Developing an impactful Works Council Communication Plan in the Netherlands is essential in the evolution of the Works Council. Whether you are refining your yearly Works Council communication strategy or backing a change effort, a successful plan should encompass intelligent strategies, tactical approaches, well-defined goals, compelling core messages, and a comprehensive analysis to measure the effectiveness of the strategy.
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Works Council Communication: Ensuring a Secure Environment
Effective communication plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the reputation of a Works Council. By consistently sharing internal updates in a manner the Works Council will nurture an environment where employees perceive the Works Council as attentive and committed to represent them at best.
When employees possess a clear comprehension of the Works Council’s scope and vision, discerning when to seek guidance from HR or their managers, as well as recognising the areas where the Works Council has a presence, they become more inclined to contribute their insights. This not only enriches the organisation but also fosters an environment of active engagement.
Keeping employees informed about relevant internal news in a way that makes them feel heard and appreciated might encourage employees to reach out to the Works Council.
Works Council Communication Principles
The communication principles are a set of guidelines and best practices that govern effective communication. These principles aim to ensure clarity, understanding, and meaningful interaction between the Works Council, employees, entrepreneur, and other stakeholders (parties).
The Works Council communication principles should be based on the 7 C’s of communication. The 7 C’s stand for: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous.
The Works Council communication principles could include:
- Communication should be clear, simple, and easy to understand.
- Communication should be informative and engaging.
- Communications should be easily to produce – not overly engineered.
- Communication materials need to be re-used where possible to minimise burden on contributors.
- Communication should be aligned with company announcements, and internal employee communication.
Works Council Communication Strategy
The communication strategy applies the principle of integrated communication, combined in a plan that outlines how the Works Council will communicate with its various stakeholders to achieve its objectives effectively. It involves identifying key messages, target audiences, communication channels, and tactics to convey information in a clear, consistent, and impactful manner.
A successful Works Council communication strategy should include 5 elements:
- Communication objectives.
- Target audience(s).
- Key messages.
- Communication channels.
- Communication measurement & evaluation.
It is important to establish a clear basic structure for communication. This will result in the engagement of employees and the entrepreneur; raising awareness of the different communication channels and means used by the Works Council to communicate the key messages.
The channel and key messages should be evaluated over time. Once the communication system works and minor issues have been solved, it is time to evaluate whether the system is embedded in the company. One of the market practices is to implement a survey to gather feedback. Asking for recommendation and ideas of the staff will enhance the message to create a ‘feeling of us’ amongst all employees.
Target Audience – Stakeholder Mapping
A stakeholder map is a visual representation of individuals or groups with an interest in the Works Council. Stakeholder mapping will support the Works Council to identify these key stakeholders (the parties), understand their influence, and develop a strategy for communication. Examples of the Works Council’s stakeholders are employees, the entrepreneur, legal counsel, COO, CFO, Leadership members and others.
The first step of the stakeholder mapping is the analysis. The phase consists of the identification of:
- Who are the relevant stakeholders or groups for the Works Council?
- What is the level of impact and level of involvement of the Works Council on each stakeholder (group)?
The second step is to map each stakeholder by their current involvement and secondly to position the stakeholder at the desired involvement.
With the stakeholder mapping exercise, the main stakeholders are defined and now the key messages and ways of communication could be determined.
Works Council Communication Key Messages & Examples
Per stakeholder there should be key messages developed that convey important information or themes aligned with the Works Council’s objectives and goals of its committees.
The way the communication should flow is based on the ways of working agreed with the entrepreneur. There are various communication tools and ways to ensure the correct transfer of information. All communications should be carried by the same lay-out or if applicable with a specific Works Council logo. This ensures a unified branding of the core values of the Works Council to radiate to each of the target audiences.
Examples of communication could include participating in onboarding sessions for new hires, contributing to town hall meetings, distributing a Works Council newsletter, and/or contributing to staff magazines. There are also many ways to make employees feel more engaged:
- Surprise employees with honest and fun content.
- Connect the communication to an activity or a small gift.
- Write a (monthly or quarterly) newsletter with a combination of company info (not too much) and Works Council related content (Activities performed by the Works Council).
- Create a (digital) magazine about the Works Council.
Communication Channels
The Works Council should select appropriate communication channels and platforms to reach their target audiences effectively. The common ways of communication and their respective channels are verbal communication (face-to-face conversations, meetings, and written communication (emails, reports, presentation and video’s.)
1. Verbal Communication
- Face-to-Face: Direct, in-person interaction between the Works Council members and employees.
- Meetings: Formal gatherings where participants discuss topics or make decisions.
2. Written Communication
- Email: Electronic messages.
- Letters: Physical or digital documents containing written information.
- Reports: Formal documents presenting information, findings, or analysis, such as the Works Council Annual Report.
- Memos: Brief written messages.
- Forum: Digital platform, SharePoint or intranet for discussions, questions, and sharing of information on specific Works Council topics.
- Presentations: Visual displays of information using slides on the Works Councils’ vision, scope, or other relevant topics.
- Videos: Recorded visual content conveying messages or narratives.
- Infographics, Charts. graphs, visual representations of data, information, or concepts.
Communication Measurement and Evaluation
Communication measurement and evaluation refer to the processes and techniques used to assess the effectiveness, impact, and outcomes of the Works Council’s communication initiatives. These practices support the Works Council to understand how well their communication strategies are performing, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance communication effectiveness. The implementation phase of the Works Council communication plan should consist of:
- Incorporating Works Council’s objectives and themes in the plan.
- Launching the changes or updates via the channels.
- Analysing the results to measure these strategies (number of employees opened the email, clicked on the link).
- Adjusting channels, revising the content and key messaging.
Communication Plan
The Works Council Communication Plan is an outline of how the Works Council is going to communicate important, ongoing Works Council information to key stakeholders. The final step for is to compose the plan that will support each member in understanding who should be getting which notifications and when to loop in each of the stakeholders. A communication plan template is a key tool for organising and planning a communication strategy and. the format can range from a simple chart to a multistep plan.
Elevate Communication Skills
Is the Works Council ready to unlock the power of effective communication in their council, with the employees and other stakeholders?
The Human in Progress Academy advanced course Works Council Communication is designed to equip the members with the tools, techniques, and confidence to excel in today’s fast-paced world.
The course offers a great learning experience for Works Council members by delving into the Works Council’s communication strategy and plan. The objectives of this practical course are:
- Mastering the identification of communication styles and their unique characteristics of each of the Works Council member.
- Cultivating the skill to communicate effectively, ensuring productive meetings with the entrepreneur, and informing employees and other pertinent stakeholders.
- Obtaining a communication plan for conveying the Works Council’s objectives, outcomes, and progress through various channels.
Upon completing the course, Works Council members will have knowledge about the communication styles strategies, gain practical experiences and receive a template for a communication plan.
The course aims to cultivate a harmonious and unified Works Council team dynamic, fostering collaboration, and ultimately leading to better results for the Works Council and employees.
In case you would like to receive more information about this training course, contact us.
In conclusion, providing employees with more actionable information, establishing a Works Council communications plan will bring the Works Council key benefits.
