Taking Stock - Staff communications get a lift with E&Y.

Successful businesses recognise the value of communication. They are constantly exploring the most effective ways to communicate with staff. And Ernst & Young is no exception. The Big Five firm has launched a revolutionary electronic noticeboard at its UK head office. The move follows a six month pilot to improve communication with the firm’s 900 HQ employees. Business information, website recommendations and client details are displayed on the boards, as well as personal information such as staff birthdays, welcome messages to new employees and even marriage proposals. Research has shown that 80% of staff prefer receiving messages via the noticeboards, particularly company news and general client information. Situated by the lifts, most respondents said they had more time to read the notices and felt less bombarded with information than with information distributed via computers. TS hopes the message system doesn’t fall into the wrong hands or there could be a few nasty surprises for people arriving at work. Other gems could include ‘Don’t bother going up to your desk – you’re fired’, ‘Your wife phoned and she’s run off with Geoffrey from the audit division’ or even ‘Your doctor called to say you picked up more than the latest international tax tips on your recent trip to Bangkok’. But we’re sure E&Y will find a more sensible approach to using the system. The manufacturer claims other accountancy firms are expressing interest.