Big news today in the business world: Amazon bought Zappos, my favorite online shoe store. Actually, they signed:
“…what’s known as a “definitive agreement”, in which all of the existing shareholders and investors of Zappos (there are over 100) will be exchanging their Zappos stock for Amazon stock. Once the exchange is done, Amazon will become the only shareholder of Zappos stock.”
Sounds confusing, right? The Zappos communication team had their hands full today — making sure the announcement went off without a hitch, externally and internally. CEO Tony Hsieh sent an email to employees — mixing “legal speak” with “Zappos speak.” The letter hit on all the key points, answered the “top three burning questions,” and included an FAQ — with video! — that actually provided real answers, not just corporate jargon. Clearly, Zappos devoted a lot of time to thinking about how employees would respond … what questions they’d ask … and what they needed to know to be comfortable with this new direction.
We often point to Zappos as a social media case study, but this makes me think maybe they “walks the walk” when it comes to internal communications as well. (How else would their culture be so freaking amazing, right?!?)
I’ve written about employee communication before, but I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it the past few weeks … months really. I really think poor employee communication is the root of many business-related problems. Doesn’t a lack of communication create rumor mills? Adversely affect employee morale? Stifle innovation? Result in high turnover?
What if companies took the Zappos approach? For example:
- Accessible management. Tony’s cubicle is in the middle of the office. Right there, out in the open. Wouldn’t that eliminate a lot of the closed-door meetings that get the rumor mill churning? I bet people would be pretty comfortable approaching that kind of CEO with an idea.
- Communicate from the inside out. Share good — or bad — news with employees first. Don’t make them guess what’s going on or wonder how they’ll be impacted.
- Follow through. Employees want to trust their superiors. But, we all know that trust has to be earned. And, once it’s broken it’s hard to get back. If management fails to carry out something it promised employees, that’s not soon forgotten.
- Remember, we’re all people. Here’s the thing: We all get stressed out. We all have things going on in our personal lives. Management and non-management alike — though both sides probably find it hard to believe about the other. Sometimes people need “tough love,” but sometimes we just need a little space. Whatever the situation, be respectful. Don’t take your problems — work or personal — out on the people around you. And, remember, true character is most evident when the chips are down. (Disclaimer: I don’t know for a fact that this is true of Zappos, but I think it would be hard to have hundreds of people tweeting if they didn’t internalize this basic concept.)
- Keep up with the times. Zappos is the poster-child for integrating technology in the workplace, right? And while that extreme may not work for everyone, there’s something to be said for utilizing the tools available to increase efficiency and improve communication. If a resistance to technology (even simple stuff … not just Twitter!) is decreasing efficiency and impeding communication, how is that a good thing?
Shortly after the Zappos/Amazon news started making its way through Twitter, I began talking with some people in my network about what separates companies that “get” employee communication from those that don’t. Mary Deming Barber pointed to Zappos’ immediacy and candidness. Elaine Armstrong noted that good internal communication happens when businesses communicate via channels their employees use, and when they talk with — not at — people. But, my favorite response came from Alexis Levenson (a.k.a. overthinker), who said that “Good internal communication is about transparency & sincerity. Telling people after the fact or assuming ‘they don’t need to know’ = the worst.” Amen to that.