How the New York Times Reaches Deskless Plant Workers Without Email Access
How the New York Times Reaches Deskless Plant Workers Without Email Access - Ragan Comms
Seven executive communicators in Ragan’s newest research report shared how they reach employees in the post-pandemic landscape.
Justin Joffe, Ragan Communications
As communicators seek to engage dispersed workforces and help culture thrive, they must figure out a strategic mix of content, channels and cadence to consider how they ensure messages reach all employees.
In the Ragan Communications Leadership Council’s newest report, “Evolving Executive Comms to Engage Employees Everywhere,” seven executive communicators shared their experiences using traditional and innovative channels to reach employees in the post-pandemic landscape.
For the New York Times, that required the storied media brand to innovate and get creative.
Reaching deskless workers without access to traditional mass communications methods like email remains a challenge for communicators. Those seeking for creative solutions might want to look at how the employee communications team at The New York Times worked not to reach its journalists who report in far-flung places across the globe, but the deskless workers who print its paper every day.
Only a quarter of the publisher’s 650 printing plant employees had access to computers while at work, and even that access was limited. This caused plant workers to miss many messages meant for all employees, including surveys, which left them without a vital mechanism for feedback.
“We were thinking about meeting people where they’re at, especially given what we do,” says Tori Turner, vice president of HR and employee communications.