Better communication measurement drives better performance

Engaging a company’s employees -- earning their trust, enabling their best work and inspiring their loyalty -- is now a business imperative. This is the major conclusion derived from the 2013 ROI Communication Benchmark quantitative survey among senior leaders responsible for employee communication at 697 companies on the Fortune 500 and Global 500 lists. The study, which was shared in a paper in this year’s IABC world conference in New York, explored performance in three areas: communication infrastructure, open communication culture, and leader and manager communication. As Barbara Fagan-Smith, CEO of ROIC, said, “While all three areas affect trust and engagement, it was determined that the strongest linkage is between open communication cultures and the highest level of trust.”

An open communication culture is defined as a working environment in which employees feel safe and confident about being open and honest, are encouraged to contribute ideas at every level in the organization, and receive the information they need to excel at their jobs. “Nearly one in three companies surveyed reported lacking an environment of open communication, and nearly one in four lacked an environment of trust. Significantly, only 36 percent of companies agreed that employees feel they can share their opinions honestly. This is a problem because open communication and trust and engagement are integrally related, and a fear of speaking freely undermines both. Ultimately, this damages business performance,” the report revealed.

Room to improve

On the aspect of leader and manager communication, only 33 percent of companies reported that their managers regularly ask employees for their ideas and opinions, and approximately 44 percent did not feel their company has multiple channels for employees to provide feedback to managers and leaders. It’s in this area that the survey exposed significant opportunities for improvement. While managers have a critical role to play in day-to-day employee communication and engagement, many managers lack awareness of that critical responsibility and receive little training for it. Twenty-six percent of companies said that either managers understand their communication roles and responsibilities; 27 percent claimed that their communication teams are actively involved in communication training for managers; and 18 percent stated that their managers’ communication effectiveness is a meaningful part of the performance management process.

Similarly, a full third of companies reported that when it comes to consistency between talk and action, their leaders fail to “walk the talk.” Since companies rely on managers as key communicators, and employees prefer and rely on managers for information and feedback, these results suggested that companies should: clarify managers’ communication roles and responsibilities, provide them with communication training, and establish metrics and measure their impact as communicators.

Communication is critical, but few companies measure it

Better measurement drives better performance. According to the study, few companies regularly measure the communication factors that ROI Communication identified as predictors of higher earnings per share, including trust and engagement or the degree to which they achieve an open communication culture. The survey revealed that only 34 percent of companies have a robust employee communication measurement program, and only 21 percent have benchmarked the performance of their employee communication function against other companies. To reap the financial benefits of deeper employee trust and engagement, companies should measure that engagement overtime to identify the source of credibility gaps, and ways to facilitate an open communication culture. 



A Filipino on the IABC International executive board

The IABC has announced the names of the incoming 2013-2014 international executive board (IEB), and one of them is Ritzi Ronquillo of IABC Philippines. Ritzi spent the majority of her career as editor and head of publications, communication, advertising, special events and general public programs at the Manila Electric Company, Meralco. She now shares her exceptional knowledge as a communication consultant and speaker, training consultant at Mapua Institute of Technology Center, senior professional lecturer at De La Salle University, consultant adjunct faculty and communication consultant at Enderun Colleges. The international executive board develops the strategic plan and direction for the association under the guidance of bylaws agreed upon by IABC membership. They meet regularly throughout the year to address new initiatives, determine and set policy, and review and approve financial and spending decisions.

Elpi Cuna is IABC fellow

IABC has announced four new fellows for 2013 and one of them is Elpi Cuna Jr., a pillar of the Philippine communication community. Elpi is a public relations veteran with more than 50 years of experience. Extremely active in the PR community, Elpi has lent his incredible expertise to various communication organizations and has earned the respect of his colleagues largely due to his willingness to share his expertise, contacts and time. He was instrumental in the revival of the IABC Philippines chapter in 1995. Elpi served as president until 1998 and currently serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees. A trailblazer, he served as the first Filipino to hold the post of Asia-Pacific regional director of IABC from 1998 to 2000.

The highest honor that the association bestows on a member, the IABC Fellows designation is awarded to communication professionals for exceptional leadership. It was awarded during the opening general session of IABC’s 2013 World Conference held in New York City from June 23-26. “In my 25 years as a communicator, this is perhaps one of the best honors I have received,” Elpi said. “What makes this recognition special and humbling is that it comes from peers I admire and respect. Throughout my career, I have made many friends in the IABC — a good number I consider to be lifelong friends.”

Philippine communications campaigns win international Gold Quill award

The Philippine delegates to the IABC World Conference brought home a total of seven Quill awards. The excellence award was given to BPI’s “Talk to us Campaign & Brand Initiative,” and Sun Life Financial’s “Sun Shorts: When Insurance Goes Viral,” while the merit award was handed to BPI’s “BPI’s on Facebook,” Chevron’s “Caltex’s Fight TB so That Public Transport Drivers Become Healthy,” Globe Telecom’s “GCash American Express Virtual Pay,” Smart Communication’s “Project Visa,” and Sun Life Financial’s “Knight of the Sun.” The Gold Quill Awards are the mark of global distinction and represent the highest level of professional acknowledgment that brings out best examples of thought leadership, strategic management, creativity, resourcefulness and successful solutions the world over.

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