Ensuring that communications is effective with an internal audience is the next challenge of the decade, when employing remote workers seems increasingly common. Synergy Creative and Communicate magazine explored the best approaches to communicate a company culture with employees that work remotely, with an expert panel that brought a variety of experiences and approaches.

Jessica Roberts, strategist at Synergy Creative, set the context by presenting research on remote workers, and Synergy’s experience of in communicating with remote workforces. Her approach suggested that internal communications professionals should consider geography, technology, hours of work, job role and independence when looking at communications strategies. Roberts looked at the challenges communications professionals are faced with considering that 70 % of remote workers feel left out of the workplace, despite the fact that the number of UK workers who have moved into remote working increasing by nearly a quarter of a million in the last 10 years.

Following Roberts was David Hamilton, director of communication and marketing from the Scouts, who shared his experience of engaging remote workers across the third and public sectors. By explaining his strategy with the Scouts, he showed how creating relationships and moments with employees and volunteers is an effective way of engaging them.

Finally, corporate communications manager from Willmott Dixon, Hannah Moss, demonstrated the practicalities of her approach with the construction firm, and how a flexible approach with several different channels works by covering the different types of communications that employees respond to. Her work in communicating to construction workers, and her feedback and research from that work, serves as an excellent case study as to how to engage these workers.

Speakers were asked how they look out for the best time to engage their remote workers. Suggestions included: gauging how employees feel about the communications channels that are already in place and what they care about in work. In addition, prioritising face-to-face and tailoring communications is important to help employees get a sense of how they fit in to the overall organisational strategy, as well as giving them a sense of how what they do makes a difference.

Watch the webinar here.