Vivowire: IC Enigmas, Double Rainbows & Gilderoy Lockhart

Welcome to edition #97 of Vivowire, the Workvivo newsletter!

This week, we're hearing from much better writers than me – Dafna, Kelly, Cat and Gilderoy Lockhart.

PS, we're gearing up for Vivowire's 100th birthday!!! Keep your eyes peeled for exciting things to come.

PPS, if you haven’t joined our LinkedIn Group yet,?do so here.

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This Week’s Top 3 Thumbstoppers

1. The Fellowship of the Perfect IC Metaphor

TL;DR:?Have you ever found it hard to articulate exactly what it is you do as an internal communicator? Dafna Arad has too.

The IC professional is somewhat of an enigma. Which we all know is just a cool way of saying, difficult to describe.??

Whether you’re a hat person or not, chances are that if you work in internal comms, you’re forced to wear many.?

As IC expert Dafna Arad?wrote for our blog?recently, “Internal communication pros are not just informers. We’re more like… Bob Marley! Hermione Granger! Glue! The 80s!

Dafna felt inspired to set out on a journey to find The One IC Metaphor to Rule Them All, traveling from?the Shire to Mordor?Jamaica to the US, and from the UK to Germany.

Here are some of the?preciouses?treasures she unearthed along the way…

• IC managers are like Bob Marley. Through his message delivered in a unique way, he became the voice that led a movement that forced people to think differently about how they see themselves and how they see the world.?
• Internal communication managers are the Hermione Grangers in their friend group. Bright, brave, full to the brim with common sense, and everyone thinks they can do all kinds of magic.
• Internal communication professionals need to be the M to James Bond. We work behind the scenes to make sure intelligence and information flow in all the right directions.
• Internal comms pros are like Dulles Airport Chief Engineer Leslie Barnes, as seen in Die Hard 2.?We help keep the planes in the air and keep things running smoothly when times are good, and when the stuff hits the fan, we devise clever ways to keep the information flowing.?

Dafna’s main takeaway? “These are all great metaphors by very smart (and cooperative) professionals. I’m a bit starstruck now, but still haven’t found the perfect metaphor for IC.??

“Maybe that’s because the beauty lies in our profession’s multifaceted nature. We're storytellers, best friends – sometimes even secret agents! We’re all about leaving a mark while making sure everyone’s voice is heard.”?

Read Dafna’s hilarious and insightful quest for the perfect pop culture IC metaphor?here.?

And if you have your own, we’d love to hear it! ??

2. Rainbows – Even the Double Kind – Aren’t Going To Cut It

TL;DR:?I wish this didn’t need to be said. But LGBTQIA+ employees matter year-round. Also, remember double-rainbow guy?!

There’s no question that having a month-long celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community every year is important. It’s a dedicated time and place for education and awareness, encouraging allyship, campaigning for human rights and safety, and much more.?

What should be questioned, however, is whether one month is enough. The short answer? Nope!

The long answer is this: we can (and should) continue celebrating Pride Month to the fullest, but we also need to actively consider how our workplaces are designed to give every single employee – whether they’re an ally or a member of the community themselves – the best possible employee experience for the 11 other months of the year.?

Basically, you can’t simply slap a rainbow across your brand for the month of June and expect people to?react like Paul Vasquez?(AKA double-rainbow guy, may he rest in peace).?

Yes, even if it is a double.?

I was thrilled to see?a recent article on the topic?from a friend and previous colleague, Kelly Earley. (You might remember her from a much earlier edition of Vivowire, where we covered her epic journey to being hired by IKEA after sending them the most elaborate complaint of all time.)

Kelly wrote, “The DEI initiatives that have become commonplace in workplaces often have significant gaps in the curriculum – particularly where they matter most.??

“Ultimately, it is rarely in any profit-driven company’s interests to highlight the real issues associated with inclusion and allyship, because these issues are often entirely at odds with what drives productivity and makes money.”

So DEI initiatives are falling short, and that’s a problem that impacts the LGBTQIA+ year-round.?

If you believe this advice isn’t for you, take a beat and remember that rainbow-washing companies unfortunately aren’t the exception. As Cat shared, less than one-third of employees say their employer is committed to improving justice or equality in their workplace.?

And yet, nearly all (95%) job seekers consider a potential employer’s DEI efforts when choosing between job offers with similar salary and benefits.

Again, employer branding isn’t the reason why you support your LGBTQIA+ employees year-round. But if it’s so important to virtually everyone in the job market, that’s simply one more reason that doing better should be high on your priority list.?

Thankfully, one of our expert contributors, Cat DiStasio,?shared some recommendationsfor year-round LGBTQIA+ support.

Cat said, “When it comes to supporting LGBTQIA+ employees and their families, conditional support is risky for business and undermines the authenticity of any show of support. If a company only believes in and values certain employees when it’s ‘easy’, those employees aren’t likely to feel safe at work and building trust becomes a difficult uphill battle.”?

Cat recommends…

• Including relevant information in ongoing communication around employee benefits and perks
• Highlighting specific supports and resources available, such as ERGs, fertility/adoption services, gender-affirming care, mental health services, etc.
• If your company isn’t doing so already, being proactive about sharing and asking for pronouns in email signatures, on virtual chat platforms, and in other places that make sense.
• Donating to organizations that work on issues affecting members of the LGBTQIA+ community. (When in doubt, ask employees to nominate organizations!)
• Conducting periodic training sessions on using inclusive language in verbal and written communication.

Read Cat’s article in full?here.

On a separate note, can we all try to channel Paul’s positivity and general wonderment at the world around him more often?

3. Under the Lens… Sprout Social, DEI & Gilderoy Lockhart

TL;DR:?Integrity is important whether you're making a podcast about a small Irish town or an employer in the world of data.

This week, I wanted to feature an organization that truly celebrates its LGBTQIA+ colleagues* as a core value rather than an annual opportunity for promoting its brand.?

*According to employee reviews, of course.

One that popped up was Illinois-based Sprout Social, which?describes its values?as not just words to believe in, but guides to inform every action each individual takes.?

This is crucial; words don’t impact the employee experience. Actions do. Nobody wants to work for a company like Gilderoy Lockhart: one that draws you in with fancy words and tall tales, then turns out to be a complete blatherer.

I’ve been there myself. Bought the t-shirt. Never want to see that t-shirt again.?

Sprout Social has one value that directly relates to D&I – Champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – but there are a couple of others I think support it too: Embrace Accountability and Promote Open, Authentic Communication.?

D&I initiatives can’t exist in a vacuum. No organization should expect to make strides in their inclusivity policies if they haven’t also forged a culture of accountability, awareness, and honesty.?

So, it’s great that Sprout Social’s values are interlinked this way. But still we must ask the all-important question: is it making a difference to its employees?

The company has a 4.1-star rating?on Glassdoor, where 81% of reviewers would recommend working there to a friend and 88% approve of its CEO, Justyn Howard. Its highest-rated categories on the site are Work-Life Balance and Diversity and Inclusion, both scoring 4.4 out of 5 stars.?

On Comparably, its overall culture is rated A- (4.3 stars), with the same grade or higher across areas like CEO, Executive Team, Diversity, Leadership, and more

Specifically, employee reviews mention the company’s transparency, how it cares about its people, its culture of trust, and that its values are “truly lived”.

?Again, the very opposite of Gilderoy Lockhart’s strategy of making it up as he goes along and convincing everyone that it’s true. In fact, Sprout Social actively?publishes reports on its DEI? progress?with the help of training, special resource groups, and community engagement.

67% of its employees wouldn’t leave if they were offered a new role with a higher salary and 75% feel the company is doing what it should to retain them. Overally, 81% are excited to go to work each day.??

The bottom line??Be like Sprout Social, not Gilderoy Lockhart; don’t shout about workplace equality but take none of the steps required to achieve it.?

Don’t make loads of money off totally untrue tomes about your grand achievements and adventures.?

And don’t get yourself into a situation where your colleagues make you go into the Chamber of Secrets.?

Quote of the Week

“Harry, Harry, Harry. Can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention, than by helping me to answer my fan mail?” –?Gilderoy Lockhart, behaving like the boss of nightmares?

What’s up at Workvivo??

5 Ways To Offer More Flexibility to Frontline Employees:?People leaders need to adopt creative strategies to provide flexible options for frontline folks – and this article is full of ideas to get you started.?Keep reading here.?

Has Employee Experience Already Run Out of Steam??Simon Rutter discusses both sides of the debate, analyzing why EX is in danger right now, and exploring the possibility of a healthier future.?Learn more here!

What is interactive voice response (IVR) and how does it work??If you’ve ever called customer service and encountered an automated voice guiding you through menu options, you’ve used interactive voice response (IVR).?Continue reading on Zoom's blog!

Final Thought?

Let us know your best pop culture metaphor for internal comms.?

Treat every day like it's a Paul-Vasquez-seeing-a-double-rainbow day.

And next time you're in Hogwarts, stay away from the sink with the snake-engraved taps in second-floor girls' bathroom.

Until next time, Vivowire out! ????

If you have any feedback or just want to say ‘howdy’, simply reply to this email,?reach out on LinkedIn?or chat on?Twitter.