Do you have a hard time keeping yourself from rolling your eyes whenever someone talks about a communication model? It's true that communication models -- which combine behavioral psychology with media theory -- can seem like a bunch of unlikely, opaque words like "become aware." "Who isn't aware?" you may think. And what does that have to do with comp?
For that matter, what does the coronavirus have to do with comp? The fact is, the virus' emergence gives us a case study that aligns in a perfect way with pay-for-performance communication. It can teach even the doubtful how the change communication model works, and provide you with some provocative thought bubbles about innovations you can make.
A few months ago, news reports started to make us aware of cases of the virus popping up in Asia. We were a bit blasé about it to begin with, but more and more of us were eager for updates as the days went by. We wanted to BE AWARE of the clouds that were gathering. Our communication appetite was fed by information and then even more information but we really weren't looking for a lot of details.
A few weeks ago, cases started appearing in the United States. All of a sudden, we noticed that we could get the virus. Bare facts weren't enough to address our needs, we were ready to and NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND. We had questions that needed answers. But notice that once we understood the importance of basic hygiene like hand washing, our curiosity quickly moved on to more detailed topics like "what's the difference between a flu and a virus," and "how do you get tested."
As of today, travel to China and mainland Europe has been cut off. Just about every group event we have been looking forward to in the next two months has been cancelled. How did this happen? It's moving quickly, maybe too quickly and our FEELINGS about the virus are growing stronger.
Soon, we will have to do what our local or State government asks of us -- and we need to be willing to do it. The government has an easier time than we do in HR because most Americans are pretty willing to ACCEPT that local governments are on our side. Otherwise we won't ENGAGE IN THE ACTIONS like self-quarantine which may be good for older citizens, but we wouldn't be at all willing to take an action like that without obtaining detailed insights into its importance, as well as discussing it with family and friends.
The bold-faced words in the paragraphs above trace a classic "change communications" model through the case study. Can you see how the building blocks dovetail with the needs of the population?
If you're starting to see those building blocks through the haze, let's take a shot at a parallel compensation case story. Let's say we're introducing a new pay program with an emphasis on pay for performance, and the first step is making everyone aware of the new program. Typically, we highlight the features of the plan and how the schedule works. That gives employees an alert about the new program, but it doesn't really clear up how it's going to apply to them, so you really shouldn't stop here.
Why? To understand the program, employees need a candid Q and A. To accept that the program signifies an improvement they can feel good about, they need to share their feelings, too, not just the facts. If you don't give them a chance to ask all the questions they need to ask, and then discuss what they've heard -- with their managers and their colleagues -- you will not be able to rely on their acceptance of the new program. Then how could you rely on them putting it into action?
We've got a lot to pay attention to as the coronavirus emerges in the U.S. if we are to stay well and safe. As the communications evolve, try to keep an eye on how one step follows the other -- awareness, understanding, feelings, acceptance, actions -- and how similar it is to an internal communications implementation like your next compensation or bonus plan. You'll learn a lot about the value of following a communications model if you want a group of emotional, undecided people to follow you and your ideas.
Margaret O'Hanlon, CCP brings deep expertise to discussions on employee pay, performance management, career development and communications at the Café. Her firm, re:Think Consulting, provides market pay information and designs base salary structures, incentive plans, career paths and their implementation plans. Earlier, she was a Principal at Willis Towers Watson. A former Board member for the Bay Area Compensation Association (BACA), Margaret coauthored the popular eBook, Everything You Do (in Compensation) Is Communications, a toolkit that all practitioners can find at https://gumroad.com/l/everythingiscommunication.
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