The Gallup organization researched what makes a great workplace in a survey (the Q12) that involved 80,000 managers in a multi-year research project. The survey identified 12 dimensions that characterize a great workplace and positively impact employee retention, customer satisfaction, productivity and profitability. Significantly, six of twelve dimensions reflect on quality of communication within organization and contribute to organizational climate, which in itself predicts 20-30% of business results. They are:

-- I know what is expected of me at work. -- In last week, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. -- My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person. -- There is someone at work that encourages my development. -- In last six months, someone at work has talked with my about my progress. -- At work, my opinion seems to count.

Create Adequate Feedback Mechanisms in Your Organization

Performance reviews are standard fare, yet research shows that most employees feel they do not receive adequate feedback on how they¡¦re doing, what¡¦s expected, what they need to do to improve, and how to be as successful as they would like. There are several venues through which to give and get feedback ¡V supervisory reporting relationships, 360 assessments, mentoring and coaching relationships.

Don’t Use PR…

…lose confidence of your key target audiences… discourage them from taking actions that lead to your success…fail to achieve your department, division or subsidiary objectives.

A sad scenario that should not occur. In fact, as a manager in a business, non-profit or association, exact opposite can occur based on a simple premise you can adopt and make happen starting today.

And here it is: People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.

Then, follow through!

Meet with PR people assigned to your unit, sit down and list those outside audiences with greatest impact on your operation. Then prioritize them and we’ll use #1 on list as our example for this article.

What do you know about perceptions of that key external audience whose behaviors can affect success or failure of your unit’s operation? Probably not as much as you should despite reality that existing perceptions almost always lead to predictable behaviors.

Make some time for you and your PR colleagues to monitor those key audience perceptions by interacting with audience members and asking a lot of questions: Do you know anything about us? Might you have need for our services or products? If you’ve ever had contact with our organization, was it satisfactory? Do you have an opinion about us?

Keep your antenna up for hints of negativity, and your eyes peeled for misconceptions, inaccuracies, untruths, rumors or exaggeration.

What you will have gathered is data you need to identify most severe perception problem alive and kicking in that #1 external audience of yours. This becomes your corrective public relations goal. For example, clear up that unfortunate misconception; correct that inaccuracy; or tone down that exaggeration.