News from the FIR Blog

Wellness has risen from an afterthought in companies to a prominent issue. Businesses increasingly recognize the impact of physical and mental health in the workplace. An opportunity loss of $20 million for every 10,000 workers can be attributed to low well-being and its negative impact on performance. This amounts to a staggering global cost of up to $322 billion in employee turnover and diminished productivity as a result of burnout caused by low well-being. On the other hand, effective wellness programs leave employees seven times as likely to strongly agree that they have meaningful connections or a best friend at work, a key indicator of engagement. Mental wellness is also getting more attention as companies see the consequences of depression, stress, anxiety, and other symptoms in the workplace. Only 57 percent of employees who report moderate depression and 40 percent of those who report severe depression receive treatment to control depression symptoms. Even when programs are available, employees don’t avail themselves of them. Only about 3.5 percent of employees across the U.S. have taken advantage of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to which they have access.

Clearly, there is plenty in the wellness space for internal communicators to address, both in terms of raising awareness and moving the culture among employees as well as counseling leaders on the actions they should take through their own messages and the degree of support they offer for wellness programs.
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There has been no shortage of crises in the business world in recent months. From the failure of FTX and Silicon Valley Bank to the Norfolk Southern train derailment and fans revolting against Ticketmaster, there is more than enough fodder for a robust discussion about how companies can prepare for crises while establishing their reputations, and communicate effectively when a crisis strikes.

Join moderator Shel Holtz, SCMP, ABC, IABC Fellow, and four seasoned communicators from the ranks of Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for this hour-long conversation. Ask questions using YouTube Live’s chat feature, share your experiences, and comment on panelist observations. The live stream is set for noon EDT on Thursday, April 20.
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Everybody hates change, right? You hear that all the time; it’s why organizational change is so hard. The fact is, people love change. They willingly and enthusiastically make changes all the time. They change their fashions, their hair styles, their cars, their homes, their vacation spots, their furniture, their spouses…

If change is hard in organizations, it’s not because people just don’t like change. If there is resistance to change, you have to know why. Even if resistance is not a major issue, managing change is still a complex challenge for communicators, who play multiple roles during a change initiative, creating alignment so employees and leaders are on the same page about where we are, where we’re going, why we’re going there, how we’ll get there, and so on. And that doesn’t even account for dealing with the ongoing, day-to-day change that is a fact of life in any business. (As they say, change is the only constant in life.)

On Thursday, March 16, four Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) will discuss a wide variety of communication-related change issues. The panel, hosted by IABC Fellow Shel Holtz, SCMP, will begin at 5 p.m. ET. You will be able to ask questions and share your comments and observations, engaging directly with the panelists. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from experienced communicators with combined decades of change communication experience.
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As communication professionals grow in their careers, they’re expected to provide strategic counsel to company executives about communication and its impact on business. This week’s hot topic might be new legal regulations; next week, it could be stakeholder relations. No matter the issue, IABC’s Code of Ethics serves as a roadmap for communication professionals, guiding them to make consistent, responsible, ethical, and legal choices. Join this international panel of IABC Fellows as they share their insights and advice from decades of experience as strategic communication leaders and counselors.

Episode #89 of Circle of Fellows is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, February 16. Shel Holtz, SCMP, ABC, IABC Fellow, will moderate the panel. You can ask questions and share observations and comments in real-time using YouTube’s live-streaming chat feature. If you can’t participate during the live panel, you can always watch the video replay or listen to the audio podcast shortly after the panel discussion wraps up.
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According to the Global Communication Certification Council, “Professional certifications through GCCC® give you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise and provide evidence of your outstanding abilities. Becoming certified engages you in the process of life-long learning that elevates your career and provides a structure for keeping your skills fresh and applicable.”

At 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 19, join moderator Shel Holtz, SCMP, and four IABC Fellows for a conversation about certification. The discussion will range from why certification matters and what the CMP and SCMP certifications represent to how to prepare and how to maintain certification after earning it. Participants in the live stream will be able to ask questions and share observations in real-time.
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Join four IABC Fellows for a look back on 2022, which was a consequential year for communicators. The evolution of COVID-19 from pandemic to endemic led companies to bring employees back to the office, creating a need to communicate the new hybrid work reality (or, in some cases, why employers were insisting everyone come back full-time while others retained a remote work arrangement). “Quiet Quitting” became a topic of discussion as dissatisfied employees dialed back the effort they gave to the organizations. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remained an important topic. There were layoffs in the tech industry, along with other economic news that affected companies and employees. And there was no shortage of crises to occupy communicators’ time. These and other topics will be dissected in this special “Circle of Fellows,” scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 15.
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Is your trademark your company’s brand? Your logo? Or is your brand what your customers say about you when you’re not in the room? What’s a brand promise and how do you develop one that everyone can buy into? How do you build the brand internally so every employee projects it externally? What’s the communicator’s role in protecting the brand? And what do you do when your company fails to live up to it?

Four IABC Fellows will share their deep experience with brands and branding in the next “Circle of Fellows” episode, which will be broadcast live at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 17. You will be able to ask questions and share your own experiences in real-time during the conversation or watch the video replay or listen to the audio podcast later when it’s more convenient for you.
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You have gained experience as a communicator in an organization. Now, you want to establish a consulting practice. You have questions. Do you focus on a niche or will you be a generalist? Will you remain independent or hire staff? How do you build your business? What should you charge? Four IABC Fellows with decades of experience as communication consultants will answer your questions in episode 85 of “Circle of Fellows,” IABC’s monthly broadcast/panel discussion.
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In July, four IABC Fellows gathered to discuss what communication is…and isn’t. That conversation will continue at noon EDT on Thursday, August 18.

Too often, communicators are called upon to engage in activities some might consider communication. It may even qualify as communication under some definitions. But in the business world, simply distributing a routine notice is far from communication. It may be messaging, but even that is questionable if nobody reads it. Conversely, modifying a company process that is sending the wrong message to employees may not strike an executive as a means of communication — but it is.

Join us for this intriguing conversation and share your own thoughts, observations, experiences, and questions in real-time. If you are unable to participate during the live stream, you will be able to watch the video replay or listen to the audio podcast.
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Ask leaders what “communication” is and you are likely to hear a wide range of answers, especially when it comes to the role of a company communication function. Some of those answers may be accurate, others not so much. Too often, leaders see communication as a one-way messaging function, for example. In the first of this two-part discussion, four IABC Fellows will explore exactly what communication is…and isn’t.
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