Offering equity in troubled times and beyond – lessons from Shareworks’ Virtual Share Plan Summit

I was pleased to be a panellist during Shareworks’ Virtual Share Plan Summit 2020.

Our session looked at how companies are adjusting their equity compensation and employee engagement strategies during the current economic climate.

The conversations covered a range of topics – and here are my top three takeaways.

 

1. It’s good to talk

Eximia is all about inspiring conversation, so it was great to hear Spanish on-demand courier service Glovo is doing just that. After the business discovered many of its people didn’t understand the jargon associated with share plans, they delivered ‘back to school’ events, including tutorials and opportunities for employees to have their queries answered. The result? Fantastic feedback and a spike in take-up.

 

2. Timing is everything

No industry has felt the effects of Covid more than travel – and Head of Global Share Plans, Matt Connor, shared trivago’s story. With its reason for existence halted, the company put survival plans in place, including focusing on local instead of international travel. Another decision was to pause several internal campaigns not deemed appropriate to launch considering they were in the fight of their lives. A huge amount of work goes into planning, building and promoting initiatives – such as new share purchase schemes – so resisting the temptation to plough on with plans is tough. However, gauging your audience’s mood is a skill all communicators must learn if they want to deliver successful campaigns and avoid an employee backlash.

 

3. Know your audience

I was delighted to share the employee engagement trends Eximia has seen during the pandemic, including the rise of digital strategies, companies embracing a people-first culture, employees striving for a better work-life balance and accessibility and inclusion being at the heart of communications. I also explained businesses who want to not just survive in 2021, but thrive, need to better understand their audiences. This includes giving employees the opportunity to provide regular feedback on what communication channels work for them and what content they want to engage with. Annual communications audits are great, but you still need regular pulse surveys to adjust your strategy throughout the year. When you truly know your people, you can create bespoke communication plans that drive real, positive change.

 

Take a look at the overview of the ‘Offering equity in troubled times and beyond’ Shareworks share plan session.

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