2015 Workplace Trends - Complete Results Report - 041615 - To POST To WEBSITE

2015 Workplace Trends For Communicators
Complete Research Results Report

Prepared by Dulye & Co. in partnership with
IABC and PR Newswire
Dec. 2014
Poll Hosted by Dulye & Co. for Third Year

Employee Engagement
2-Way Communication Strategies
Pulse Check Measurement
Leadership Development
2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary
Report Contents
2015 Research Overview

Actual Results: 2015 Quantitative Data
and Written Comments
Comparatives:
2013 / 2014 / 2015 Results
5 Ways to Use this Data
2015 Research Overview:

Process, Participation
and Key Takeaways
2015 Poll Process

Develop poll: 12 questions
about challenges,
priorities, resources,
metrics / 4 demographic
questions
Distribute link and conduct
poll: Oct. 20 Nov. 5, 2014
Compile 210 responses
and trend data
Sort 456 written comments
Present results during live
webinar on Dec. 9, 2014
Terrific Response for 2015
Number of Responses
Participation Tracker
250
210
200
150
136
100
108
50
0
2013 Poll
(conducted in 2012)
2014 Poll
(conducted in 2013)
2015 Poll
(conducted in 2014)
Workplace Trends Poll

Largest response in polls three year history!
Participation Demographics
Level
Business/Organization
VP
(19)
9%
Other (37)
18%
Other
(21)
10%
Director
(57)
27%
Specialist
(44)
21%
Manager
(54)
26%
Govt./
Public
sector (37)
18%
Private
sector
(110)
52%
Not-forprofit (42)
20%
Participation Demographics
Company Size
# of employees
501-1,000
(18)
9%
101-500
(28)
14%
Less
than 100
(42)
20%
Communication
Dept. Size
6-10 (43)
21%
Greater
than
1,000
(119)
57%
More
than 10
(52)
25%
1-5 (113)
54%
2015 Research: Key Takeaways

Communication professionals rank employee
engagement AND implementing new work tools/
technology as top 2015 challenges. Not the case
for their business leaders.
Strategic planning is biggest priority for
communication professionals.
Consistency reigns! Regardless of their business
size, industry or department size, communicators
rank employee engagement as a top challenge
and strategic planning as a top priority.
2015 Research: Key Takeaways

When it comes to demonstrating value, most
communicators say employee engagement is the
result they must deliver in 2015.
Communicators see business management
experience as paramount for career growth.
Staffing and budgets for most communication
departments are expected to be unchanged.
41% of respondents rarely or never receive
executive-level funding for their communication
programs.
Financial performance is the ultimate metric for
most communication leaders.
10
Actual Results:
2015 Quantitative Data
and Written Comments
11
Biggest Workplace Challenges: Communicators

What are the top 2 challenges on your professional radar screen for 2015?
(Participants were asked to select 2 responses)
employee engagement
42%
work tools/technology
42%
24%
innovation and product/service pipeline

business development
20%
leader development
19%
16%
customer satisfaction
economic uncertainty
10%
talent recruitment
10%
7%
competition threats
10%
other
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Note: This is the first year that work tools/technology was included as a response choice for this poll question.
12
Biggest Workplace Challenges: Executive Team

What are the top 2 challenges on your companys Executive Team radar screen for
2015? (Participants were asked to select 2 responses)
47%
business development
39%
innovation and product/service pipeline
27%
customer satisfaction
economic uncertainty
18%
competition threats
17%
15%
employee engagement
talent recruitment
11%
10%
8%
leadership development
6%
other
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Note: This is the first year that work tools/technology was included as a response choice for this poll question.
13
Face-Off: Top 5 Challenges for 2015
Communication
Professionals
Executive Team
(as rated by communication professionals)
1. Employee engagement
1. Business development
2. Work tools/technology
3. Innovation
5. Leader development
2. Innovation
3. Customer satisfaction
4. Economic uncertainty
5. Competition threats
Significant variation!
14
Communicators Priorities
Identify your top two priorities for 2015 as a communication leader.
(Participants were asked to select 2 responses)
37%
32%
28%
28%
24%
strategic planning
metrics and measurement
employee engagement
personal development
10%
10%
10%
8%
7%
4%
manager engagement
leader development
staff development
funding and budget
talent recruitment
other
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
15
More Variation! Among Communicators
% of responses with
engagement as top priority
100%
52%
50%
45%
39%
32%
0%
Manager
Director Specialist
Vice
President
Different perspective from the top!

16
Communication Funding / Support

To what extent are communication programs/practices where you work funded by the
CEO, President or other Senior Leader outside of the HR or Communication Depts.?
39%
Sometimes
31%
Rarely
20%
Often
10%
Never
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Note: This question was introduced for the first time this year in the 2015 Workplace Trends Poll.
17
Communicators Professional Development

What skills or expertise do you feel is most important for a communication
professional to become or remain a member of senior management?
Business management experience
40%
Analytical skills
22%
Networking skills
18%
Industry experience
Financial skills
11%
2%
Other
8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
18
Communicators Work Relationships
With your direct boss
3.4
With your company/organizations

C-suite leaders
3.0
With colleagues in other

departments
3.4
1
Non-existent
4
Excellent
19
Communication Budget
Unchanged
59%
More
21%
Less
20%
0%
50%
100%
20
Communication Staffing
Unchanged
70%
More
21%
Less
10%
0%
50%
100%
21
Written Comments
Written comments are shown as submitted,
without corrections to spelling or grammar.
A total of 364 comments were received.
22
Written Comments: Communicator Deliverables

In your role as a communication leader, what is the #1 result that you are responsible
for delivering in 2015?
36
Employee engagement
32
Business development/bottom line
23
Customer satisfaction
Marketing/brand awareness
17
Employee understanding of strategy/goals
17
Work tools/technology
17
12
Better communication practices
Staff/leader development
23
Other
0
Total: 184
10
20
30
40
Number of Responses
23

for delivering in 2015? (unedited sample comments)
Employee engagement (36)
Creating employee buy-in for transitional initiatives.
Keeping employees engaged and educated during times of change.
Keeping associates informed and engaged with the business and the company.
Business development/bottom line (32)

Translating leads into sales.
ROI. Which platforms and messages are helping us achieve goal.
Measurable and tangible outcomes (i.e. revenue)
Customer satisfaction (23)

Top-quality products that meet member needs.
Relevant, quality content that drives customer engagement.
Customer satisfaction while meeting the bottom line for revenue generation
Marketing/brand awareness (17)

We're overhauling our brand in March 2015. That's the big thing for us right now.
Differentiating our product and service offering in the marketplace
Raising awareness of current and emerging brands across our market areas
24

for delivering in 2015? (unedited sample comments)
Employee understanding of strategy/goals (17)
Employees understand the company's strategy and how their role supports it.
Employee understanding of business strategy - linking several pieces (new products, new
strategies, new initiatives). Helping employees understand how it all ties together and how it
will impact them in their jobs.
Work tools/technology (17)

More efficient, higher quality communication through many tools - including tablets, smart
phones, etc.
Creating an effective two-way information flow in our HR community via a new HR portal.
Better communication practices (12)

Clear, concise and transparent communication of company key messages.
Executive communications that engage and inspire.
Staff/leader development (7)

Training communication professionals that can handle the varied demands of the job.
Improved communication skills among top leaders
25
Written Comments: Performance Metrics

In your role as a communication leader, what is the metric that will be used to track
and measure performance?
37
Sales/financial performance
27
Survey/focus group results
21
20
18
Employee engagement/satisfaction/participation
Multiple metrics
Web analytics/use of online tools
12
11
No metric established
6
6
5
Project completion/meeting deadlines

Informal feedback
External stakeholder awareness
17
Other
0
Total: 180
20
40
Number of Responses
26

and measure performance? (unedited sample comments)
Sales/financial performance (37)
Sales of memberships and registrations to conferences, especially our annual conference.
Improvements in performance in the areas we target: more sales, better/more efficient
service, etc.
New clients and expansion of business with existing clients
Survey/focus group results (27)

Our goal is to conduct focus groups in Q1 2015. Based on the findings, implement programs
in 2015 to be measure against in 1-2 years.
Comparing results of 2014 engagement survey with our 2015/2016 survey
Survey research before during and after
Employee engagement/satisfaction/participation (21)

Employee engagement/satisfaction RE communication quality
Team member (employee) feedback via survey, focus groups and supervisor feedback.
Participation in events and programs.
27

Multiple metrics (20)
There are multiple metrics from new followers on our social channels to visible increase in
associate engagement.
number of completed projects, project owner feedback forms, year-end internal customer
satisfaction survey
A combination of quantitative and qualitative feedback from all levels: the Board of Directors,
customers, Wall Street analysts, stock price, media, senior leadership.
Web analytics/use of online tools (18)

opt ins, opens, comments within our soon-to-be-launching app and text message platform
TV ratings, website hits, social media engagement.
Customer satisfaction (12)

Customer satisfaction with online tools and services.
Customer returns, referrals and appreciation.
No metric established (11)

Still under negotiation. Right now it is "followers," but we know this is a bad metric.
Not yet decided. I think more polls and surveys will give more meaning to the dry numbers
(hits and visits) that we receive as data now.
28

Project completion/meeting deadlines (6)
Meet project deadlines, reduced expenses related to projects, increase in quality.
Development of the employee engagement strategy; completion of the integration of the new
tactics.
Informal feedback (6)

Quality of communications and positive feedback
Management's perception
External stakeholder awareness (5)

Tonality of stories and our media "heat maps" that show which media relationships are
strong and which need improvement.
Community engagement in the corporate brand, as measured through various channels
29
All Written Comments Available
View all of the written

comments from the 2015 Poll
on the Dulye & Co. dashboard:
dulye.com/2015writtencomments
30
Comparatives:
2013 / 2014 / 2015 Results
and 2015 Demographic
Comparisons
31

What are the top 2 challenges on your professional radar screen?
Top 5 responses by year.
2013
2014
2015
39%
36%
33%
4. Innovation
25%
20%
1. Employee engagement 1.
45%
2. Customer satisfaction 2.
35%
3. Business development 3.
34%
4. Economic uncertainty 4.
21%
5. Innovation
5.
16%
Employee engagement
42%
42%
Innovation
24%
Business development
20%
Leader development
19%
Communicators still rank employee engagement as the #1 challenge.

However, after being introduced as a response choice for this question in the
2015 poll, work tools/technology gains favor.
32
Biggest Workplace Challenges: Executives

What are the top 2 challenges on your companys Executive Team radar screen?
2013
2014
2015
48%
40%
3. Innovation
31%
25%
14%
48%
2. Innovation
37%
29%
29%
5. Talent recruitment
17%
47%
2. Innovation
39%
27%
18%
17%
Business development continues as the #1 challenge for executives,

and concerns about the economy continue to wane.
33
Communicators Top 5 Priorities

Identify your top two priorities as a communication leader.
2013
2014
2015
1. Strategic Planning
42%
26%
3. Personal development
26%
4. Metrics/measurement
26%
24%
1. Strategic Planning
1.
39%
2. Personal development 2.
33%
3. Employee engagement 3.
30%
4. Metrics/measurement 4.
30%
5. Work tools/technology 5.
23%
Strategic planning
37%
Metrics/measurement
32%
Employee engagement
28%
28%
Personal development
24%
Communicators consistently cite the same top 5 priorities

for the past 3 years, with strategic planning holding the top spot.
34
Communicators Professional Development

What skills or expertise do you feel is most important for a communication
professional to become or remain a member of senior management?
2014
2015
40%
40%
Business management experience
21%
22%
Analytical skills
19%
18%
Networking skills
7%
11%
Industry experience
Financial skills
7%
2%
Other
7%
8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Note: This question was first introduced in the 2014 Workplace Trends Poll.
35

2013
2014
2015
3.4
Your working relationship with your
direct boss
3.3
3.4
3.1

company/organizations C-suite
leaders
2.9
3.0
3.3
Your working relationship with

colleagues in other departments
3.3
3.4
1
Non-existent
4
Excellent
36
2013
2014
2015
52%
61%
59%
Unchanged
17%
16%
21%
More
31%
23%
20%
Less
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
37
2013
2014
2015
71%
Unchanged
61%
70%
More
14%
16%
21%
Less
15%
23%
10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
38
2015 Demographic Comparisons:

Responses by Level
39

Top 5 responses per group
Vice President
2. Innovation
5. Talent recruitment
Director
53%
37%
32%
32%
11%
Specialist
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Employee engagement
Innovation
Economic uncertainty
52%
44%
27%
18%
13%
Manager
Employee engagement
Innovation
Leader development
39%
39%
28%
20%
19%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Employee engagement
Leader development
Innovation
52%
36%
28%
20%
18%
Communicators at higher levels put less emphasis on

Employee engagement. There is more focus on
New work tools/technology at all levels.
40

2015? Top 5 responses per group
Vice President
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Talent recruitment
Director
58%
53%
22%
21%
11%
Specialist
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Employee engagement
Competition threats
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Competition threats
39%
38%
28%
27%
25%
Manager
43%
36%
33%
21%
19%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Employee engagement
59%
37%
22%
16%
15%
Communicators consistently rank Business development and

Innovation as top challenges for their Executive Team.
41

Vice President
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Metrics and measurement
Strategic planning
Talent recruitment
Employee engagement/
Manager engagement
Director
52%
32%
22%
21%
16%
Specialist
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategic planning
Your personal development
Employee engagement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategic planning
Employee engagement
Staff development
43%
31%
30%
28%
17%
Manager
40%
35%
35%
28%
26%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategic Planning
Employee engagement
33%
33%
32%
25%
24%
All groups rank Strategic planning as a top priority, along with Metrics and
measurement, Work tools/technology, and Employee engagement.
42

Vice President
Director
Specialist
Manager
3.5
3.6

direct boss
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.3

leaders
2.6
2.7
3.6
3.5

3.3
3.3
1
Non-existent
4
Excellent
43
Vice President
Director
Specialist
Manager
53%
57%
58%
Unchanged
79%
16%
25%
Less
14%
12%
32%
18%
More
28%
10%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
44
Vice President
Director
Specialist
Manager
68%
65%
60%
Unchanged
85%
11%
12%
9%
6%
Less
21%
23%
30%
More
10%
0%
50%
100%
45

Responses by
Business/Organization
46

Private Sector
Not-for-profit
Govt./Public
44%
37%
3. Innovation
27%
22%
5. Leader development/
16%
51%
34%
3. Innovation
22%
17%
17%
51%
49%
27%
22%
5. Innovation
16%
Communicators in all organizations rank Employee engagement

as a top challenge for 2015.
47

Private Sector
Not-for-profit
Govt./Public
59%
2. Innovation
40%
26%
18%
15%
39%
2. Innovation
39%
34%
32%
25%
1. Innovation
40%
28%
28%
27%
25%
Communicators in all organizations continue to view

Business development as a top challenge for Executives,
but Innovation is becoming more important.
48

Private Sector
Not-for-profit
Govt./Public
1. Strategic planning
38%
30%
29%
26%
25%
41%
32%
29%
25%
5. Funding and budget
17%
39%
36%
36%
16%
5. Management
engagement/ Personal
development/ Work
tools/technology 16%
Communicators across all organizations rank Strategic planning as a high

priority, with Metrics and measurement also important.
49

Private Sector
Not-for-profit
Govt./Public
3.4
direct boss
3.4
3.7
2.9

leaders
3.1
3.1
3.4

3.4
3.4
1
Non-existent
4
Excellent
50
Private sector
Not-for-profit
Govt./Public
60%
Unchanged
51%
71%
19%
Less
27%
11%
21%
More
22%
17%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
51
Private sector
Not-for-profit
Govt./Public
71%
Unchanged
71%
69%
9%
Less
12%
11%
19%
More
17%
19%
0%
50%
100%
52

Responses by Company Size
# of employees
53

Under 100 employees

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
101-500 employees
44%
41%
27%
27%
19%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Employee engagement
Leader development
Innovation
Business development/
501-1,000 employees
Over 1,000 employees
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Employee engagement
44%
Talent recruitment
28%
22%
Leader development
22%
Customer satisfaction/
17%
Innovation/ Business development
Employee engagement
Innovation
Leader development
47%
43%
29%
25%
21%
51%
46%
23%
18%
13%
Except for smaller organizations, Employee engagement

is the top priority for communicators for 2015.
54

Under 100 employees

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Leader development
101-500 employees
52%
35%
34%
20%
19%
501-1,000 employees
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Employee engagement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Competition threats
57%
46%
32%
18%
18%

50%
39%
28%
23%
17%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Innovation
Competition threats
Employee engagement
42%
39%
29%
21%
18%
Communicators, regardless of organization size, rank

Business development as the #1 challenge for their Executive Team,
and cite Innovation as another key challenge.
55

Under 100 employees

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategic planning
Metrics/measurement
Funding and budget
101-500 employees
45%
40%
31%
28%
19%
501-1,000 employees
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategic planning
Metrics/measurement
Employee engagement
Staff development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Metrics/measurement
Strategic planning
Employee engagement
Leader development
36%
32%
28%
25%
25%

39%
34%
28%
28%
28%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategic planning
Employee engagement
Metrics/measurement
36%
35%
31%
27%
22%
Strategic planning is a key priority for communicators,

regardless of organization size.
56

Under 100
100-500
501-1,000
Over 1,000
3.5
3.5
3.4
3.4

direct boss
3.0
3.0
2.9
2.9

leaders
3.5
3.4

3.1
3.4
1
Non-existent
4
Excellent
57
Under 100
100-500
501-1,000
Over 1,000
56%
79%
Unchanged
47%
57%
15%
4%
Less
24%
25%
29%
18%
More
29%
18%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
58
Under 100
100-500
501-1,000
Over 1,000
75%
86%
Unchanged
65%
65%
8%
Less
0%
18%
12%
18%
14%
18%
23%
More
0%
50%
100%
59

Responses by
Communication Dept. Size
60

1-5
6-10
More than 10
44%
38%
3. Innovation
25%
22%
18%
54%
32%
31%
4. Innovation
22%
22%
47%
41%
3. Innovation
21%
18%
5. Leader development/
16%
Regardless of size, communication departments rank Employee

engagement as a top challenge, along with Work tools/technology.
61

1-5
6-10
More than 10
52%
2. Innovation
34%
25%
23%
14%
1. Innovation
48%
45%
31%
24%
20%
1. Innovation
38%
36%
30%
21%
20%
Communicators consistently rank Innovation and Business development

as top challenges for executives,
regardless of Communication Department size.
62

1-5
6-10
More than 10
40%
31%
30%
24%
23%
42%
35%
31%
22%
16%
37%
33%
31%
30%
25%
Communicators in departments of all sizes cite the same top 5 priorities,

but not in the same order.
63

1-5
6-10
More than 10
3.5
direct boss
3.4
3.4
3.0

leaders
3.0
2.9
3.4

3.4
3.3
1
Non-existent
4
Excellent
64
1-5
6-10
More than 10
60%
Unchanged
60%
57%
18%
Less
16%
27%
22%
More
23%
16%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
65
1-5
6-10
More than 10
75%
Unchanged
58%
67%
6%
Less
14%
13%
19%
More
28%
19%
0%
50%
100%
66
5 Ways to
Use This Data
67
How To Use This Research

1. Share the data with colleagues, your boss
and line-of-business clients
2. Compare it with hard data from your
organization. If you dont have hard data,
get it.
3. Re-examine the direction of your 2015
strategic plan
4. Evaluate your engagement metrics.
Do they measure what matters for the
business?
5. Step up executive coaching on the
engagement mandate
68
Find out more about Dulye & Co.s measurement

programs and services by contacting
Bev Pierce on the Dulye & Co. Team,
bpierce@dulye.com / 708-788-6204
The entire contents of this presentation are proprietary to Dulye & Co. This material may not be copied or reproduced for
any purpose. Any reproduction or disclosure requires the prior consent of Dulye & Co.
For more information, please contact Roger Gibboni, COO, at 845-987-7744, rgibboni@dulye.com.
69

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2015 Workplace Trends For Communicators

Complete Research Results Report

Poll Hosted by Dulye & Co. for Third Year

2-Way Communication Strategies

Pulse Check Measurement

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2015 Research Overview

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2015 Research Overview:

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2015 Poll Process

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

Terrific Response for 2015

Workplace Trends Poll

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2015 Research: Key Takeaways

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2015 Research: Key Takeaways

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

Biggest Workplace Challenges: Communicators

innovation and product/service pipeline

Biggest Workplace Challenges: Executive Team

innovation and product/service pipeline

Face-Off: Top 5 Challenges for 2015

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

More Variation! Among Communicators

Different perspective from the top!

Communication Funding / Support

Communicators Professional Development

Business management experience

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Communicators Work Relationships

With your direct boss

With your company/organizations

With colleagues in other

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

Written Comments: Communicator Deliverables

Business development/bottom line

Employee understanding of strategy/goals

Better communication practices

Written Comments: Communicator Deliverables

Business development/bottom line (32)

Customer satisfaction (23)

Marketing/brand awareness (17)

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

Written Comments: Communicator Deliverables

Work tools/technology (17)

Better communication practices (12)

Staff/leader development (7)

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

Written Comments: Performance Metrics

Survey/focus group results

Project completion/meeting deadlines

Written Comments: Performance Metrics

Survey/focus group results (27)

Employee engagement/satisfaction/participation (21)

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary

Written Comments: Performance Metrics

Web analytics/use of online tools (18)

Customer satisfaction (12)

No metric established (11)

2014 Dulye & Co. Proprietary