By Elvire Gosnold, Director, Blabbermouth Marketing: I was thinking about the nature of Mushroom Management (keeping your staff in the dark and occasionally piling a lot of 'stuff' on them) and that the root cause is not that anyone intends to behave is this manner, it is the fast-paced nature of this industry that influences activity and decisions to be made quickly, often without many staff knowing.
However, because teams have not seen the scenario develop or been involved in the steps that shaped the final decision, staff can feel that they are intentionally kept in the dark and have little control in their work roles. Communication is key to keep staff engaged while supporting corporate decisions and plans. Internal staff communication is something not regularly visited in marketing activity as it is not considered exciting or offers a direct ROI. However, keeping staff on-side and continuing to be a positive and upbeat ambassador of your brand is well worth the investment.
There are many ways to nurture staff engagement on a more personal level and I find using several methods together is the most effective. Newsletters are the obvious choice, and by distributing them online there are no longer the print and postage costs to worry about. Newsletters do not just have to be for internal staff - clients and prospects like to hear what is going on and it further reinforces relationships with your wider team.
People love to know about other people and a newsletter plays to our natural tendencies to be nosy. Helping different departments understand what their colleagues actually do all day encourages true collaboration. The more photos the better, and infographics are also a nice touch.