It’s true that we live in an electronic world. But don’t give up on paper-based communication just yet.
If your company is like most, then your employees are suffering from email overload. And, everyone’s attachment to electronic devices of one kind or another is becoming increasingly necessary. Even line-workers, drivers and maintenance staff who are generally considered non-wired employees are becoming better connected to the organization thanks to mobile devices.
Overall, this is good news for business-to-employee (B2E) communicators. It makes it easier to get information and news into the hands of all employees quickly and consistently.
But can we really say it gets into their hands?
Email messages, broadcasts through messaging systems, and intranet content are all virtual. There’s nothing to touch. Virtual is becoming the norm at work and at home. I’m not qualified to say if that’s good or bad.
I am qualified to say that presents an interesting opportunity for employee communication. Because of consistent and high use of electronic channels, the value of paper-based communication has gone up. It’s like the difference between receiving an email from your friend and receiving a letter in the mail from the same friend. The tangibility of paper has an effect. And, most often, it’s a positive effect.
There are numerous studies that show how our sense of touch is deeply and strongly connected to our ability to perceive and understand the world around us. We pay attention to what is in our hands (in our case, paper) because that’s how we’re wired.
So, how does this fit into employee communication?
When you have something very important to convey to employees, especially something that will have an emotional effect on them, consider using paper as one of your distribution channels.
For example, let’s say you have big news about a merger to share. If there is key information you want employees to focus on, put it on paper. Then put it in their hands. Either by distributing it at the end of a meeting or delivering it directly to their desk. Or maybe the company achieved great results and you want to say thank you. Write a note. On paper.
I’m not suggesting that you rely heavily on paper. That would be ineffective and inefficient. And, posting key information or saying thank through electronic channels is also necessary because it enables people to easily refer back or access the content remotely.
Plus, over-using this channel has a swift, negative effect. Paper is seen as costly in terms of dollars and trees. If you use paper for employee communication inappropriately or too often, there will be backlash from all directions.
And, as always, you need to ensure that your content matches the medium and that it’s concise, visually appealing, relevant and human in tone, language and structure.
Despite all these caveats, I am suggesting that there be more consideration given to paper as one of the channels for employee communication from time to time. Used sparingly and thoughtfully, paper-based communication can help you cut through noise and capture people’s attention.
Founder & Lead Advisor
Lift Internal
