Employees rising - Seizing the opportunity in Employee activism

Employees Rising:
Seizing the Opportunity
in Employee Activism

01
INTRODUCTION
What about employee activists? Are employee activists the next wave that leaders need to be ready for? Who is asking this question?
Management, human resources and communications departments of Fortune 500 companies are rightfully laser-focused on employee satisfaction and engagement. In fact, global research conducted by Weber Shandwick and Spencer Stuart among chief communications officers found that employee satisfaction as a critical metric of communications effectiveness rose dramatically during a five-year span (from 61% in 2007 to 79% in 2012).
Weber Shandwick strongly believes that employee engagement is central to company success and is the underlying foundation for high-performing companies. Yet we also believe that to prepare for the future workforce, employers will need to build upon engagement and acknowledge and embrace employee activism. Employee activists are different — they make their engagement visible, defend their employers from criticism and act as active advocates, online and off. Many employee activists already exist today. Sometimes their activism is stimulated by the employer, but, more often than not, it rises organically out of self-motivation and determination. Employers can’t afford to miss the open window of opportunity to lean in and capitalize on this movement that will only increase in the years ahead.
In Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism, Weber Shandwick explores the employee activist movement to help our clients and other organizations understand what it takes to catch the rising tide of employee activism.
“In today’s environment where there is an alarming lack of trust in all institutions, employees are increasingly the key prism for brand credibility and trust. Engaging them can provide companies the best way to humanize and unify their enterprise voice — a strategic imperative in today’s environment.”
Micho Spring
Chair, Global Corporate Practice
Weber Shandwick
Social activists. Environmental activists. Consumer activists. Activist shareholders. Today, there is no shortage of activists affecting business operations in some way. These stand-up-for-what-is-right campaigners may either be an employer’s best advocates or its worst opponents. In either case, they are change agents.
Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism
Page 2

02
HOW WE DID THE RESEARCH
Our survey included a mix of attitudinal and behavioral
questions. Employee attitudes were measured on 5-point
scales. Conclusions are based on the top scale point of “5”
to capture the highest level of intensity of feelings toward
and perceptions about employers. Activism was measured
by presenting lists of behaviors that respondents selected,
and segmentation modeling identified distinct groups
of employees based on these self-reported actions. The
specific actions and process of classifying employees is
discussed in greater detail later in this report.
Weber Shandwick, in partnership with KRC Research, conducted a global online survey of
2,300 employees. Respondents were between the ages of 18 and 65, worked 30 hours per
week or more and were employed by an organization with over 500 employees.
United Kingdom
France
Germany
Italy
North America
United States
Canada
Latin America
Brazil
Asia Pacific
Australia
China
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Japan
Singapore
South Korea
Europe
Survey respondents represented 15 markets.
Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism Page 3

03
UNREST IN THE WORKFORCE
Employees are in a state of upheaval.
More than eight in 10 (84%) have experienced some kind
of employer change in the past few years — most typically a leadership change (45%). More than four in 10 (42%) report
undergoing a major event at work, such as a mass lay-off, merger or acquisition and/or crisis. That is a lot of flux for the workforce to handle.
Employees are on the defense.
Employers probably don’t know it, but many employees are out there now defending the reputations of their organizations. Nearly six in 10 (56%) respondents surveyed have either defended their employer to family and friends or in a more public venue — such as on a website, blog, or in a
newspaper. These “first responders” are even more prevalent in organizations that experienced a top-tier change event (59%), indicating that employees are rising up to support organizations in time of need. It may also indicate that employees are strongly identifying with their employers. 42% TOP-TIERCHANGE EVENT(net) 84% ANYCHANGE EVENT(net) 45% 33% 30% 27% 22% 12% 17% 18% 22%
% of employees experienced the following events at their current employers in the past few years
Before we delve into the new wave of employee activism, it is important to understand the challenges facing employees today.
Employees of a Fortune 500 agribusiness started their own blog in reaction to criticism about their company. They debuted the blog by saying, “If anyone should speak to [our company’s] vision of the world, it’s those of us who come to work here every day and collectively make this company what it is…We’re hoping this blog will offer a more personal view of our company.”
Page 4 Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism

03 UNREST IN THE WORKFORCE
Employers are not effectively communicating
to employees.
The research revealed that only four in 10 employees can
confidently describe to others what their employer does
or what its goals are (42% and 37%, respectively). Fewer
than three in 10 report that they are being communicated
with, listened to and kept in the loop. Fewer than one in five
(17%) highly rate communications from senior management.
As expected, immediate supervisors are rated as better
communicators than senior leadership but still not as highly
as might be assumed.
These weak ratings are not a byproduct of too few
communications — employees report that they receive,
on average, 4.4 different types of communications from
their employers. The general lack of effective employer-to-employee
communications is surprising considering how
technology has accelerated the proliferation of collaboration
and communications tools available to most workforces.
“An engaged employee is a worker who cares
about the future and success of his company
and therefore is actively involved in what is
going on, making a positive contribution.”
— Italian employee
“Listening and responding are leadership
skills critical to driving employee engagement.
Ultimately, companies that work hard at
communicating and listening — from the mailroom
to the boardroom — are the ones that win in the
workplace and marketplace.”
Andy Polansky
CEO, Weber Shandwick
I know enough to explain to others what my employer does 42
I understand my employer’s goals 37
My manager / supervisor frequently communicates with me 29
My employer listens and responds well to customers 28
My manager / supervisor listens and responds well to me 26
My employer surveys employees every 1-2 years on how well
it communicates with employees 26
My employer does a good job of keeping me informed 25
My employer communicates frequently with employees 24
Top leader 17
Senior leadership just below top leader 17
Department head 25
Immediate manager/ supervisor 31
% employees highly rate
communications from...
Total % (rated 5 on 5-point scale)
% employees completely
agree with the following
statements
Employers are not effectively communicating to employees

03 UNREST IN THE WORKFORCE
Only three in 10 employees are deeply engaged
with their employers.
How could employers reasonably expect more engagement
when the workforce is in upheaval and employees do not
feel informed or listened to? This 3-in-10 engagement
level the survey uncovered is comprised of nine factors, the
highest rated of which is “I put a great deal of effort into my
job, doing more than is required” (38%) on down to “I feel a
strong connection to my employer” (23%).
While deep engagement — on the whole — is weak, the
results show that the workforce is in fact multi-dimensional.
As will be seen later in this report, some employee segments
are highly engaged and go to great lengths to show it. Some
are engaged and need assistance to show it. And some are
highly disengaged and, sadly, show it. That is why we believe
that employers should take these findings seriously and look
more deeply into their workforce to identify and cultivate
groups of employees that can serve as activists for their
brands and reputations.
Our analysis identified approximately one in five
employees (21%) who feel strongly that they are
putting more effort than is required into their job
yet do not feel strongly that they are being valued
by their employer. This perceptual gap between
giving and receiving on the job is a recipe for
resentment that impairs engagement.
“Someone who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work, and will act in a way that furthers
their organization’s interest is what engagement means to me.”
— Canadian employee
Employee engagement benchmarks (% employees rated 5 on 5-point agreement scale)
I put a great deal
of effort into my
job, doing more
than is required
I care a great
deal about my
employer’s
success
I care a great
deal about my
employer’s
reputation
I am enthusiastic
about the work
I do
I am proud to
work for my
employer
I would
recommend my
employer to others
as a place to work
I am very
satisfied with
my job
I feel valued
as an employee
I feel a strong
connection to my
employer
28% 26% 24% 23%
38% 35% 33% 33% 30%
30% (average)
Overall % of
employees who
are deeply engaged

04
THE BIG BANG: SOCIAL MEDIA’S IGNITION OF
EMPLOYEE ACTIVISM
Employees are sharing socially. For many, the divide between
work and personal lives barely exists. For employers, the
opportunity and challenge is to embrace this new reality and
understand what drives employees to be positive activists.
While it is not feasible for every company or every sector
to embrace social media as an employee activist enabler,
all employers need to be prepared to rally their employee
activists and strive to have their supporters outnumber
their detractors.
What some employers don’t realize is how critical social
media is to employee engagement and how it fuels employee
activism. Employees have multiple social platforms on which
they can air their likes and dislikes of their jobs, bosses and
organizations. While many employers are fearful that their
employees will destroy their reputations with one easy click
of a social media “share” button, the fact is that we now live in
an always-connected-online world that is not going to
reverse course.
As business leaders know, the impact of social media on an employer’s reputation is
now an everyday reality.
use at least one social media site for personal use
post messages, pictures or videos in social media
about employer often or from time-to-time
have shared praise or positive comments online about
employer
post messages, pictures or videos about employer in
social media often or from time-to-time without any
encouragement from employer
have shared criticism or negative comments online
about employer
have posted something about employer in social
media that they wish they hadn’t
88%
50%
39%
33%
16%
14%
Here are some eye-opening statistics from our research about employees:
According to LinkedIn research, 61% of LinkedIn
members who follow your organization are willing to be
your brand ambassadors and share your Employee Value
Proposition with their networks.
How leaders are using digital communications and modeling
that use internally is the next frontier for organizational change.

05
THE EMPLOYEE ACTIVIST IS NOW AMONGST US
“As employee activists gain numbers and strength, organizations need to be prepared to facilitate the activism
of these employees. Internal communications needs to move beyond being company news briefs and alerts to
being more content-rich. Company storytelling is not just for external media anymore, it’s a way of ensuring that
employees are informed and have something meaningful to say about their employers.”
Kate Bullinger
Co-Lead, Global Employee Engagement & Change Management
Weber Shandwick
Using segmentation modeling, all respondents were sorted by their reported actions
toward their employers — both supporting and detracting actions — to develop deeper,
more descriptive and more targetable profiles of the workforce.
This analysis uncovered a sizeable segment of employees
— 21%, employee activists — who are all taking positive
actions (#1-#9 above) and nearly no negative actions. For a
workforce of 5,000, this means that
approximately 1,000 employees are
enthusiastically letting others know
they stand behind their employer.
21%
Employees were asked if they had ever done any of the following:
1. Worn clothing or other accessories outside of work
with employer’s name or symbol
2. Done volunteer work for a cause employer supports
3. Recommended employer to others as a place to work
4. Encouraged others to buy company’s products
or services
5. Voted for employer in a poll or contest
6. Made positive comments about employer where
others could see or read them
7. Made positive comments about employer to
friends or family
8. Defended employer to family and friends
9. Defended employer where others could see or read it
10. Discouraged others from considering employer as a
place to work
11. Discouraged others from buying company’s products
or services
12. Made negative comments about employer where
others could see or read them
13. Made negative comments about employer to friends
or family

06
WHAT DRIVES EMPLOYEE ACTIVISM?
Our survey also asked respondents to rate their employers on a series of nearly 30 attitudinal
statements covering a wide range of organizational qualities from leadership to internal
communications to HR (Human Resources) to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).
Regression analysis determined how much each statement was correlated with the
propensity for engagement and activism.
In comparing employee perceptions about each of these
drivers in our survey, we find that employers severely
underperform. That means that employers have a lot of work
to do to improve perceptions if they are to develop additional
activists and fully maximize the activism of current activists.
We address these issues later in the report as we identify
triggers of employee activism based on targeted employee
activist segments.
*These are the top drivers of activism out of 29 items presented to respondents. The Activism Impact Score is the average of all the components in a set
of multiple statements about each driver. Only the components that scored above the driver’s average are listed in this table. For each driver, there are
many other components, with lower scores, that comprise the average score.
Significantly, we learned that leadership is most important
for influencing employee activism, but not to the exclusion
of other organizational activities and characteristics. What
this means is that leadership plays a critical role in driving
employee support, from making the company an employer
of choice to building a reputation of trustworthiness and
demonstrating that it listens and responds to employees.
By modeling responsiveness, leaders show employees that
they value their ideas and intangibles such as reputation
and culture. Internal communications, fair treatment
of all employees regardless of race, gender, age, sexual
orientation or cultural differences, and community
responsibility are also not to be overlooked in terms of
deepening employee activism.
Employee Activism Driver Top Components of Activism Score*
(individual score in parentheses)
Activism
Impact Score
Leadership
• Employer values employee ideas and opinions (82)
• Leadership makes it a good place to work (80)
• Employer has a very good reputation (78)
• Leadership is trustworthy (78)
• Leadership listens and responds well to employees (76)
75
Internal
Communications
• Employer does a good job of keeping employees informed (81)
• Employer communicates frequently with employees (77) 70
HR/Employee
Development
• Employees have many opportunities to grow and learn (83)
• Employer provides training and resources needed to do the
job well (77)
70
Corporate Social
Responsibility
(CSR)
• Employees are treated fairly regardless of their differences (69)
• Employer plays an active role in the community (68)
• Employer works to protect and improve the environment (68)
67

06 WHAT DRIVES EMPLOYEE ACTIVISM
“Our research proves that leadership has a catalytic impact on employee engagement and willingness to be an
ardent employer supporter. In the absence of trust in leadership, and credible and relevant communications from
leadership, organizations run the risk of having more detractors than activists.”
Renee Austin
Co-Lead, Global Employee Engagement & Change Management
Weber Shandwick
Although social media is not included in the driver analysis,
its force can’t be ignored. Our survey found that one-third of
employers — 33% — encourage their employees to use social
media to share news and information about the organization.
This sounds risky, but this social encouragement has an
outsized impact on employer advocacy among employees.
For example, employees with socially-encouraging employers
are significantly more likely to help boost sales than
employees whose employers aren’t socially encouraging
(72% vs. 48%, respectively).
Actions employees have ever taken for current employer (% employees who have taken these actions)
Encouraged others
to buy company’s
products or services
Recommended
employer to others
as a place to work
Made positive comments
about employer where
others could see
or read them
Defended employer
to family and friends
Done volunteer
work for a cause
employer supports
Defended employer
where others could
see or read it
Voted for employer
in a poll or contest
72%
28%
54%
52%
63% 60%
68%
55%
48%
54%
32%
44%
30%
24% 22%
Employer encourages employee use of social media to share news and information about employer* Employer DOES NOT encourage
*All actions are significantly higher than those whose employers don’t encourage brand socialization
“An engaged employee is an active member of
the workforce that is part of the team. Knows
the business and the values and spreads a
positive message. On the look-out for new
and innovative ways to do business.”
— Australian employee

06 WHAT DRIVES EMPLOYEE ACTIVISM
How do these employers encourage their employees to be social stewards?
At a very basic level, they provide the tools and content to enable sharing, but a wide variety of tactics
requiring modest investment are also used.
Provide readily accessible tools for employees to use in
social media (55%)
Provide messages about the employer for employees to use
in social media (50%)
Provide easy-to-understand guidelines to employees for
using social media (42%)
Ask employees to stay alert to social media postings about
the employer (39%)
Provide training for how to use social media properly (37%)
Provide access to social media at work (35%)
Provide updates about changes in social media so that employees
can stay current on the latest tools and uses (35%)
Provide employees with one or more social media accounts
to use (13%)
How does your employer
encourage employees to use
social media to share news
and information about your
work or your employer?
Zappos encourages employees to include company information and opinions on their Facebook, Twitter and
personal blogs in addition to their LinkedIn profile. The company even has a Twitter aggregate of all employee
twitter feeds. This serves as an excellent word-of-mouth platform for marketing as well as recruitment.
VoiceStorm by Dynamic Signal is a social advocacy platform that gives employees access to sharable messages
and content in a convenient and brand-safe environment through a social media hub. Employees are encouraged to
engage with this platform by earning points that they can redeem for rewards and employers are reassured that
the content meets corporate compliancy guidelines.

07
THE WORKFORCE ACTIVISM SPECTRUM
Our segmentation model identified six distinct segments of employees, including the
21% segment noted earlier who we call ProActivists because of their high engagement
and activist profile.
ReActivists
Mostly take positive
actions but also have a high
propensity for detraction.
Have an average level of
engagement. Are critical
of workplace conditions.
Highly social.
HyperActives
The wildcard of employee activism.
Have the most potential to both help
and damage employer’s reputation.
Half of them have posted something
online about their employer that they
regret. Are the most engaged next
to ProActivists. Two-thirds have a
job that entails social media so are
highly social.
ProActivists
The embodiment of employee
activism. Conduct the most
positive actions with nearly no
negative actions. Have the highest
level of employer engagement.
Highly social.
21%
26%
7%
11%
13%
22%
PreActivists
All take positive
actions but not
nearly as many
positive actions as
ProActivists. Engage
in more negative actions
than ProActivists. Actions
are not as social as those of
ProActivists. Have an average
level of engagement.
Detractors
All take negative actions
against their employer.
Are the least engaged
and are the most distrustful
of leadership. Not social so
damage is contained offline.
InActives
Report little or no employer
support or detraction behaviors.
Almost as unengaged as Detractors.
Are the least likely to put a great
deal of effort into their jobs and
few can explain to others what
their employer does. Little
motivates them to do a good
job, even pay increases.

07 THE WORKFORCE ACTIVISM SPECTRUMPreActivistsHyperActivesDetractorsProActivistsPreActivistsDetractorsProActivistsHyperActivesReActivistsProActivistsHyperActivesReActivistsInActivesProActivistsPreActivists
With the exception of Japan, each of the 15 markets in our study has each of these segments (Japan has no HyperActives and few ProActivists). However, some segments are concentrated more heavily in certain markets.
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08
GET TO KNOW THY SEGMENTS
The six employee segments show considerable variation in demographics, employer
engagement, job description, employer profile and social media confidence.
ProActivists
Highest employer engagement level
Millennial
University-educated
Executive/managerial
Use social media for work
PreActivists
Average employer engagement level
Younger Boomers
Least likely to use social media
for work
ReActivists
Average employer engagement level
Millennial
University-educated
Executive/managerial
Work the fewest hours
Use social media for work
Most likely to work for a B2C
Experienced top-tier change event
Often post online about work
Regret posting something about work
Critical of employer’s reputation,
diversity practices, training/
resources, workplace safety and code
of conduct
Lowest employer engagement level
Most likely to be female
Least likely to be Millennial
Least likely to be university-educated
Most likely to have physical/manual job
Longest tenured
Most likely to work for domestic operation
Most likely to have experienced top-tier
change event
Least likely to use social media for work
Highly distrustful of employer leadership
Detractors
The chart below points out each segment’s distinctive traits relative to the average employee in our study. It is worth noting
that no segment is “all of anything.” These traits are directional skews, not absolutes.
Low employer engagement level
Least likely to be executive/managerial
Least likely to have experienced any kind of change event
Least likely to have a personal social media account
Least likely to use social media for work
Unmotivated to perform well for work,
even by pay increases
InActives
HyperActives
High employer engagement level
Most likely to be male
Most likely to be Millennial
Most likely to be university-educated
Most likely to have an executive/managerial
or artistic/creative job
Work the most hours
Most use social media for work
Most likely to regret posting something
online about work
Work for a multinational
Most likely to work for a B2B
Care more about recognition from top
leadership than pay increases

08 GET TO KNOW THY SEGMENTS
After a major automobile manufacturer’s reputation for quality took a serious hit because of widespread
recalls, the company launched an ad campaign featuring its employees discussing how they personally ensure
every vehicle is built to the highest caliber. In describing the campaign, one executive said, “[Our employees’]
incredible passion, commitment to quality, safety for our customers is what has built our reputation. We want
to show this human face. The real, authentic [company].”
“Millennials work more closely
together, leverage right- and
left-brain skills, ask the right
questions, learn faster and
take risks previous generations
resisted. They truly want to
change the world and use
technology to do so.”
Mike Marasco
Leader of Northwestern University’s
NUvention program, The New York
Times, November 9, 2013
A Global Fortune 500 bank
experienced reputational
damage because of a sensitive
employee lay-off in which the
CEO was criticized in the media.
Coming to the bank’s defense:
employees who wanted to know
how they could help.
CMO
Employee
What can I do to help?
ProActivists are the employees every leader or manager wants on his or
her team because their actions are entirely positive and influential. They
are an organization’s brand and reputation champions. They are the most
highly engaged segment, with 49% reporting deep engagement, compared
to the average 30% for employees overall.
Compared to the average employee in our study, ProActivists are more likely to
be Millennials (18-36 years old) and university-educated. However, this is not
to suggest they are strictly highly educated Milliennials — 22% do not have a
university degree and 39% are GenX or older. They are the most likely of any group
to be executives or managers, but not all are (43% vs. global average of 30%). They
are the most likely segment to have multiple social media accounts for personal
use and are more likely than employees overall to use social media as part of their
jobs (these are not, however, all digital or IT jobs; they may be using social media for
competitive intelligence, marketing, etc.). Nearly half (46%) report that they often
post about work or their employer on social media.
PreActivists have high potential to become ProActivists; impeding
their activism is a relatively low level of social media usage, but
they are engaged (34%) and predominately positive action-takers
offline. As the largest segment representing more than one-quarter
of employees (26%), they are worth investing resources in.
Compared to the average employee in our study, PreActivists are slightly more
likely to be Younger Boomers (49-58 years old) and are less likely to have a
university degree. While they are just as likely to have a personal social media
account as employees overall, they are less likely to use social media for their
job, which is probably one reason their activism is kept to a close circle of
friends and family.

HyperActives are taking positive actions
but their adverse actions are likely
negating their positives. Because their
negative behaviors don’t reflect their
high engagement level (44%), they can
alternatively be thought of as “wildcards.”
HyperActives are the most likely of the segments to be men,
Millennials and university graduates and to have an executive/
managerial or artistic/creative job. They put in the most
hours at work of any segment. They are very social media
savvy, as 63% of them use social media as part of their jobs.
Interestingly, they are more motivated than any other segment
by top leadership recognition. Because leadership recognition
is slightly more inspiring to them than pay increases, they may
be the “ladder climbers” of the employee universe.
LinkedIn research shows that engaged “employer promoters” have 40% MORE internal company connections
than extreme detractors.
In October 2013, a woman named
Marina Shifrin posted a video of herself
on YouTube explaining why she was
quitting her job while dancing around
her Taiwanese office during the middle
of the night. Within weeks of its release,
the video had more than 16 million
views and she appeared on major
entertainment broadcast shows.
Marina is an example of a ReActivist.
ReActivists are also behaving both positively
and negatively, but can be very critical of internal
actions by their employers and voice those
criticisms publicly. ReActivists’ engagement level
falls slightly below average (26%).
Compared to the average employee, ReActivists are more
likely to be Millennials. Of all our segments, they work
the fewest hours per week and are employed by relatively
smaller companies (between 500 and 1,000 employees).
They are more likely than average to work for an employer
that has recently endured a top-tier change event, such as
extensive lay-offs, a merger/acquisition or a crisis/disaster.
They are also more likely than average to have a job that
entails using social media, although not to the same extent
as HyperActives, and half of them often post about work or
their employer on social media.

InActives, a large segment of more than one
in five (22%) employees, exhibit minimal
positive or negative behaviors. They are highly
unengaged, with an average engagement
level of just 16%, and little motivates them
to do a good job — pay increases top their list but that
is cited by only 43% of them. We do not recommend
that employers invest in an employee activism program
for this segment. The focus for InActives should be on
building engagement instead.
Compared to the average employee, InActives are more
likely to be over 36 years of age and are the least likely to
be executive/managerial. They are also the least likely to
report that their employer recently experienced a change
event and to be on social media.
Detractors’ engagement level seems almost
beyond repair (12%). They are not candidates
to be employee activists, so employers need
to defuse their criticism and lessen their
potential reputational harm.
Compared to the average employee, Detractors skew
female, older than 36 and not university-educated. They
are the most likely group to have a physical/manual job,
are the longest tenured and are less likely than the average
employee to work at headquarters. They are also the most
likely to work for an employer that has recently undergone
a major change event, likely contributing to an exceptionally
high lack of leadership trust. While they are just as likely as
the average employee to use social media in their personal
lives, they are less likely to have multiple accounts or to use
social media as part of their job.
“A worker who is engaged is a person who truly cares about the organization for which he/she works,
a person who does more than ‘show up’ for work, a person who gives his/her ‘all’ on the job.”
— U.S. employee

In addition to the diverse profiles just discussed, the
segments also differ in their perceptions of the activism
drivers. This requires employers to “flip different switches”
on various aspects of leadership, internal communications,
human resources and corporate social responsibility in
order to effectively drive activism or reduce detraction.
Here are four strategies for activating employees:
1. Accelerate the activism of ProActivists. Ignite the
activism of PreActivists and HyperActives
2. Negate the negatives for ReActivists and Detractors
3. Communicate in ways that matter
4. Customize strategies and tactics for each segment
“An engaged employee is one who is very much
devoted to his work and other aspects of the
company, be it events, volunteer work or
promotion of certain sales.”
— Singapore employee
09
THE PLAYBOOK FOR ACTIVATING EMPLOYEES

09 THE PLAYBOOK FOR ACTIVATING EMPLOYEES
Every one of the top drivers of activism is rated highly
by ProActivists (hence, their activism!). To sustain
their ProActivist status, this segment needs continual
reinforcement of what they perceive as their employers’
best traits, leading with their employer’s reputation (48%)
and fair treatment of all employees regardless of race,
gender, age, sexual orientation or cultural differences
(48%). PreActivists need more convincing to spur their
activism but fair treatment of all employees is most
meaningful to them (43%). HyperActives also rate the top
drivers highly but they need additional reinforcement of
these perceptions so that their positive actions overcome
their negative inclinations. They rate their employers most
highly on keeping employees informed (45%), so internal
communications is a must-have for turning their activism on.
PreActivists are less social media savvy, and therefore
presumably less social media confident, than ProActivists
and HyperActives. More than one-third of them say they
would be more inclined to use social media to share news
and information about their work or employer if they were
given easy-to-understand guidelines (34%), access to social
media at work (32%) or the right tools (31%). Employers
should take note — these provisions are fairly basic and
would help turn many PreActivists into ProActivists.
Accelerate the activism of ProActivists. Ignite the activism of PreActivists
and HyperActives
1.
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Leadership Internal
communications
Human Resources/
Policies
Corporate social
responsibility
ProActivists PreActivists HyperActives
Employer values employee ideas and opinions
Leadership makes it a good place to work
Employer has a very good reputation
Leadership is trustworthy
Leadership listens and responds well to employees
Employer does a good job of keeping employees informed
Employer communicates frequently with employees
Employees have many opportunities to grow and learn
Employer provides training and resources needed to do job
Employees are treated fairly regardless of their differences
Employer plays an active role in the community
Employer works to protect and improve the environment
ProActivists PreActivists HyperActives
Perceptions of top drivers of activism (% employees rated 5 on 5-point agreement scale)

Negate the negatives for ReActivists and Detractors
ReActivists are more critical than the average employee
of their employers’ reputations, provision of training and
resources, and climate of diversity and inclusion. These
perceptions need to be improved to mobilize their activism
or at least take the edge off of their negativity. Although
not a driver of activism, ReActivists also rate their employer
more harshly on safe working conditions than the average
employee (27% vs. 34%). Perhaps employers should try
competing for some of the Best Places to Work lists and
improving their workplace benefits to counter their negative
workplace perceptions. With more than one-quarter (27%) of
ReActivists often posting something negative online about
their employer, their criticisms need to be addressed.
Not surprisingly, every one of the top drivers of activism is
rated very poorly by Detractors. Their weakest perception
is trust in leadership — only 6% of them rate leadership
as trustworthy — but taken altogether, none of the drivers
are perceived positively. Employers should focus first on
leadership issues since leadership is the most important
driver of activism to begin building trust and reputation.
2.
“A professional who is dedicated, interested and
always looking to give their best for the
company is engaged with their employer.”
— Brazilian employee
Perceptions of top drivers of activism (% employees rated 5 on 5-point agreement scale)
ReActivists Detractors
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Leadership Internal
communications
Human Resources/
Policies
Corporate social
responsibility
ReActivists Detractors
Employer values employee ideas and opinions
Leadership makes it a good place to work
Employer has a very good reputation
Leadership is trustworthy
Leadership listens and responds well to employees
Employer does a good job of keeping employees informed
Employer communicates frequently with employees
Employees have many opportunities to grow and learn
Employer provides training and resources needed to do job
Employees are treated fairly regardless of their differences
Employer plays an active role in the community
Employer works to protect and improve the environment

Communicate in ways that matter
Employees, regardless of their segment, would like their employers to communicate with them more frequently through written means (73%). Work email is the driving force behind written communications (48%). It is surprising in this high-tech digital world that email is the default communications method, but perhaps employees like the control that comes with deciding when to open and respond to email, or perhaps it is what they know best and can’t imagine anything being easier or more efficient.
“There’s no doubt organizations have begun to realize significant value from largely external uses of social. Yet internal applications have barely begun to tap their full potential, even though about two-thirds of social’s estimated economic value stems from improved collaboration and communication within enterprises. Although more than 80 percent of executives say their companies deploy social technologies, few have figured out how to use them in ways that could have a large-scale, replicable, and measurable impact at an enterprise level. “
“Building the Social Enterprise,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2013
Beyond email, segments diverge on other forms of employer communications they would like more often. Digital/Online, driven by intranets and social media, is in greater demand by the most social media savvy — ProActivists, HyperActives and ReActivists. In-person meetings are more important to ProActivists, PreActivists and Detractors than to other segments. Surprisingly, InActives are no less amenable to any form of communications than other segments. This may be a sign that there is some hope of engaging this very passive group.
3.020% 40% 60% 80% 100% ProActivistsPreActivistsHyperActivesReActivistsDetractorsInActivesWrittenDigital/OnlineFace-to-Face TelecommunicationsPage Communications employees would like to receive more often
Page 21

Customize strategies and tactics for each segment
Given the diverse nature of the workforce segments, it is
clear that mobilizing employee activists cannot be a “one-size-
fits-all” approach. Based on our survey analysis, here
are our recommendations, by segment, for an employer
considering launching an employee activist program to
transform their organization, accelerate change or
drive performance:
4.
“An engaged employee is one who is involved in his work, satisfied with what he is doing and contributes
positively in the organization.”
— Indian employee
The employee activism tip sheet
Segment Strategy Tactics
Leverage and empower
their activism
• Maintain their high engagement level
• Continually reinforce their perceptions of top activism drivers
• Provide socially sharable content that showcases the drivers they rate highest
• Improve leadership drivers, especially responsiveness to employees
Ignite their activism:
Upgrade to ProActivists
• Improve leadership drivers, especially responsiveness to employees
• Provide a social activism platform: social media guidelines, training and access
Handle with care:
Upgrade to ProActivists
• Feed their need to share with positive messages and make those messages
socially sharable
• Make handy and reinforce social media guidelines
• Communicate with them frequently
• Have senior management acknowledge their contributions
Attend to internal
matters
• Improve perceptions of all top drivers
• Do a better job disseminating information about employer values and goals
• Focus internal communications messages on internal issues, such as employee training and
diversity
• Provide social media tools, guidelines, work access and sharable messages
Brace for and defuse
• Fix negative leadership trust perceptions
• Implement a change management program even if it is after the fact
• Ensure social media guidelines are in place and well-understood. Even though this segment is
not highly social, most have a personal social media account
• Ensure online monitoring tools are in place to flag behavior that is in violation of organization’s
social policies
Focus on engagement,
not activism
• Implement a localized engagement program with direct supervisors identifying InActives and
enacting an engagement plan
• Review Weber Shandwick UK’s Science of Ingagement study which provides guidance on build-ing
engagement
ProActivists
PreActivists
HyperActives
ReActivists
Detractors
InActives

10
IN CLOSING
Weber Shandwick’s Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism was designed to help organizations recognize and understand that employee activism is a movement coming their way.
It needs to be accepted and proactively managed. Just focusing on employee ambassadors or champions is not enough anymore in an always-on and super-enabled environment. Employers will increasingly need a band of employees who can take action by spreading the right messages for them, helping them recruit the best of the best or defending their position when they are under scrutiny. Organizations need to move quickly since employees are already taking matters into their own hands and, left unattended for too long, will define their employers’ brands and reputations on their own. Social media enhances this risk, but also the opportunities.
To ensure they define brand and reputation in the most authentic light and win support during the tough times as well as the easier ones, employers need to provide a culture of trust that is rooted at the leadership level. Employers need to communicate with employees in ways that are relevant to them, with messages tailored for a variety of worker segments.
Employees will continue to rise to new heights of influence. This influence needs to be tapped into so that employers
can maximize the opportunity of this exciting and transformative movement.
“Weber Shandwick’s new study demonstrates how organizations need to think ahead as to what is next. Our research uncovered an emerging trend of vital importance for employers looking to mobilize support as they exit difficult times and transform their organizations to be successful in a fast- approaching future.”
Leslie Gaines-Ross
Chief Reputation Strategist
Weber Shandwick
Page 23

Jack Leslie
Chairman
Weber Shandwick
jleslie@webershandwick.com
Andy Polansky
CEO
Weber Shandwick
apolansky@webershandwick.com
Gail Heimann
President and Chief Strategy Officer
Weber Shandwick
gheimann@webershandwick.com
Cathy Calhoun
Chief Client Officer
Weber Shandwick
ccalhoun@webershandwick.com
Sara Gavin
President, North America
Weber Shandwick
sgavin@webershandwick.com
Micho Spring
Chair, Global Corporate Practice
Weber Shandwick
mspring@webershandwick.com
Paul Jensen
President, North American Corporate Practice
Weber Shandwick
pjensen@webershandwick.com
Leslie Gaines-Ross
Chief Reputation Strategist
Weber Shandwick
lgaines-ross@webershandwick.com
Renee Austin
Co-Lead, Global Employee
Engagement & Change Management
Weber Shandwick
raustin@webershandwick.com
/WeberShandwick
@WeberShandwick
/WeberShandwick
/Company/Weber-Shandwick
/WeberShandwickGlobal
+WeberShandwick
Kate Bullinger
Co-Lead, Global Employee
Engagement & Change Management
Weber Shandwick
kbullinger@webershandwick.com
Colin Byrne
Chief Executive Officer, UK & Europe
Weber Shandwick
cbyrne@webershandwick.com
Jim Donaldson
Executive Vice President, Corporate
Communications EMEA
Weber Shandwick
jdonaldson@webershandwick.com
Tim Sutton
Chairman, Asia Pacific
Weber Shandwick
tsutton@webershandwick.com
Tyler Kim
Head of Corporate & Crisis, Asia Pacific
Weber Shandwick
tyler.kim@webershandwick.com
Zé Schiavoni
CEO, S2Publicom
Weber Shandwick
ze.schiavoni@s2publicom.com.br
Bradley Honan
CEO
KRC Research
bhonan@webershandwick.com
You can also visit:
www.webershandwick.com
For more information about Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism, or
Weber Shandwick’s Employee Engagement & Change Management services, please contact:

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