How do you communicate with offline workers ? It ’ s a lot easier to reach employees when they ’ re sitting at their desks all day . In industries like manufacturing , retail , hospitality and healthcare , we need alternative channels that don ’ t require a company email address or a dedicated computer .
Technology can help , particularly mobile technology . But many companies are reluctant to use employees ’ mobile phones as a channel , for reasons ranging from employee privacy to overtime issues with non-exempt employees .
There ’ s no one answer to the best way to reach non-desk workers . What works in the automotive industry might not work for the airline business . A channel that works well for the manufacturing employees of your company may not be effective for those in the distribution center .
At Tribe , we like to start by learning as much as possible about the physical realities of the work environment . Are employees standing , sitting , walking or driving ? Where do they enter the facility when they arrive at work ? Where do they park ? Where do they take breaks ? Do they use elevators ? Do they use company vehicles ? Are they working in teams or on their own ? Are they interacting with customers ? Is the environment noisy ?
Sometimes the physical realities of the job can lead us to a new touchpoint that ’ s unique to that specific work environment . As an example , we once worked with a healthcare client on reaching their non-desk audience . We learned that on their largest campus , the physicians parked in the deck attached to the hospital . The nurses , orderlies and other non-desk workers we were trying to reach parked a few miles away and took a shuttle from the parking lot to the hospital . Just learning that gave us two new touchpoints : signage in the bus shelter and on the shuttle bus .
A PRINTED MAGAZINE IS A CULTURAL WORKHORSE
Our hands-down best recommendation for communicating culture to non-desk employees is a printed magazine — ideally mailed to each employee ’ s home . In a magazine , you can make celebrities of employees doing the real work of the company , in the manufacturing plants , on the retail floor , making rounds in the hospital or working out in the field .
You can share concrete examples of both leadership and employees using the values in their day-to-day work . And you can demonstrate how employees ’ individual jobs contribute to the success of the company vision .