BIZ COMPASS

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With more employees working remotely,

WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE HELPED IMPROVE YOUR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION?

1PETE FEAMAN Vice president, Integrated Payroll Services “We are constantly evaluating how to better leverage technology to communicate both internally and with our clients. In the blink of an eye, our office ‘watercooler talks’ shifted to group messaging. We replaced in-person meetings with online conferences. And our team rediscovered the benefits of a good old-fashioned phone call.”

2DAVID BINDER Vice president, MLG Capital “We’ve doubled down on employee communications. Despite a bad hair day or the kids acting unruly, we try to meet face-to-face via (Microsoft) Teams. Moving internal documents to the cloud made access easier, and a monthly highlights newsletter and quarterly town hall meetings supplement weekly check-ins between employees and supervisors.”

3ALAN CLARK Executive vice president, Wisconsin region, First American

Bank “We implemented Microsoft Teams bank-wide. All employees have access to it and departments created Teams sites for their employees so that everyone can collaborate efficiently. Most departments have also scheduled short, regular meetings with their staff to keep everyone updated and engaged. We also have an internal site to share news and announcements, and it’s updated multiple times daily.”

4JAMES MADLOM Chief executive officer, Mueller Communications “Leadership needs to communicate clear expectations about what is required and when. For us, we have standard reporting to help us gauge workloads and productivity, and we conduct weekly all-staff meetings to manage deadlines and expectations for client work. Blocking off calendars so your teammates know when you are and aren’t available, and being open and honest about bandwidth, is often all the leadership team needs to appropriately manage an employee’s tasks and deadlines.”

5RODNEY JONES-TYSON Chief risk officer, Baird “One of the many ways we’ve enhanced communication for Baird associates working remotely is more videos from leaders. Seeing someone’s face and hearing the sincerity and concern in a leader’s voice makes a stronger connection and can also help illustrate important topics, like wearing face coverings.” n