Looking to foster a culture of dialogue in your organization? Look no further than GlaxoSmithKline. In this post, you'll discover how GSK has successfully cultivated open communication channels and encouraged two-way conversations between leadership and employees. With insights from GSK's Director of Internal Communications, you'll learn how to create a culture of dialogue in your own organization and reap the benefits of enhanced employee engagement, productivity, and retention.
Initial internal communications challenge
The Internal Communications team at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Singapore encountered the issue of employees not speaking up at internal conferences like town halls. This is a common problem faced by organizations globally, with employees often hesitating to share their opinions for fear of repercussions. Furthermore, at a town hall, there is usually limited time for employees to gather their thoughts, articulate their questions, and prepare themselves to speak publicly.
Using live Q&A for employee engagement
GlaxoSmithKline then turned to Pigeonhole Live to address the challenge of low employee participation and engagement at their internal conferences. By implementing the live Q&A tool, they were able to improve the employee experience and engagement level. The anonymous feature of the tool allowed employees to ask questions without fear of retribution, leading to more candid and valuable feedback.
This really is a step forward... as it gives the employees a sense of their questions being heard and answered. It's a win-win.
GSK has not only successfully used Pigeonhole Live to improve the employee experience and engagement level, but they have also developed some best practices for utilizing this tool to cultivate a culture of dialogue within the organization. Here are 3 shared by the Commercial Training Manager at Global Business Insights for GSK.
1. Encourage anonymous questions to boost participation
Recalling their very first experience using Pigeonhole Live at GSK, the team managed to receive a lot of questions right off the bat. They believed that it was due to the anonymity that Pigeonhole Live provides.
Especially for questions that are sensitive in nature, Pigeonhole allows you to respond anonymously so it takes away that pressure from the ground, and what it means is that in turn you will have better response rate from your employees—which is what you want.
2. Engage employees by warming them up first
When driving employee engagement, the team at GSK does not jump straight into the Q&A segment, explaining that the audience needs to warm up and get familiar with the tool. Instead, their events typically start with a few "simple-to-answer" live polls. Then, they move them into a live Q&A session, before finally ending off with a survey which is usually a feedback form about the entire workshop or town hall.
3. Respond to employees' questions and comments
In addition to allowing anonymous questions, the team shared that some of the employee questions were answered on the spot by the management.
You really get the management to start acknowledging some of the concerns from the ground, and we managed to get first-hand responses.
In addition to using Pigeonhole Live for live employee engagement during internal conferences and meetings, GSK Singapore also makes use of the reports feature of the platform. These reports are automatically generated and collated, providing valuable insights into employee engagement and feedback.
The insights gained from these reports enable GSK to follow up with employees and take necessary actions to address any concerns or feedback. By leveraging these reports, GSK can continuously improve its internal communication and foster a culture of dialogue within the organization.
Even for questions that we couldn’t answer on the spot, we made it a point to get the management to answer them after, and we actually sent email communication back to the employees.
Pigeonhole Live's flexibility and impact
As a user of the annual Enterprise Plan, the team at GSK now has the flexibility to organize and implement unlimited Pigeonhole events for various purposes such as physical and remote town halls, internal meetings, conferences, training and workshops, and focus group feedback. They have found success with Pigeonhole Live, with some of their internal training workshops being the most impactful.
The Commercial Training Manager shares:
I’m very encouraged by the responses from the audience, people coming up to tell me that they feel like they are able to retain their learning because of the experience of using Pigeonhole Live.
I felt like Pigeonhole Live really helped me get to people who are very shy... people who acknowledge, I don’t like to put up my hand to ask a question.
Cultivate a dialogue culture with Pigeonhole Live
Utilizing Pigeonhole Live can enhance employee engagement, productivity, and retention as demonstrated by GlaxoSmithKline's successful cultivation of a culture of dialogue. The tool's features, including live Q&A, polls, and surveys, facilitated two-way communication. Their best practices, such as anonymous questions and audience warm-ups, offer valuable insights into building effective communication. By incorporating these practices and leveraging Pigeonhole Live, organizations like yours can enhance their employees' engagement and productivity.
Ready to cultivate a culture of dialogue in your organization?
