With deskless workers making up an estimated 80% of the UK workforce, communicating effectively with them is a vital skill for many employers.
Line manager cascades are one of the key tools used for doing this.
Yet, in our recent Remotely Interested? research report, only around a third (36%) of the deskless workers we surveyed believed their line manager was an accurate source of information. This is despite the research also finding that line managers were viewed as the most important channel for this group of workers.
In this blog I’ll take a look at the importance of line manager cascades, what a good one should contain, and how you can ensure you are using them as effectively as possible.
What is a deskless worker?
When I refer to deskless workers here I’m not talking about remote workers – those who are primarily desk-based but can do their job from home or multiple locations. I’m talking about non-desk-based employees whose work doesn’t require them to be at a computer or connected to a smart phone all the time, for example those working in manufacturing, retail, transport, public services or hospitality.
Our Remotely Interested? report, published earlier this year, looks at the communication needs of this group of workers in more detail but, for the purposes of this blog, we will be focusing on the role line managers can play, because the research tells us this is the place to invest in.
What is a line manager cascade?
Line manager cascades are used to share key messages to workers who do not have regular access to a computer or other connected device during the course of their working day. They usually take the form of verbal briefings, with the messages included in them decided on by senior leadership teams in conjunction with communications managers.
Why getting line manager cascades right is so important
Our research found that the communications skills of line managers often have a direct link to how employees view communication inside their organisation. If a deskless worker believes their line manager is a poor communicator then they’re likely to believe the organisation itself is poor at communicating.
Getting line manager cascades right prevents the work being done by leadership teams or central functions from being wasted and ensures people are hearing the messages that we, as communications leaders, want them to hear.
There can be a huge amount of noise coming at employees from various different angles but a well-delivered, well thought-out line manager cascade can cut through this, providing people with a concise round-up of the things they really need to know.
Top tips for a great line manager cascade
Dedicate enough time to getting it right
While the cascades themselves shouldn’t take long, it’s important to give enough time to the process for it to be truly effective.
We often move quite quickly in communications, because we have to, but understanding the timeline individual managers really need to communicate with all of their staff is crucial, particularly if they have multiple people on their team working different shifts.
We have to give enough time for these conversations to happen.
Create space for questions
Line managers should be given thorough briefings, as well as the space to ask any questions they might need to know the answers to before they are able to discuss things with their team.
Make sure you have created this space for line managers to have conversations with senior leaders or other decision makers. This could be via a section on the intranet or a briefing call each month. What’s important is that there is a space for conversation and that we’re not just broadcasting messages from the centre to this group.
Allow time to develop line managers’ skills
As well as allowing time for the delivery of the information, there needs to be an allowance for the time it will take to equip line managers with everything they need to do this effectively.
This doesn’t have to mean sending everyone on internal communications courses, but it’s about asking whether they have the skills, and the right information, to deliver cascades effectively.
Always ask them if they feel they have everything they need, or whether they need any supplementary information.
It can also be helpful to provide them with an overview of the six keys to impactful communication:
1. Focus on the audience
2. Be clear about the outcome
3. Remember communication isn’t just words, actions count too
4. Keep it simple and jargon free
5. Structure communication so that it makes sense to the reader
6. Be conscious of your digital communications etiquette and show that you’re engaged, even if not in the room.
Ensure line managers are given the right type of content
The culture of deskless workers is very different to that of a desk-based colleagues. Presenting these employees with the same content you’ve sent out in emails or written briefings will rarely translate well.
Content needs to be shared quickly and requires a different language to that aimed at those who are office-based. The sentence structures are different, the length of content is shorter and it is much more direct.
I liken it to whenever I hear Professor Brian Cox, the physicist, talk. I know the words he is saying, they’re not unfamiliar to me, but the way he puts them together baffles me, and I come away not understanding anything he has said! Deskless workers feel the same when it comes to understanding content designed for office-based teams.
Creating this shorter form content is much easier when you have a good content strategy that allows you to use the same information in multiple ways for different audience groups.
Learn more about their language choices. They won’t always use the same words and phrases as those based in an office, no matter how plain English it might seem.
Time and investment is needed to understand the audience in more depth, especially how they actually communicate with each other.
Keep it relevant
This is probably the most important piece of the jigsaw here.
If the information is relevant, people will have all they need to do their job well.
Be clear on the difference between what people have to know and what they might want to know, and structure your cascades appropriately.
Do not treat it like a presentation – there is only time for the key messages, so you need to be absolutely clear what they are and what outcomes you are looking for as a result.
Provide an opportunity for staff to give feedback and be clear on how they can do this
This is not just about cascading stuff out… be clear how you want things to come back.
As with all effective pieces of communication, you need to consider:
- What do you want people to do with the information?
- How do you want them to feel about it?
- What do you want them to think?
Once you know the answers to these you can share with the line managers who will be delivering the information, so that they can understand what successful delivery looks like.
An excellent book on this subject that covers many of the topics touched on here is The Art of Explanation by Ros Atkins.
You can download the Remotely Interested report here, or if you’d like more help in ensuring communication in your organisation is as effective as possible contact our team at info@redefiningcomms.com
