The Definitive Guide to HR Communication: Engaging Employees in Benefits, Pay, and Performance

Alison Davis and Jane Shannon

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Printed in the United States of America

First Printing February 2011

ISBN-10: 0-13-706143-9

ISBN-13: 978-0-13-706143-3

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Davis, Alison, 1957-
 The definitive guide to HR communication : engaging employees in benefits, pay, and per-
formance / Alison Davis, Jane Shannon.
   p. cm.
 ISBN 978-0-13-706143-3 (hbk. : alk. paper)
1. Communication in personnel management. 2. Personnel management. I. Shannon, Jane,
1943- II. Title.
 HF5549.5.C6D36 2011
 658.3001'4—dc22
                               2010041782

Dedication

To my wonderful family, especially my husband and kids (and their significant others). You make me laugh and make all the hard work worthwhile.

—Alison Davis

To my son Lindsay, my daughter-in-law Joanne, and my grandsons Nolan and Dempsey Shannon. I love you guys!

—Jane Shannon

Praise for The Definitive Guide to HR Communication

“Davis and Shannon make a compelling case for the value of simple, straightforward, and effective HR communication—and provide valuable insight on how to make it happen in even the most complex organizations.”

—Kevin Kelly, 30+ years internal communications veteran

“The Definitive Guide to HR Communication is a terrific resource for HR professionals. The examples and illustrations reflect actual issues and challenges we face and are a good reminder of how easily we can disconnect with our audience. The tips, tools, and guidelines are clear and effective in demonstrating alternative approaches to generating employee interest and understanding. I enjoyed reading it, found it very helpful, and have already begun using some of the suggested methods.”

—Diane F. Green, Director of Staffing and Development, Hollingsworth & Vose Company

“Don’t be misled by the title of this book. It doesn’t matter if you work in HR communications or not, you can learn from this well-written guide. In fact, even if you’re not particularly interested in communications, you’ll benefit from it...the book is that good.

“Here’s why: The authors use a combination of stories, solid writing, checklists, and examples to lead even the greenest communicator through the steps of communicating to an audience. Even if you’ve been in the communications business as long as I have (more than 30 years!), you can still learn—or relearn—a thing or two. The book is organized so you can find what you need and use what you find.

“The authors freely borrow from the best, including communications guru Don Ranly. And, one of their great ideas is to ’Go Hollywood.’ This is a technique to distill your message into a bite-sized chunk for today’s busy workers. I tried it. It works. And, with a name like ’Go Hollywood,’ the technique also is memorable.

“That’s just one of the easy-to-implement techniques in this book. There are many. I was just a few pages in when I found something solid I could use at work...right now. I continued to read, marked up the pages, turned down the corners, and went back to the book again and again.

“Invest in this book. Your boss will wonder how you got so smart overnight!”

—Becky Healy, Agency Communications Manager, State Farm Insurance, and 2010-2011 President, Council of Communication Management

“This book truly is a definitive guide to increasing employee engagement by helping people understand and appreciate their pay and benefits. Davis and Shannon’s book should be invaluable to a range of business professionals: 1) From students who are learning the basics of employee engagement and talent management, to 2) HR and communication professionals who design and explain pay and benefits to employees, to 3) Managers and executives who sign off on people management strategies.

“The book is built on the premise that great benefits must be understood and appreciated if they are to be of real value. Davis and Shannon’s book is all about helping organizations of every size get the most ’bang’ for the expensive bucks they shell out on total rewards. The book starts with an analysis of how employees read and listen (or don’t) and progresses through an analysis of what it takes to communicate effectively, including developing strategies, messaging, and media.

“Davis and Shannon follow their own advice. Their prose is straightforward and makes it easy for the reader to pay attention. Their examples are meaningful and come from real companies that have struggled with HR communication; the authors explain how some have failed and others have succeeded brilliantly. Their advice is thoughtful and reflects years of practical experience designing and producing award-winning HR communications. There are no two communicators who know more about this subject than Davis and Shannon—who better to write the definitive guide?”

—Kate Nelson, Faculty, Fox School of Business, Temple University

“Alison and Jane have put together a must-have resource for any Human Resources leader or professional who is involved with preparing company-wide communication events, or for those who coach those who put on these kinds of events. Written in a clear, easy-to-read format, you will find practical steps, real life examples, and realistic suggestions that, if followed, will dramatically improve the success of your communication events. Take the time to digest this book, follow the advice, and you will see measurable improvement in an area that has been difficult to get right for many organizations. Well done, Alison and Jane.”

—William G. Bliss, President, Bliss & Associates Inc., and author, Advisory Services to Cultivate Exceptional Leadership

Acknowledgments

Inspiration about great communication is everywhere, and I’ve learned so much just by paying attention to the smart, talented people I work with, especially the terrific team at Davis & Company and our wonderful clients. As Yogi Berra once said, “You can see a lot just by looking,” especially when you’re surrounded by people doing great things.

Although I can’t mention all these folks by name (that would fill the whole book), I would like to acknowledge my coauthor, Jane Shannon. She’s one of the best writers on the planet and is a constant source of inspiration and delight.

—Alison Davis

First, thank you to my parents, Evelyn Lyon Risdon and James W. Risdon, who, among many achievements, both graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and thus paved a trail that I followed.

Dr. Paul Fisher taught us the rules of typography and magazine design and then ended the semester by showing us how to break those rules effectively. Specifically, he demonstrated how collaboration between writer and graphic designer could lead to something greater than either could achieve alone.

Dr. Don Ranly, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, will always be my favorite professor whose class I didn’t attend (because I graduated before he began teaching). At least I was able to introduce him to my students when I taught at Mizzou as a visiting professor.

Thank you to all the wonderful colleagues, friends, and clients I’ve had the privilege to work with. Special thanks to Bettina Rounds, Alan Beechey, Kate Nelson, Ellen Blitz, Bob Warkulwiz, Peter Moore, David Eccles, Lief Skoogfors, Jim Jarrett, Peter Ross, and Craig Bernhardt.

Special thanks also go to Alison Davis as a friend, consultant, boss, colleague, and collaborator, and someone who always makes my work better. She’s also the instigator of the great idea of creating this book.

Finally, thank you to two professional associations that helped me build my career, recognized the quality of my work, and also gave me the opportunity to give back to my profession: the International Association of Business Communicators and the Council of Communication Management.

—Jane Shannon

About the Authors

Alison Davis

For the past 25 years, Alison Davis has been CEO of Davis & Company (www.davisandco.com). This firm has helped such companies as BNY Mellon, Georgia-Pacific, IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, and Merck reach, engage, and motivate their employees.

Davis is coauthor of Your Attention, Please (Adams Business, 2006) and a weekly web log, “Insights,” at www.davisandco.com/blog. She frequently writes articles for leading business, communication, and HR publications and is a former online columnist for The New York Times.

Davis is a sought-after speaker on a variety of communication topics and issues. She speaks at 10 to 15 conferences a year for such organizations as the Society of Human Resources Management, the International Association of Business Communicators, The Conference Board, and The Arthur Page Society.

A former president of the Council of Communication Management, she is a member of that organization as well as the International Association of Business Communicators and the Public Relations Society of America.

Davis has a bachelor’s degree in English from Rutgers University.

Jane Shannon

For much of her career, Jane Shannon served as vice president of human resources communication at Citibank, New York, NY. She then worked as a senior communication consultant at Davis & Company and as a principal in the communication practice of William M. Mercer, Inc. She is currently an independent consultant (www.janeshannon.com). Her clients have included companies as diverse as Texaco, Barnes & Noble, Bank of America, Toys “R” Us, and United Distillers & Vintners.

Shannon is author of 73 Ways to Improve Your Employee Communication Program (Davis & Company, 2002), which consistently ranks at the top of Amazon’s search term “employee communication.” She has spoken at many communication conferences hosted by the Council of Communication Management and the International Association of Business Communicators.

Shannon is a member and former board member of CCM and is a former member of the IABC, where she earned local, regional, and international awards. Her work has been recognized with awards from the American Institute for Graphic Arts, the New York Art Directors, and the Philadelphia Art Directors. Her work also has been featured in Graphis and Communication Arts.

Shannon earned a bachelor of journalism, majoring in advertising, at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she recently returned to teach as part of the School of Journalism Visiting Professor Program.