Tribe Topics April 2017 TRB-147 Apr. Topics_v2 | Page 2

Bees go far afield from flower to flower and then back to the hive. Imagine having employee
communicators doing much the same thing — cross-pollinating between their co-workers and the
communications department or company management. A team of employee communicators spread
throughout your organization can be one of the most effective channels available.
You can call them connectors, ambassadors, influencers, content managers or something else
entirely. There are plenty of ways to frame the program, and a range of potential functions. These
teams can be used as channels to help build culture, to connect silos, to facilitate employee
publications, to recognize employees, and to provide two-way communication between C-level and
the front lines.
This grassroots team of employee communicators should represent different types of employees
across the company. You’ll want to cover your diversity bases across geography, divisions,
departments and functions. If you have both legacy employees and those who joined through
acquisition, you’ll want to include employees from both. If you have employees working in a range of
brands, you probably need employees representing each of those brands.
For junior to mid-level employees, this can be a great opportunity for professional development.
It gives them a sight line into the business and helps them develop connections in other areas of the
company, as well as skills in leadership, communications and sometimes public speaking.
A READY-MADE CHANNEL
FOR TIMES OF CHANGE
OR CRISIS
One of the best reasons to build a two-
way communications channel with
an employee team is to have them
embedded in the organization long
before any major change or potential
crisis. When company management
needs to communicate a clear and
consistent message, and when employee
concerns need to be shared back up
the ladder, this team of employee
communicators can be invaluable. They
can significantly reduce employee stress
by being resources for consistent and
up-to-date information.