How Phillips 66 uses its mobile app to keep employees informed and engaged

In less than a month, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed the workplace. This dramatic shift has made the job of internal communicators even more challenging—and critical—than before.

While every organization has unique hurdles to overcome, all communicators share the need to keep employees informed and engaged through this ever-evolving crisis.

We spoke with Laurie Madden, senior advisor of digital projects, corporate communications at Phillips 66, about the strategies and tools she’s using to keep employees connected.

Here’s what we learned:

Ragan: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced from COVID-19 as a communicator at Phillips 66?

Madden: Managing the sheer volume of information while adjusting to a new work environment. We have to make sure the right message comes from the right people at the right time.

That’s meant working with our leaders to establish a regular cadence for corporate level communications. Our site communicators then can work around that cadence so we can avoid saturation. This has all happened while people are learning new technology on the fly.