. Engage team members to celebrate your company’s unique culture.

Employee Ownership Month is a great time to connect with external audiences, like legislators, the media, and the community, to explain how ESOPs work. You may even create some advocates.

Does this sound like more work for the ESOP Communications Committee? Not necessarily. We’re here to support those tireless volunteers who are dedicated to strengthening the ownership mindset in your business. All this month, look for easy-to-use tips and ideas on bringing Employee Ownership Month to life on our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter: @NestEggCom.

For those of you who need something in a hurry, visit our Nest Egg store and pick up an Employee Ownership Month toolkit. We’ve done the work so you don’t have to!

As a closing thought, remember these insightful words from Pat Summit: “A sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.”

Commencement Quotes to Inspire Your Leadership

It’s almost graduation season! Even if you’re many years donning a cap and gown, read these quotes from commencement addresses for a few minutes of inspiration to become a better communicator, coach and leader. No politician included (on purpose). Enjoy!

“Keep asking questions. Keep demanding change. But remember: Activism can’t truly lead to lasting, meaningful change without dialogue, even with those with whom you may disagree.”

Katie Couric, Journalist

“I can tell you with absolute conviction that managing compassionately is not just a better way to build a team, it’s a better way to build a company. It’s not just about what you’re trying to accomplish, it’s about how you’re trying to accomplish it.”

Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn

“Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it’s something to be powered by. Failure is the highest octane fuel your life can run on. You gotta learn to make failure your fuel.”

Abby Wambach, Athlete

“If you want to fly high, in business or in life, you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground, and stay rooted to what matters most. The Chobani journey has taught me something special: what matters most in business and in life is the difference you make for other people, for your community, for your country and for humanity.”

Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder & Chairman, Chobani

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell, Retired Four-star Army general

“The distance between number one and number two is always a constant. If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you. That is a big lesson. I cannot just expect the organization to improve if I don’t improve myself.”

Indira Nooyi, CEO, Pepsi

“Surround yourself with people you trust and who get you. Surround yourself with people who don’t mind saying it like it is. Keep them close. They have literally saved my life and career in more ways than they know.”

Josh Groban, Singer/Songwriter

Need more ideas on building an ownership culture as a leader? Get in touch: maureen.clayton@nesteggcommunications.com

Four Must Haves for your Social Media Policy

There was a very lively discussion at our session on Social Media Strategies for Employee Engagement at the ESOP Association Las Vegas Conference. The hotspot wasn’t about channels, or hashtags or content. It was about developing a social media policy. Some participants viewed it as limiting free speech. Others suggested it was illegal.

It’s true that the National Labor Relations Board has ruled on social media policies that they deemed “overly broad” (click here), but it is incorrect that they’ve determined that social policies are illegal.

Our view is that without a clearly defined social media policy, a business is open to risks and potential damage to reputation and the brand. Developing a policy with guidelines ensures that employees understand what your company considers appropriate. This is a good conversation to have with your company’s legal representatives.

While employees are ultimately responsible for what they post online, they should be aware that their posts may have consequences to the brand and their employment. Here are four “must have” topics your social media policy should cover:

Keeping key data private—State clearly that employees must not disclose trade secrets, insider tips, customer lists, proprietary or confidential information. Include language from the business code of conduct or ethics policy.

When private and professional content overlaps—Social media is a rewarding experience for many who choose to share opinions and experiences. It’s important that social media users do not represent themselves as spokespersons for the business.

Don’t defend the brand to naysayers—Set up a process within the business to address negative social media feedback from customers or competitors. Be sure it’s clear in your social media policy that employees must not take up this role—it only makes things worse.

Be respectful—Language that could be viewed as obscene, discriminatory, threatening, abusive or meant intentionally to cyberbully, harass or create a hostile work environment should be prohibited. Online conduct that adversely affects the performance of fellow employees or defames customers, suppliers, competitors or those who work on behalf of the business should be subject to the guidelines in the company code of conduct.

Looking for support with your company’s social media plan? Get in touch with us.

Four events you’ll want to add to the Employee Ownership Month playlist

October is Employee Ownership Month! Celebrate your employee owners and the company’s success by hosting events that build camaraderie and engagement.

Volunteer in Your Community

Find a local service project that aligns with the company’s values and spend a day volunteering. Group service is a great teambuilding exercise and provides an opportunity for employees to connect outside of a work setting. Take lots of photos and post them to the business social media account.

Host a Lunch and Learn with a Leadership Speaker

Ask employee owners to vote on a topic they would like to learn about. Hire an external speaker or create a panel of employees to talk about the topic most voted. Arrange for catering from a nearby restaurant. Set up a large conference room and people are sure to show up hungry and eager to learn. It doesn’t have to be about ESOPs—it can be about leadership, financial development, or wellness. Think of it as a way to build your culture.

Field Day Forever!

A little healthy competition never hurt anyone. Set up teams to participate in Olympic-style events. Fresh air and light competition is a great way for everyone to blow off steam and bond. Don’t forget the awards, not only for the competitive events, but for team spirit.

Did Someone say Theme Party?

You know that you work with people who are just itching to wear a costume to work. Choose a theme and let their creative minds start working. Business as usual in the morning, then take the afternoon off and throw a party; provide food, games and time for leadership to interact with team members. Use only the best ones in your careers site.

Building engagement and an ownership culture mindset drives performance. Employee ownership is not all about the numbers. It’s about the emotional connection created when you know that you’re building something great together.

Looking for ways to improve your ESOP communications? Get in touch with us or visit our website (www.nesteggcommunications.com).

Communicating Across Generations at Work: It’s Tricky

Building an ownership culture is on the list of goals for every ESOP. But what happens when you just can’t relate to your colleagues?

With four generations in the workforce (soon to be five as the Gen Y’ers are now reaching their 20’s) there’s a wide range of communication styles. For individuals to come together as a team, they have to communicate. And sometimes that doesn’t work so well.

Millennials will comprise more than one in three Americans by 2020 and will make up 75% of the U.S. workforce in ten years. As the ranks of millennials grow, businesses will need to rethink their communication approaches to hiring, retention, training and rewards. Because what worked before may not work in the future.

To build a culture where everyone feels welcomed and challenged to grow it’s important to acknowledge that one size does not fit all when it comes to communication. Just take a look at each generation’s communications and learning styles:

Greatest Generation (pre-1945)

Leadership style—Command and control
Communication channels—Printed materials/letter
Learning preference—Lecture/Memorization

Baby Boomers (1946-1960)

Leadership style-Workaholics
Communication channels-Phone or face-to-face
Learning preferences-Course learning

Gen x (1961-1980)

Leadership style—Teamwork
Communication channels—Email
Learning preferences—Hands-on/PowerPoint

Millennials (1981-1997)

Leadership style—Participative
Communication channels—Text, Social Apps
Learning preferences—eLearning

Is there a way to drive employee ownership without personalizing every communication? Sure! Start with these ideas:

Change up the ESOP Committee composition—Ensure the communications committee is represented by job category, age, ethnicity and gender. Peer-to-peer communication is always effective.

Use multiple communications channels—Many companies use email and newsletters to communicate and educate about their ESOP. Add video to your mix. Sixty-four percent of consumers say that if the content is available in text or on video, they’ll choose video. Pull out your smartphone and start video.

Ask for feedback—Make it easy for everyone to share what they want to know about the ESOP. Employees seldom feel comfortable asking questions in Town Hall sessions. Send out a short survey or hang up a blank poster, a marker, and let them write their own questions. Then follow through with answers in an FAQ document.

Who’s on your website? Is there a careers page with photos of your people? They are the best, most authentic ambassadors for your business. If everyone on the website looks like they are from one age group, the talent you’re recruiting will notice.

Need to improve your ESOP communications? Let’s connect Maureen.Clayton@nesteggcommunications.com.