Engaging students in the midst of a pandemic

Work and play

Making a real difference to local government

Real difference

Engaging diverse audiences for the NHS

Your NHS

A global challenge

100% you

The social mobility challenge

Be the apprentices

The pandemic has changed student engagement in a number of different ways. Virtual has become a norm &#8211; to attract as well as assess students. And it seems that employers are determined not to go back to old methods, but to embrace a more hybrid model. But this means different kinds of challenges &#8211; breaking through the digital noise, grabbing the passers-by, reaching out to diverse audiences and creating connected experiences that students want to be part of. We are here to support employers and help them transform engagement &#8211; from school years to graduate alumni, from initial contact to webinars, social engagement and more.

Autumn Not On Campus Guide for Early Careers

Student Marketing Bootcamp

No one needs another generic survey about generation z or student trends. There are enough of them already; and as we’ve seen, very few of them agree with each other. We’re focused on personalised, focused insight into the very real challenges you face – and how you can identify and engage the right people. We’ve got the experience and expertise to conduct qualitative and quantitative research that makes for better decision making.
Talk to us about:
• Audience insight 
• Value proposition research 
• Engagement analysis 
• Process audit 
• Measurement

Insight

What are your key audiences?  How can you realistically engage them?  How can you deliver experiences that make you the go-to employer?  These are some of the questions we look to answer in any strategy.  Combining experience, insight and innovation, we provide clients with strategies that will invariably challenge current approaches.  Because without new and divergent thinking, aren’t we simply doing the same thing and expecting a different result?
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Value proposition development</li>
<li>Channel strategy</li>
<li>Student engagement</li>
<li>Schools and campus strategy</li>
<li>Identification and targeting</li>
</ul>

Strategy

We are a brand and engagement agency; so we focus heavily on how a brand story can evoke the right emotions in the audience and provoke action.  We are master storytellers, using all the tools in the communications box to engage and inspire our audiences, from the first contact right through to life inside an organisation.  Remember, communications that engages really connect with the right people and builds the brand is as much about the science as it is surprising audiences.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Concept development</li>
<li>Social media content</li>
<li>Writing and design</li>
</ul>

CREATIVE

In 2020, we’ve seen a seismic shift in the way we might work in the future – and it is more virtual and more digital, relying less on the traditional engagement opportunities.  Now more than ever brands need to invest in digital experiences that cut through the ever-increasing noise and engage people in novel and relevant ways.  It is no longer enough simply to have a website.  What is your social strategy?  How can you use Voice or AR?  What will help and support students in the best possible way?  Lots of questions.  We can help you come up with the answers.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Website design and development</li>
<li>App development</li>
<li>AR, VR and Voice</li>
<li>Social media engagement</li>
<li>Digital marketing</li>
</ul>

DIGITAL

Student Marketing

After the global crisis of 2020, internal communications (IC) has a more visible role than ever with organisations and leaders. We are being asked to deliver more with less – money, time and people. But does IC operate as the “internal post office”, or could be we being more strategic? Are we focusing on outputs rather than outcomes? How do we move from delivering strategy to influencing it so we get that seat at the top table?
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjeetkailecommsleadership/">Ranjeet Kaile</a>, Executive Director of Communications, Stakeholder Engagement and Public Affairs at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanmmays/">Susan Mays</a>, Vice President, Marketing &amp; Communications Director, Arcadis US <a href="https://lnkd.in/eeC2WNX">recently shared their thoughts with us</a>. Here&#8217;s an edited excerpt.
<h4>106 Communications: <a href="https://www.watsonhelsby.co.uk/insights-and-publications/the-rise-of-the-internal-communicator-2002">Research</a> has suggested that IC practitioners are not yet sufficiently business focused and their activities are not yet linked to or measured against specific business outcomes…therefore there is still a lack of evidence, acceptable to the leadership, that demonstrates the impact of internal communication on business performance.” (Watson Helsby) Do you agree?</h4>
Ranjeet Kaile: This definitely rings true. In the NHS, if you are arguing for communications resources, people often say, “We can get X number of nurses of nurses for that,” so the challenge is a big one. But evidence shows that a happy and engaged staff workforce has positive business outcomes. So IC needs to demonstrate the link between the strategic direction of the organisation and the outcomes it will have. It’s certainly not easy!
<h4>106 Communications: How does IC add value in your organisation?</h4>
Ranjeet Kaile: IC adds value by conveying the message “from board to ward”, trying to keep it simple and not lose its meaning. Organisations can get carried away with grand statements, but you need to think about the granularity for somebody working on a ward looking after a patient. Communications must relate to what it means to that individual. When you’re communicating with senior managers you must demonstrate the impact it will have on their projects or programmes. That way, people will come to you and say they want your support.
Susan Mays: Crisis often creates opportunity for us to prove our worth. Our team has really stepped up because we had to get 27,000 people from working in offices to working at home. We were right at the table for that. It’s also about partnerships within the organisation, not necessarily the top seat. While working for a competitor of Arcadis, we saw the health and safety numbers creeping up. I told the health and safety director to trust me and we put the team through a rigorous health and safety communications exercise. We saw a direct correlation between the volume of our communication and the health and safety numbers. This was because we created relationships not just with the C-suite but with other leaders in the organisation. Of course, they were very happy to present those outcomes to their leadership!
<h4>106 Communications: How connected are your senior team to the IC function and do they really believe in the value it adds?</h4>
Ranjeet Kaile: More mature organisations definitely see the value of IC. I’ve seen it work really well when IC is at the top table and able to really shape discussions and plans. I’ve seen it work not so well when IC is used as a post box, “Send something over, can you email this out to all staff? Can you send out this poster I made at home?” But I’m really glad to see more organisations, especially in the NHS, are starting to take IC more seriously. There’s more to be done and having that continuity across all NHS organisations would really help.
Susan Mays: I’ve seen pockets of success. I’ve worked in engineering and consulting for about 30 years and engineers aren’t the best role models as communicators. So my team and I have tried to move to a consultative approach. I’m famous for telling the engineers “I don’t tell you how to design the bridges, so maybe you could let me do my work!” Where I’ve seen success is with an opportunity or a challenge for an executive. A peer of mine was on his way to the C-suite but quite introverted and not the most confident speaker, so I asked him to facilitate a client panel. He asked me to help him with it, and I don’t know how many times we practised! But he did get the job, became my boss and then I got a seat at the table. You have to take responsibility for getting your leadership to think of you more strategically.
<h4>106 Communications: How can we better ensure cross-functional alignment?</h4>
Ranjeet: A joined up approach is easier when you have a voice at the top table because they can take a holistic view. I’ve been in the position when you are not quite at that senior level working for someone who doesn’t understand communications, so you have to constantly fight to get people to see the bigger picture.
Susan: At Arcadis, the IC function recently shifted from being located within the HR function to being in the Marketing function which actually reports up through sales. We’ve found that those who have a seat at top table have a streamlined path to effectiveness. Regardless of where you sit in the organisation, our responsibility as IC is making sure everything we do is strongly connected to the strategy. Collaboration and relationships are key, but always come back to the strategy. I have a two-boss situation CMO and the Sales Director for North America, so I make sure I’m managing what they are trying to achieve.
<h4>106 Communications: Let’s go back to the research. These are the most frequently mentioned core management and behavioural competencies internal communicators need at Head of IC level:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Influencing skills</li>
<li>Ability to think strategically about communications</li>
<li>Business awareness/literacy</li>
<li>Writing and presentation skills</li>
<li>An understanding of the principles of organisational development</li>
<li>Branding</li>
<li>Communications psychology</li>
<li>Intranet and e-communication development</li>
<li>Creative communication skills</li>
<li>Facilitation skills</li>
<li>Consultancy skills</li>
<li>Resilience, courage and self-belief</li>
</ul>
<h4>Do you agree?:</h4>
Ranjeet Kaile: There is something about hard skills and soft skills. Having conversations with the right people at the right time has a big impact and you do that by building relationships. If we want to be viewed more strategically, we have to take much more interest in the strategy, not just tinkering round the edges. I often say to people, we’re all competing for the same space and need to show that we can deliver something better than another department. Resilience, courage and self-belief is important, particularly in a virtual working environment.
Susan Mays: IC sits in different parts of the organisation and if we want to move to that seat at the top table, upward influence is a really important skill. We can’t be afraid to put ourselves and our professional expertise out there. Business awareness and literacy is also important. It’s incumbent upon us to understand the business strategy and goals. This can really boost our conversation in having conversations with people at the top of the table.
<h4>106 Communications: What does a great IC team look like?</h4>
Susan Mays: I look for folks who are strong generalists and can be flexible in a small team, are strong collaborators and contribute different skills. Take the opportunity to get with someone who has a different skill set to yourselves and develop those mentoring relationships.
Ranjeet Kaile: People who have vision and can connect the dots from multiple pieces of work from different parts of the organisation. We need to always show people the direction we’re heading in and have them read for the next chapter. We’re not always going to get it right, but you’ve got to be brave and take some risks.
<h4>106 Communications: How can we become a strategic operator in an organisation?</h4>
 Susan Mays: My favourite one of Arcadis behaviours is “dare to shape the future” and it’s become the charter for our team. Be brave about bringing your ideas within the team and challenging the way you’ve always done things.
Ranjeet Kaile: I genuinely believe that the next CEOs could come from communicators, who are the people with the holistic view of the organisation. We’ve got a bright future and it’s only the horizons we set ourselves that will shape the future of internal communications.
<h4>106 Communications: Thank you very much Susan and Ranjeet!</h4>
Click <a href="https://www.106comms.com/events">here</a> to sign up for future 106 Communications webinars!

Why should internal communications get a seat at top table?

As many graduate employers head fast into Q2 2021 with a likely mountain of graduate applications, the pressure is unrelenting with the need to start planning for the 2021-2 recruitment campaign. In this article, we will explore 10 key things about Generation Z that employers might find useful when planning their student communications for the autumn.
106 Communications is a Student Marketing agency which helps brands to engage and inspire audiences. We regularly host industry wide events and our February Bootcamp featured a session on Gen z who now comprise 32% of the world’s population and the impact of Covid, and what we as graduate employers should be doing or thinking to support, engage and inspire the so-called Covid Generation.
<h3># 1 &#8211; Whether we want to keep referring to Gen Z-ers as the (Lost) Covid Generation or not one thing is clear and that is that the economic impact of the pandemic will be long reaching for many young people.</h3>
Those aged 25 and under are 2.5 times more likely to be without a job because of the pandemic than the 26-64 age group, according to the OECD.
Studies have also shown that graduating during a recession can have a scarring effect on wages.
Youth unemployment rate in the United Kingdom was 14.5 percent in the three months to October 2020, an increase of 2.7 percent when compared with the start of 2020. Over 28 percent of those aged between 16 and 17 were unemployed in this month, the highest unemployment rate for this age group since 2016.
So what can we as employers be thinking about?
#1 &#8211; How is UK plc supporting this potential lost generation with improved, new or reworked CSR initiatives? Because, as an employer brand you cannot afford not to be doing something – they’ll judge you.
# 2 &#8211; BEWARE though – that when we open back up there may be a huge spike in job applications from second jobbers mid 2021 with pent-up demand of talented people waiting to move (who&#8217;ve been holding onto their chips in jobs that they are either mismatched to or aren’t enjoying).
<h3># 2 – Coming Home: the importance of family</h3>
Record numbers of 18-29 year olds are now living at home. You have to take into account two huge factors: massive student loan debt and a lack of available work, especially in service fields, hospitality, and the travel sectors.
In the US, the share of 18- to 29-year-olds living at home is the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/04/a-majority-of-young-adults-in-the-u-s-live-with-their-parents-for-the-first-time-since-the-great-depression/">highest ever recorded</a>.
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-8662" src="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152028/image-3-300x281.png" alt="" width="386" height="362" srcset="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152028/image-3-300x281.png 300w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152028/image-3-768x719.png 768w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152028/image-3.png 782w" sizes="(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px" />
Although this graph only shows up to 2019, Covid has surely exacerbated the upwards trend in migration back to the bosom of the family highlighted by  a survey by Urban Jungle which showed that 55% of 18-34 year-olds said they would like to leave the capital after <a href="https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/topic/coronavirus">the pandemic</a>, and are already considering living elsewhere.
Hopefully they won&#8217;t get too comfy at home with mum and dad. Demand for graduates in London continues to look high for 2021 and graduate mobility is key to our market.
So what does this mean for us?
Employers need to support candidates around this issue – relocation packages, moving costs, interest-free loans for rent, subsidised and shared accommodation, etc. A big question for organisations will be how flexible are we prepared to be with the location of our roles to attract the right talent?
<h3>#3 – Heightened anxiety and impact on mental health  </h3>
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-8661" src="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152027/image-4-300x172.png" alt="" width="380" height="218" srcset="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152027/image-4-300x172.png 300w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152027/image-4-768x442.png 768w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210326152027/image-4.png 814w" sizes="(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px" />
Public health specialists have warned that the mental health impact of the pandemic will outlast the virus, as millions cope with depression, anxiety and isolation.
We’ve seen the press reporting this “epidemic of depression” among young people.
BUT the good news is that Gen Z are more likely than any other previous generation to admit to or talk about mental health struggles.
Beware those employer brands who don’t invest in supporting their Gen Z employees via apps such as Woebot or Mindlabs (the new “peloton for mental health”).
How will our messaging and our brand reassure our target audiences that the impact of Covid on their education will not disadvantage them in their job applications? What allowances will our organisations make for this cohort when in role? 
<h3>#4 – Political disenfranchisement </h3>
In a global FT survey carried out in October 2020, under 30s felt that the pandemic had been poorly handled —and this is echoed by the OECD who claim that the trust in government among young people has declined across the developed world since 2016.
Does this lack of trust also run into our academic institutions too? In recent research, where we spoke with black heritage students, we heard a concerning level of disengagement with their academic institutions due to perceived lack of understanding and at worst due to perceived apathy in dealing with allegations of discrimination. Engagement levels from under-represented groups with Careers Services is patchy at best, with Services struggling to create a reason to believe that they have something to offer students from minority backgrounds exacerbated by the lack of trust issue.
Employers have an opportunity to support with the rebuilding of this trust by supporting programmes such as Kingston University’s Elevate Programme.
<h3> #5 &#8211; And increased activism…</h3>
It is well reported that Covid has disproportionately affected marginalised groups and the realities of a widening inequality gap are apparent.
Where Covid has removed the option for young people to take to the streets to voice their concerns about these surfacing inequalities, staying at home (and off the streets) hasn’t translated to staying silent.
Recently, we’ve witnessed how young people are rallying around issues such as climate change, racial injustice and voting rights, using digital as their platform and driving civic engagement.
Now that the civic space is a digital space, if only temporarily, what can we expect of youth digital civic engagement in the months ahead? Young people who engage in digital participatory politics are much more likely to engage in ‘real’ ofﬂine political participation such as voting. As the pandemic stretches on, we should be ready to consider how to recognize, support and sustain civic activity by young people that has been stimulated by their online experiences.
Employers can think about how to be part of the conversation and help them understand your wider role in society.  Sharing your POV on issues they care about will become expected by this generation.
Identifying content that can be easily and happily shared by influencers aligned to active causes in the student body is a useful mechanism to share your POV indirectly and to build trust in your brand.
<h3># 6 – Boundary breakers </h3>
Concepts that dissolve conventional borders, such as gender neutrality and phygital play, are winning over today’s youth. They’re turning to gaming concepts that let them hop between virtual worlds and real life.
Traditional gender boundaries continue to dissolve. Is the future is androgynous, or at least less well defined? Graduate Programmes are full of boundaries &#8211; how might we rethink these?
How can you make everything you do more flexible and personalised?
<h3># 7– Generation Creation</h3>
Rather than an obstacle to imagination, young digital natives see their online prowess as empowering greater self-expression and problem solving.
TikTok embodies their tastes for unfiltered creation and communication, while world-building gaming is thriving. Look to the huge traction of TikTok campaigns, such as PepsiCo’s #DoritosFlaminHot challenge and US audio brand Beats by Dr Dre’s colour-themed #BeatsDaisyChallenge (7.1 billion views).  These are welcome reminders that Gen Z is also looking for lols and self-expression, and that brands can get involved here – but without looking like Dad dancing!!!
Brands should think about greater self-expression and problem-solving as part of their campaigns, and of course we need to be authentic &#8211; be clear about why you are in their space and what you are trying to achieve.
<h3>#8- Stewards of Sustainability</h3>
Covid hasn’t made sustainability go away – Nine in 10 of Gen Z believe companies must act to help with environmental and social issues.
We are seeing more cross-generational conversations with elder eco idols such as David Attenborough’s latest expedition into Instagram saw high-profile young people like US musician Billie Eilish posting questions about how to (re)connect with nature, especially during lockdown.
Sustainability is a key decision factor for Gen Z and  brands still need to prove they are an ethical, environmentally sound brand and employer.
<h3># 9 – Having a Plan B </h3>
 We have seen a huge increase in the number of young people doing online courses and building skills outside of their current sphere of education. We are dealing with a generation who have had a real polarised experience of education – some have enjoyed online distance learning whilst others have suffered due to lack of tech access. They are likely to be much more discerning about their graduate development.
Big corporate and public sector employers, watch out! The very best talent may see opportunity in more entrepreneurial brands where they feel they will get greater personalised development compared with a large corporate.
<h3># 10 – Hyper Diversity &#8211; Is 2021 the year for a more action-based approach to Diversity and Inclusion? </h3>
Gen Z see themselves as part of an increasingly diverse society – impacting on their perception of national identity.  An interesting challenge with 40% of Gen z see themselves as global citizens rather than citizens of their country.
Thinking about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter campaign, this is a MOMENT.  But for those old enough to remember 1991, we had another moment then with the brutal beating of Rodney King in California. How can we use this moment to truly drive changes to policy, culture and the lived experience?
We have seen some great initiatives coming into play.  Let&#8217;s hope 2021 continues to see even more action and even less talking about Diversity and Inclusion.
Unis are now shifting focus from getting in to getting on, from work placements to educational attainment and are crying out for employers to work more closely with them (BAME attainment gap report – UUK and NUS).
If you are interested in discussing any of the topics in this article or any topic related to student recruitment please do get in touch.  <a href="mailto:Jayne@106comms.com">Jayne@106comms.com</a>
Thanks for reading
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Our top 10 to engaging Gen Z in a time of Covid

NO GOING BACK? -The second half

Student Marketing Bootcamp, February 25th 2021 
What a year for early careers recruitment! 
James Darley, Director of <a href="https://transformsociety.org/">Transform Society</a>, shared that graduate vacancies would be unlikely to return to pre-COVID levels until 2023 at the earliest. The pandemic has changed the appeal of key sectors amongst graduates with Technology, R&amp;D and the Public Sector benefitting as a result.  
The pandemic has also changed the priorities for a first job amongst graduates; with more looking for stability and shying away from organisations adversely impacted.  
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="16" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">A third of students say they don’t want to work in a large city!  </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="16" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">A quarter of students now don’t feel that they want to work in a large office! </li>
</ul>
Useful tips for employers 
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Offer face to face contact (if possible) and help students build their “life” skills e.g. professional dress, interactions with others </li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Graduate rejection is a real issue &#8211; support students more in dealing with rejections </li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Build confidence in students so they know they can apply and be successful by using case studies gathered from alumni </li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Scope community links with employability focus (Transform Society Challenge helping)</li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Scope embedding activity within the curriculum </li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Co-design activity with students </li>
</ul>
 University Careers Services open up 
Our panel of University Careers Services gave us an excellent overview of the work that they have been doing over the last year to engage with and to support diverse student groups. Here are a few of the discussion points:  
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">There is an acknowledged barrier for many students in engaging with CAS stemming from a lack of perceived CAS understanding of the differences between student groups and lack of representation within the CAS of diversity </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Students with a sense of “imposter syndrome” even in engaging with careers services where they don’t think the service can offer anything for “people like me” </li>
</ul>
 Examples from the panel around what CAS is doing to support the spectrum of their students:   
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">An increase in curriculum careers related activities to provide micro experiences that lead to increased engagement with CAS </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Inclusive events, virtual internships, work experience bursaries and representative marketing and digital communications </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Positive role model case studies </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Avoiding single gender/ethnicity recruitment panels </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Employability programmes and mentoring for Black students in partnership with D&amp;I Ambassadors, WP and Alumni colleagues for e.g. Elevate Programme at University of Kingston </li>
</ul>
Useful tips for employers 
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Scope embedding activity within the curriculum in conjunction with CAS  </li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Researching and identifying well-run BAME specific employability programmes </li>
<li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Arial" data-listid="2" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Identifying and supporting BAME student advocates who are critical friends of CAS  </li>
</ul>
 If you are interested in talking about any of the issues or discussion points raised in our recent Bootcamp with anyone from the 106 Communications team, do get in touch with <a href="mailto:jayne@106comms.com">jayne@106comms.com</a> 
Click <a href="https://www.106comms.com/blog/no-going-back-2">here</a> to find out what happened in the second part of the day? 
Thanks for reading and do <a href="https://www.106comms.com/contact">sign up</a> to our newsletter here for regular market updates and insights on a bi-weekly basis.

NO GOING BACK? -The first half

Recognising and rewarding employee’s efforts are an absolutely essential part of creating a great workplace culture. Research shows that not only does an effective recognition and reward programme make your employees happier, but it also gets them more engaged in their work. Change communications expert <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendymoir/?originalSubdomain=uk">Wendy Moir</a> explains how recognition and reward communications is done.
<h3>How does recognition benefit the individual or teams?</h3>
We’re all a bit like five-year old children when it comes to being rewarded. We need some reassurance and praise when we do something exceptionally well or make improvements. This is the same no matter the age or seniority of people within an organisation. Recognition provides a psychological boost and both encourages and motivates us. In these current times of uncertainty recognition can boost wellbeing and can be incorporated into a range of activities to lift our mood.
<h3>How do effective recognition and reward communications benefit major change programmes?</h3>
Telling others about individuals and teams who have performed over and above the call of duty is powerful when used within transformation programme communications.  This is a brilliant opportunity to showcase what excellent delivery and behaviours look like; encouraging others taking part or about to take part in the transformation activity to follow suit. For example, those recognised for their role in a pilot provides an example to others about to get involved in the transformation.
Specialist roles can be recognised too, where individuals have performed over and above the call of duty. This can then help to ‘recruit’ others to take on a role as well, for example, change champions, local sponsors and delivery agents.  “Performing well on this transformation could earn me some recognition, build my visibility and help my career…”
<h3>How can consistent recognition of living out values, behaviours or good delivery benefit organisations?</h3>
There are often numerous opportunities to showcase brilliant examples of core values and behaviours exhibited by colleagues working on the change programme.  So communicators and HR leads working on the transformation can provide a plethora of nominations to build awareness of employees who are exhibiting the right behaviours.
<h3>How can professional communicators support great recognition and reward communications?</h3>
By working really closely not only with the central programme team but with regional teams as well. Using a range of communication channels different stories of both excellent individuals and teams can be showcased.  This includes events of all types where communicators can gather and articulate great examples to celebrate – and work closely with leaders across all regions to publicly accolade those who deserve it.  As well as helping with words and visual content, communicators can work closely in collaboration with local transformation and HR leads to decide on the most appropriate ways to recognise people.
<h3>What about the recognition tools themselves?</h3>
You should always utilise all the formal recognition tools that already exist within the company from e-cards to cash awards.  There may be additional opportunities to celebrate and recognise on a local or regional level as well.
<h3>What about implementing recognition globally?  What are the things to look out for?</h3>
Reward and recognition experts will tell us that there are subtle differences across different regions in terms of what works in-country so it’s best to always check with regional transformation and HR contacts.  However, there will always be things that work across all regions such as e-cards.
<h3>How can you get senior leaders to walk the talk on effective recognition?</h3>
Communicators can support leaders walking the talk with background information on teams and individuals to recognise verbally through a multitude of opportunities – from classic walking the floor activities to all hands calls and events.  This is so powerful in so many ways. People see the leader not only building awareness, removing barriers and providing general support, but see them building a desire to play their part and do all they can to ensure transformation success.
<h3>What are some of the practical challenges associated with recognition?</h3>
As always it’s important to make sure that no worthy individuals are missed out of the recognition programme. Communicators can help to spot candidates when undertaking routine contact activities with colleagues across the regions.
Many thanks for your advice Wendy.

The power of recognition and reward

A failing change programme can be likened to organ rejection following a transplant operation.
Over the years numerous reviews, articles and case studies from the likes of McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group have suggested that as many as<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypercy/2019/03/13/why-do-change-programs-fail/"> 7</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypercy/2019/03/13/why-do-change-programs-fail/">0-80% of change programmes fail</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypercy/2019/03/13/why-do-change-programs-fail/">.</a>
Strategic or large-scale change has a significant impact on a company’s ability to operate. The change could increase risk to the business such as cyber-attack, new legislation or a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Or it could present a commercial opportunity such as a new product, a merger or acquisition, new leadership or culture.
According to research by Strativity (2019), the main reasons for transformation failure are poor communication (62%), insufficient leadership and support (54%) and a lack of understanding of the purpose of the change (50%).
The rate of failure is a concern, resulting in wasted time and resources. But it&#8217;s clear that the reasons for failure can be addressed with improved communications and engagement.
Change communications experts <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracedennison/">Grace Dennison, Change and Communications Lead at Co-Op</a>; and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/darsheta-maini-5b94634a/">Darsheta Maini, Project and Transformation Communication and Engagement Lead at Severn Trent Water</a>, <a href="https://www.106comms.com/events/turning-round-a-failing-change-programme">recently shared their advice with 106 Communications on turning round a failing change programme</a>.
&nbsp;
<h4>Mindful leadership</h4>
Make sure your leaders have the skills and knowledge they need to lead your change. Clearly contract their role in leading and embedding the change from the outset to ensure they understand their accountabilities.
<h4>Vision</h4>
Ensure both your long-term and short-term change vision is clearly understood by all stakeholders. When change gets hard, you’ll need your senior leaders to reaffirm the vision with your teams over and over again. Teams often struggle to envisage what the future will look like in their roles, so creating a Day in the Life narrative, in the form of a video, article or talking points for leaders, is a really useful tool to bring this to life.
<h4>Listen</h4>
There may be impacts or results of these changes that you didn’t predict or aren’t aware of, so make sure you are listening across all areas and levels of the business. Regular pulse surveys or focus groups taken at regularly spaced intervals in the programme plan will ensure you understand the stakeholder mood and can respond accordingly.
<h4>Regular temperature checks</h4>
Business change readiness assessment surveys are a great way to assess how successful your interventions are, they also provide insight into where your colleagues are on their change journey. Proactively share, analyse and discuss the results, as well as how you’re responding to them.
<h4>Strong support</h4>
Build a community of colleagues who are positively engaged in and own the change through leader and colleague change networks or super user communities.
<h4>A steady pulse</h4>
Keep a steady pulse of communications between your team and the business, and make sure you’re keeping up to date with how the business is evolving. Don&#8217;t forget to communicate the challenges you’re facing as well as what’s in progress and the timelines for resolution.
<h4>Find the positives</h4>
Share your good news stories by getting colleagues to talk first-hand about their experiences, what is working well as well as what isn&#8217;t.
<h4>No kneejerk reactions!</h4>
When there is a perceived issue (or lots of issues), it’s easy to rush in with a solution. Remember to take stock, (a root cause analysis is a great way to diagnose difficulties &#8211; there are some free templates <a href="https://www.perkbox.com/uk/resources/blog/7-free-root-cause-analysis-templates-and-how-to-use-them">here</a>), and get views from multiple cross-functional teams so that you are prioritising issue resolution and areas for focus.
<h4>Plan the aftercare</h4>
<ul>
<li>Be proactive &#8211; Ensure your communications and engagement plan includes hypercare or post go live support.</li>
<li>Communications rhythm &#8211; Hypercare needs a steady drumbeat of communications to highlight top issues, key performance metrics and any workarounds.</li>
<li>Issue resolution &#8211; Don’t forget to close the loop when issues have been resolved.</li>
<li>Guest speakers &#8211; Invite SMEs and process owners to hypercare sessions to support Q&amp;As.</li>
<li>Lessons learned &#8211; Capture the good, the bad and the ugly as part of closing off the project.</li>
<li>Check one last time &#8211; A final landing and embedding survey will give stakeholders the confidence on how the change has been adopted.</li>
<li>Hand over to business as usual &#8211; Remember to stand down your change champions and let your stakeholders know the programme has delivered.</li>
</ul>
Huge thanks to Grace and Darsheta for taking the time to share their expertise with us.

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