Is your company hoping to start a communications committee to educate employees about your ESOP? Does your existing committee need a bit of a reboot?

This fall, the NCEO will be offering its first-ever communications committee training and networking program with me, the director of culture and engagement, and it will feature special guests from employee-owned companies and professionals in the community. The Communications Committee Crash Course is a new project I have been working on in 2020 after recognizing a need for those serving on committees to interact with others in our ESOP community and learn about effective communication and engagement strategies while learning about some best practices in developing a strong ownership culture.

The pandemic has changed the ways companies manage shift work and the day-to-day practices about where people do their work, and these changes can work well in the long run only if they are supported by changes or improvements in communication practices. In many NCEO member companies, a communications committee plays a central role in managing this communications challenge. This crash course is designed to provide insights from experts and concrete examples from companies with exceptional communications programs while also integrating peer networking. As a participant, you'll learn from the experts and develop working relationships with your peers in other ESOP companies to help you all share ideas, brainstorm challenges, and coach each other.

Join me and other employee-owners in six interactive sessions starting this October to learn about effective communications strategies, common challenges and mistakes, and ways to improve employee engagement sustainably in the long term. We will host attendees and invite employee-owner friends and professionals to provide their insights and discuss challenges and lessons learned at their own companies. We hope to see you there!