How Sun Life Shifted Its Town Hall Approach To Make Meetings More Meaningful
While there are many forums and touchpoints for directly reaching your employees, none have the potential to engage them quite like a town hall meeting.
According to the 2024 Ragan Communications Benchmark Report, town halls remain the most popular channel for leaders to communicate with employees, with 68% of respondents.
Since many town halls went virtual in 2020, savvy comms leads have monitored employee engagement around these events to figure out what messages, cadence, formats and overall approaches resonate best with their workforces.
We caught up with Sandra Hunt, director of internal communications at Sun Life U.S., to learn how the employee benefits company transitioned from in-person town halls that saw minimal engagement to hybrid experiences that give all employees — including frontline workers — an opportunity to tune in and get involved.
Moving from crucial updates to dialogue
When the world changed in 2020, Sun Life pivoted quickly to working from home. Before that, the company ran a more formal quarterly town hall that featured leaders reviewing financial results and key business updates, and often ran for an hour or an hour and a half. Speakers would present from a podium at their local office, and Sun Life would connect them via a video conference tool. This approach made it challenging to gauge audience reactions, with Q&A a disjointed exercise at the end.
From CommPRO:
The article highlights the transformative power of town hall meetings in employee engagement, using Sun Life U.S. as a case study. Transitioning from formal, quarterly town halls to more frequent, hybrid formats during the pandemic, Sun Life saw a marked increase in employee participation and connection. These meetings evolved from being mere business updates to fostering community and dialogue, particularly benefiting remote and frontline workers.
Sandra Hunt, Sun Life’s director of internal communications, details how the company adapted to virtual town halls on Workplace Live. This shift democratized access, allowing all employees to engage equally and providing richer qualitative insights through real-time interactions. The increased frequency and shortened duration of meetings kept the content concise and relevant, covering a broader range of topics and encouraging active participation.
The strategy also supported inclusivity and diversity, featuring a wide array of presenters from different job levels and locations. This approach not only enhanced employee engagement but also contributed to Sun Life’s recognition as a top employer.
Communicators should read this article to understand how to effectively leverage town hall meetings to enhance employee engagement, foster inclusivity, and create a more connected workplace culture. The insights from Sun Life’s experience offer valuable lessons in adapting communication strategies to meet evolving workforce needs.
