Communicating holiday cheer on the front lines
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Supporting and engaging employees remains top of mind for many comms leaders — especially as the holiday season puts extra strain on the already burned-out front-line workforce.
State of play: According to the 2022 Deskless Report, most front-line employees (67%) receive companywide information through spontaneous in-person conversations with managers or through personal channels like text or email.
- This informal cascade method doesn't allow for feedback, allows for messages to get lost and also doesn’t provide tracking of clear data on who the information has reached and whether they understand it.
By the numbers: Because the information is only flowing one way, 61% of front-line workers feel ignored or unheard by the organization's leadership.
- When employees feel unheard or disconnected from the company, they are more likely to quit.
- 49% of front-line managers report feeling burned out on a daily basis, and roughly half of front-line workers want to quit their jobs.
What they’re saying: Internal communicators recognize this challenge, and it's particularly top of mind during the holiday season.
- "On top of the holiday rush, it’s open enrollment and also peak cold and flu season — so this really touches every member of our front-line team," Matthew Perra, CVS Health vice president of internal communications, told Axios.
- "We launched a companywide gratitude campaign that leverages all of our internal communications channels — from C-suite outreach to recognition from local leaders to social media promotions and in-store activations — to show our front-line colleagues that the entire CVS Health team appreciates their commitment," says Perra.
The bottom line: Showing appreciation through intentional communication campaigns — and creating a strong feedback loop — is essential to keeping front-line employees engaged.
