Written by Deborah Le, Principal Consultant – Interim Internal and Change Communications
Following my post last month, I’m pleased to share part 2 of my Building Communications blog. As consultants from VMA GROUP’s Internal Communications Practice, Kristy Carmichael and I met several communications specialists from the construction, property, and outsourcing sectors to discuss and share best practices for this area.
Attendees of the Discussion
The breakfast was attended by several key figures in the industry:
- Chris Mostyn – Head of Marketing and Communications at Murphy
- Jade Eva – Head of Internal Communications, Business Units at Mitie
- Richard Howat – Head of Employee Communications at Balfour Beatty
- Tim Collins – Head of Corporate Communications at Barratt Developments
Best Practices for Health and Safety Communications
Our attendees unanimously agreed that safety needs to be aligned to values and embedded into the culture of an organization, rather than being ad-hoc. To achieve this:
- Senior leadership and management teams must be bought in.
- Messages should be reinforced constantly, either in daily briefs or through “safety moments.”
- Employees should be encouraged to be observant in the workplace and report breaches of safety standards.
- Platforms and channels should be available to facilitate reporting.
Some organizations also find that a data-led approach to health and safety campaigns works well. For example, if reporting spikes occur during summer holidays or after the New Year, campaigns are tailored to those periods.
Efficient Communication with a Disparate Workforce
Lack of funding and resources remains the biggest challenge. Without these, creating channels that effectively reach a dispersed workforce is extremely difficult.
Many businesses rely on face-to-face communication, which is effective if done correctly. However, issues arise when cascading communications is left solely to senior leaders who may not be the best advocates for the communications function. This can affect the quality and consistency of messages. Training for leaders on how to communicate effectively should be considered to ensure success.
