Employee Experience Roundup: build employee engagement for new marketing initiatives

Welcome to our weekly hand-curated roundup of articles and resources, guidance and inspiration for those who have a role and responsibility in shaping the employee experience. We include a variety of sources and topics ranging from Employer Branding, Content, Employee Communications & Campaigns, Recruitment Marketing, and workplace culture.

In addition to our weekly EX Roundup we would love to see you at our Vignette Office warming party this week on Thursday, November 15 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. See details below. Hope to see you! RSVP here.

In this week’s EX Roundup, learn how organizations can open the door to employee engagement, eight ways to build employee engagement for launching new marketing initiatives, and read about how to have better meetings, plus more.

New Marketing Initiatives: Eight Ways To Build Employee Engagement — Forbes
“Company growth and development often hinge on rolling out new initiatives. No matter what the business is launching, generating employee excitement and new marketing buy-in is vital: Without good information and engagement, people are not going to be able to play their parts perfectly. This can lead to product delays, customer confusion and campaign damage.

Yet, not all internal employee and peer outreach approaches for new initiatives are equally effective. So which methods of sparking employee and peer excitement are the best ways to garner both results and genuine enthusiasm? Below, eight members of Forbes Communications Council break down their most effective ways of generating new marketing buy-in.”

3 Tips to Help You Prototype a Service —IDEO, By Melanie Bell-Mayeda, Visuals by May Kodama
“In my years at IDEO—and at companies like LeapFrog and Virgin Entertainment Group—I’ve seen service prototypes come in many shapes and sizes, but I’ve found the most successful ones are based on real customer needs and co-created with the people responsible for delivering the service. Whether you’re building storyboards and sketches, simulated interactions, or mocked-up physical spaces, these three tips should give you a little inspiration to help you create your own.”

How Organizations Can Open The Door To Employee Engagement — Forbes, By Lucy Rivas-Enriquez
“Employee engagement is a strategic imperative for organizations that want to be successful in attracting and retaining talent. As I heard Dr. Lisa Nishii, Associate Professor and Chair of Industrial and Labor Relations International Programs at Cornell University, describe it in a class once, employee engagement is how work does or does not get done in an organization. Engaged employees are connected to the organization and its goals, and invested in outcomes. Disengaged employees are trying to do just enough not to get fired (at best) or may be sabotaging the organization (at worst).”

Is Technology a Friend or Foe to Your Well-Being? — Deloitte WorkWell Podcast
“Technology can make life more convenient, connected, and efficient. But with all that it gives us, could it also be taking something away? How can we use technology to enhance our well-being and not diminish it? On this episode, Deloitte Well-being leader Jen Fisher and colleague Carolyn O’Boyle, national managing director of Talent Strategy and Innovation discuss strategies to maintain a healthy relationship with your technology with Amy Blankson, a leading specialist on mindful living in the digital era.”

If You Can’t Have Fewer Meetings, Have Better Ones — IDEO By Jayme Brown, Visuals by Jane Ha
“Meetings. Maybe you’re in one right now. (Are you paying attention?) Maybe you have one in ten minutes. (Are you prepared?) We know them well—and we know they’re not usually the highlight of your day. In fact, they can be quite the opposite.

At IDEO, we like to breathe new life into the mundane with design. In an effort to shape a new paradigm of meeting-dom, here are some of our best resources on making your next conference-room gathering stand out—in a good way.”

Employee Check-Ins: 6 Essential Components for Success — HR Bartender
“Over the past few months, we’ve talked about the importance of “checking in” with new hires to make sure their employee experience is going well. This activity can take place in-person or online. The goal with a new hire check-in is to make sure that employees are in a position to focus on their work, which ultimately fosters employee engagement and retention. But I’ve spoken with many people who tell me that the challenge isn’t about convincing anyone that check-ins are valuable. Organizations know that. The challenge is in designing a check-in process that the organization will embrace.”