Dell employees trash employee report card, Philadelphia city workers lose remote work lawsuit

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the last week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Dell employees fire back at company via employee report card

When employees feel that they aren’t treated with the level of respect and autonomy they deserve, they won’t go quietly. Dell found that out the hard way—after of the company implemented badge swipe tracking at office locations and withheld promotions because of it, employees harshly criticized the company through its employee report card, which allows staffers to grade the company’s performance as a workplace.

According to Yahoo Finance:

The employee net promoter score (eNPS), or if the respondent would recommend someone to work at Dell, was especially lacking. While scores varied by department, the overall eNPS decreased from 63 to 48 in one year, according to BI, which saw the results of the around 98,000-person survey

“No matter what, I’ve never seen a score move that fast in the wrong direction,” an anonymous employee told BI.

Dell downplayed the result, stating it was just one survey question and that satisfaction at Dell is still above the industry average.

If your employees feel strongly enough about perceived slights to rip apart your company through an official feedback mechanism, the data tells you when it’s time to listen. Pulse and NPS surveys don’t just give an honest snapshot of employee concerns, but also provide something tangible that should be shared with leadership to implement potential changes.

Leadership can then reflect back what they take in and speak openly about unpopular programs and initiatives with employees. Transparency won’t solve every problem, but explaining the reasons behind them can at least bring about some understanding among employees.

2. Philadelphia city employees forced back to the office after lawsuit loss

Municipal workers in Philadelphia are headed back to their desks after losing a lawsuit against new Mayor Cherelle Parker’s return-to-office mandate. The move affects nearly 26,000 workers amid concerns about work-life balance and even birds flying inside city buildings.

According to NPR:

“No one should have to come to work with birds flying all around,” said Bobby Davis, senior adviser to District Council 33.

“I want to really say the other word, but I’ll just tell you in begins with an S and ends with a T, dropping all over you during the course of a day.”

Others pointed to the unfortunate timing of the mandate for working parents.

“July 15th, in the middle of the summer, people are scrambling, trying to find childcare, trying to find summer camps,” said April Gigetts, president of District Council 47.

These testimonies didn’t affect the mayor’s viewpoint, as she held her ground and said she wanted to “create a more visible and accessible government, a city government that our residents can see, touch and feel.”

While the author of this piece is happy to see the city of his birth recovering well after the impacts of COVID, the city’s one-sided approach leaves a bit to be desired from a comms standpoint. With more dialogue with the leaders and stakeholders that the mandate affects, this issue might not be as widely reported. The mayor might have put her foot down on the matter for now, but don’t expect this to be the end of employees vocalizing their concerns.

It’s also a chance for more empathetic leadership communications. It’s great that the mayor wants to make city functions more visible, but more empathy for the people keeping the city running is always a good thing.

3. Warner Bros guts Max staff in layoff of over 1,000 employees

Layoffs in the entertainment industry have hit hard lately, with Disney and Paramount cutting jobs earlier this year. Warner Brothers Discovery recently joined the unfortunate trend, with reports that over 1,000 jobs were eliminated and Max saw its number of staffers trimmed into the single digits.

According to Variety, not all affected staff members were told of the news by publication time, and Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t immediately respond for comment.

Sadly, layoffs happen in uncertain economic times. But one thing that is controllable about this is how they’re rolled out. How would you feel if you found out about your company cutting jobs from a media report and you hadn’t been told yet?

Approach your layoff comms with transparency, empathy, and understanding, and work to ensure that all employees are notified of all relevant aspects of the move before going to the media. Having the proper structures and methods in place to do so will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

4. How about some good news?

• France opened its first museum dedicated to cheese.
• An ancient temple 3,500 years older than Macchu Picchu was discovered in Peru.
• A report from Yale stated mushrooms can help turn contaminated brownfields into blooming meadows.
• Ragan Training is great for communications pros to find inspiration and resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!

Have a great weekend comms all-stars!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night.