General Communication Inc. (GCI) (NASDAQ: GNCMA) is a telecommunications corporation operating in Alaska. Through its own facilities and agreements with other providers, GCI provides cable television service, Internet access, and wireline and cellular telephone service.
Based in Anchorage, GCI provides cable television service to approximately three-quarters of Alaska residents. [1] GCI has upgraded most of its network to support digital cable broadcasts and provides high-definition broadcasts in some of the state's larger cities. [2]. GCI leases an array of analog and digital cable boxes, including HD and DVR digital cable boxes, to its customers. In 2008, GCI discontinued analog cable service to Anchorage residences, moving to a fully digital platform.
GCI also provides content to the state-operated Alaska Rural Communications Service satellite system, which in turn provides free over-the-air broadcasts of commercial and public television programs to 235 rural Alaskan communities.
Every day employees are faced with thousands of attempts to get their attention. Companies need better, more cost effective ways of reaching their workforce.
We are committed to helping businesses and organizations, both big and small, with their internal communication - by providing you with easy-to-use tools to stay in touch with employees.
We can:
Devise tailor made elements for your campaign for you to implement
Conceptualize and implement your entire campaign
Provide workplace communication tools such as newsletters, brochures and ideas, or
Consult with your PR, internal marketing, communication or human resources departments
Whatever suits your needs best.
We specialize in providing practical, employee retention tips, employee engagement and recognition strategies. These workplace communication methods and campaigns will get the attention of employees, break through resistance and achieve the end result that you want. Techniques that you can implement eg how to create your own layout and other ideas and tips.
We use new, unusual, fresh workplace communication strategies and campaigns to create awareness and change behavior on the following staff issues:
Employee engagement strategies including:
Electricity and energy saving
Safety, health and HIV
Cost cutting, efficiency, excellence and accuracy campaigns
Visions and values
Change management, integrations and mergers
Customer service/service excellence
Corporate whistle blowing
Call Centre and IT campaigns
Recycling campaigns
Promotions around special days including women's day, worker's day, world aids day, world environment day and spring day, create your own layout
Creative employee recognition programs
Employee retention strategies
General communication tools
Brochures, newsletters, annual reports, risk reports, sustainability reports, magazines
Communication programmers
Corporate identity and design
Advertising
Direct marketing and brand building
Publicity
Events, launches, special events and seminar
Below-the-line marketing
Relationship marketing and direct marketing
Database development and exploration
Corporate identity management and design
Graphic design
E-solutions
Public relations
Create your own Layout
Employee communication
Investor relations
Community relations
Event and exhibitions management
Product point of sale displays
If you think that employee retention is not a concern because of the current economy, think again. Keeping an eye on employee turnover is important no matter what the economic landscape looks like: Employees who do not feel satisfied, appreciated, and motivated may have a longer job search ahead of them right now, but eventually they will find a new position and quit jobs that are unfulfilling. Although they may cite pay as the reason they resigned during their exit interviews, more often than not, employee dissatisfaction cannot be explained on a pay stub.
Open Enrollment is oftentimes one of the busiest times of the year for an employer. However, the economic downturn has made the process much more of an arduous endeavor this time around than in years past, as some companies have had to make the excruciating decision to drastically alter or even remove portions of their benefit packages in order to remain financially strong. If your company falls into this unfortunate sector, then you know that conveying the information to the workforce is just as nerve wracking as the initial determination itself, if not more so. Anger and disillusionment can easily drape your staff upon hearing the news that some of their benefits they have enjoyed in previous years are either skyrocketing in price or going away altogether. However, if you properly prepare this necessary interoffice communication, you can make great strides to minimizing the malaise that will be poised to sweep through the office.
The most important thing you can do in light of the potential onslaught is to be sure the communication with your staff over this matter comes across as empathetic, and not just sympathetic. In other words, meet their mindset as much as possible. Make certain each memo, e-mail, and newsletter that addresses benefit changes avoids sounding generically corporate and communicates at the staff’s level. This approach will help to answer a great deal of the workforce’s “why” questions before they get a chance to be asked.
You can achieve this by pulling back on using blanket statements and revealing an appropriate level of reasoning behind the decision instead. For example, phrases like “in these tough economic times” have been so overused as the de facto, near clichéd way to signal that bad financial news is afoot that they have become rather cold, impersonal expressions. Your employees know that everyone is a wading through treacherous monetary waters; a shopworn statement that merely states the obvious will most likely make you look aloof and unaffected in the eyes of your staff. The better way to inform your staff about the benefit changes would be to provide as much concrete data to the workforce as you feel comfortable sharing. Just simply stating the ways the economic downturn have affected the company goes a long way than just reiterating a hodgepodge of “times are tough” rhetoric. You don’t have to open your books or other private ledgers to accomplish this; merely giving innocuous explanations on how the economy has affected you as an employer will actively demonstrate to your employees that you have felt the pinch of the economy every bit as they have. Moreover, it enhances the element of equality and camaraderie to decisions that otherwise may look a bit feudalistic.
Additionally, as you share this information with your workforce, do not try and sugarcoat the situation by beginning your announcement with flowery statements of employee appreciation. On paper, an opening salvo speaking of how the company cares about its staff looks like a good strategy. However, the reality is such leadoff phraseology may backfire, because your workforce may interpret it as a bait-and-switch of sorts, which could foster feelings of disingenuousness. Instead, your best bet is to save the words of compassion until after the news has been broken and the facts and data associated with it have been laid out. Once this foundation has been established, then you can (and should) build up spires of benevolence.
Of course, there will be grumblings amongst the workforce no matter how you break the bad tidings. However, following these guidelines can go a long way into keeping such complaints low, which in turn will lessen any dip in office morale. It will also help reinforce and strengthen bonds between you and your staff, which can ultimately serve you quite handsomely once the economy recovers.
Based in Anchorage, GCI provides cable television service to approximately three-quarters of Alaska residents. [1] GCI has upgraded most of its network to support digital cable broadcasts and provides high-definition broadcasts in some of the state's larger cities. [2]. GCI leases an array of analog and digital cable boxes, including HD and DVR digital cable boxes, to its customers. In 2008, GCI discontinued analog cable service to Anchorage residences, moving to a fully digital platform.
GCI also provides content to the state-operated Alaska Rural Communications Service satellite system, which in turn provides free over-the-air broadcasts of commercial and public television programs to 235 rural Alaskan communities.
Every day employees are faced with thousands of attempts to get their attention. Companies need better, more cost effective ways of reaching their workforce.
We are committed to helping businesses and organizations, both big and small, with their internal communication - by providing you with easy-to-use tools to stay in touch with employees.
We can:
Devise tailor made elements for your campaign for you to implement
Conceptualize and implement your entire campaign
Provide workplace communication tools such as newsletters, brochures and ideas, or
Consult with your PR, internal marketing, communication or human resources departments
Whatever suits your needs best.
We specialize in providing practical, employee retention tips, employee engagement and recognition strategies. These workplace communication methods and campaigns will get the attention of employees, break through resistance and achieve the end result that you want. Techniques that you can implement eg how to create your own layout and other ideas and tips.
We use new, unusual, fresh workplace communication strategies and campaigns to create awareness and change behavior on the following staff issues:
Employee engagement strategies including:
Electricity and energy saving
Safety, health and HIV
Cost cutting, efficiency, excellence and accuracy campaigns
Visions and values
Change management, integrations and mergers
Customer service/service excellence
Corporate whistle blowing
Call Centre and IT campaigns
Recycling campaigns
Promotions around special days including women's day, worker's day, world aids day, world environment day and spring day, create your own layout
Creative employee recognition programs
Employee retention strategies
General communication tools
Brochures, newsletters, annual reports, risk reports, sustainability reports, magazines
Communication programmers
Corporate identity and design
Advertising
Direct marketing and brand building
Publicity
Events, launches, special events and seminar
Below-the-line marketing
Relationship marketing and direct marketing
Database development and exploration
Corporate identity management and design
Graphic design
E-solutions
Public relations
Create your own Layout
Employee communication
Investor relations
Community relations
Event and exhibitions management
Product point of sale displays
If you think that employee retention is not a concern because of the current economy, think again. Keeping an eye on employee turnover is important no matter what the economic landscape looks like: Employees who do not feel satisfied, appreciated, and motivated may have a longer job search ahead of them right now, but eventually they will find a new position and quit jobs that are unfulfilling. Although they may cite pay as the reason they resigned during their exit interviews, more often than not, employee dissatisfaction cannot be explained on a pay stub.
Open Enrollment is oftentimes one of the busiest times of the year for an employer. However, the economic downturn has made the process much more of an arduous endeavor this time around than in years past, as some companies have had to make the excruciating decision to drastically alter or even remove portions of their benefit packages in order to remain financially strong. If your company falls into this unfortunate sector, then you know that conveying the information to the workforce is just as nerve wracking as the initial determination itself, if not more so. Anger and disillusionment can easily drape your staff upon hearing the news that some of their benefits they have enjoyed in previous years are either skyrocketing in price or going away altogether. However, if you properly prepare this necessary interoffice communication, you can make great strides to minimizing the malaise that will be poised to sweep through the office.
The most important thing you can do in light of the potential onslaught is to be sure the communication with your staff over this matter comes across as empathetic, and not just sympathetic. In other words, meet their mindset as much as possible. Make certain each memo, e-mail, and newsletter that addresses benefit changes avoids sounding generically corporate and communicates at the staff’s level. This approach will help to answer a great deal of the workforce’s “why” questions before they get a chance to be asked.
You can achieve this by pulling back on using blanket statements and revealing an appropriate level of reasoning behind the decision instead. For example, phrases like “in these tough economic times” have been so overused as the de facto, near clichéd way to signal that bad financial news is afoot that they have become rather cold, impersonal expressions. Your employees know that everyone is a wading through treacherous monetary waters; a shopworn statement that merely states the obvious will most likely make you look aloof and unaffected in the eyes of your staff. The better way to inform your staff about the benefit changes would be to provide as much concrete data to the workforce as you feel comfortable sharing. Just simply stating the ways the economic downturn have affected the company goes a long way than just reiterating a hodgepodge of “times are tough” rhetoric. You don’t have to open your books or other private ledgers to accomplish this; merely giving innocuous explanations on how the economy has affected you as an employer will actively demonstrate to your employees that you have felt the pinch of the economy every bit as they have. Moreover, it enhances the element of equality and camaraderie to decisions that otherwise may look a bit feudalistic.
Additionally, as you share this information with your workforce, do not try and sugarcoat the situation by beginning your announcement with flowery statements of employee appreciation. On paper, an opening salvo speaking of how the company cares about its staff looks like a good strategy. However, the reality is such leadoff phraseology may backfire, because your workforce may interpret it as a bait-and-switch of sorts, which could foster feelings of disingenuousness. Instead, your best bet is to save the words of compassion until after the news has been broken and the facts and data associated with it have been laid out. Once this foundation has been established, then you can (and should) build up spires of benevolence.
Of course, there will be grumblings amongst the workforce no matter how you break the bad tidings. However, following these guidelines can go a long way into keeping such complaints low, which in turn will lessen any dip in office morale. It will also help reinforce and strengthen bonds between you and your staff, which can ultimately serve you quite handsomely once the economy recovers.