In case you missed it, we hosted a webinar! We’re still reeling from the excitement of it all, and more than that, we want to share the wisdom. Over the next few weeks, we’ll release blogs for our 10 tips from Improving Employee Engagement through Investor Relations. Whether you’re an IRO, communications specialist or something in between, these tips are for you:
Tip 1 – Create and own your story from the start
Take an ownership role in the team defining and communicating the right story for your company. You own a really important audience, so it’s critical for you to help build the story the street wants to hear.
Your story is a robust overview of what makes your company great. As an IRO, you can be one of the primary owners of your company’s story. You can create a story that resonates with all stakeholders – shareholders, employees, customers and the communities you serve.
Companies are not binary. Your story will reflect your business – a complex, intricate system that is multiple things all at once.
Tip 2 – Your investors AND employees want to know about your company’s purpose, as well as your ESG initiatives, which include diversity, equity and inclusion
When you’re defining your company’s story, you need to share its purpose.
Once your audience is clear on your why, then you can give specifics on how your initiatives are fulfilling that purpose.
This story becomes a kind of north star for your employees, helping guide them — along with your company’s vision, mission and values. Including your purpose and values in investor relations and corporate storytelling can draw in top talent and help retain them.
Your corporate purpose must include a plan to live it. These plans need to be real and relevant to employees and investors. As one of the owners of your corporate story, it’s important that you know that plan and communicate it thoroughly.
So, now that we’ve covered the importance of purpose in the corporate story you create, let’s move on to two additional critical pieces: ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion.
At the NIRI conference, Deborah Pawlowski, Chairman and CEO of Kei Advisors, said that, at its core, ESG is risk management. To us, that means that companies committed to ESG are ahead of the curve when it comes to government regulation, prevention of workplace-related litigation and finding economical ways to reduce their environmental impact.
We’ll leave you with a final point on this. If you’re not speaking up about your company’s purpose, as well as its point of view regarding ESG and DE&I, that silence speaks volumes to investors and employees.
Tip 3 — Employee engagement must be everyone’s priority
Now, let’s talk about employee engagement as a factor. Not only do employee engagement metrics matter on their own, but they also nod to other success metrics and KPIs within an organization.
Because employee engagement metrics are often lead indicators for a company, investors are more interested in these metrics than ever.
A solid story, plus a compelling purpose, plus strategic plans that back them up – that equals long-term, sustainable value creation for investors and strong employee engagement.
As you let these first three tips sink in, remember you are not alone in the communications process. From planning to post-implementation, we’re on your team. If you have questions about these tips or how to get started on your own investor or internal communications journey, check out our strategy session here.
Be on the lookout for our next tips next week. Until then, enjoy some french fries.
Comments