Great for women, great for all
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
We’ve been ranked in the top 10 UK’s Best workplaces for Women (Small Businesses), alongside 330 companies including industry-leading and global brands. This achievement is a team effort, not based on management promises, policies and words on an entry form, but on day-to-day actions leading to genuine and personal team feedback through Great Place to Work’s independent employee survey. Data analysed looks at how well organisations have removed barriers to female career advancement and created workplaces where all employees can flourish, regardless of gender.
Whilst we’re delighted to have achieved this incredible accolade, our mission is to create workplaces that are fairer, healthier and happier for all – both at Something Big and in the organisations we support.
Our journey to this achievement hasn’t been about giving women special treatment. It’s been about driving a positive and inclusive workplace culture, for everyone, which means breaking down barriers for women in particular.
Regardless of where we want to be as a world and society, we’re not there yet. The world is still patriarchal, unconscious bias continues to be a challenge, there are still not enough visible female role models and gender pay gaps remain a problem.
‘”Parity in the workplace remains a work in progress.”
Great Place to Work
Positive change is visible on the horizon though. In the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women, 42% of C-suite positions are held by women versus just 28% in FTSE 350 organisations. Pay gaps are narrowing in the UK, with women earning 92p to their male counterparts £1, and companies ranked in this list have closed that gap further, with the UK average of female employees agreeing they are ‘paid fairly for what the work they do’ at just 53%, in the Top 5 UK’s Best Workplaces for Women a whopping 83% of female respondents agreed they were fairly paid.
The UK’s Best Workplaces for Women are also proof that delivering work/life balance is possible, whilst the UK average stands at 60% for ‘people are encouraged to balance their work life and personal life’ in the UK’s Best Workplaces for women, a significantly higher 84% of employees agree with this statement.
What are we getting right at Something Big to earn our 8th place ranking?
#Flexibility
Flexibility isn’t a buzzword, a policy or a broad commitment – it’s a huge undertaking that takes a team effort to deliver. According to GPTW’s report, 40% of women not working say that access to flexible work would mean they could take on paid work and 77% said they’d be more likely to apply for a job if it advertises flexible working options.
At Something Big, flexibility is a way of life. From changing and flexing working hours around ever-changing care arrangements to sabbaticals mean that work can fit around life, rather than squeezing life around gaps in work.
Our tip: Delivering flexibility successfully isn’t just about senior leadership commitment, it’s also about peer-to-peer support. Working alongside colleagues on different hours or shorter days/weeks can be tough, it takes empathy, great communication skills and respect for boundaries to make it work without sacrificing quality, productivity or pace. Support and nurture your whole team to make flexibility work for everyone.
#Appreciation
Everyone wants (and deserves) to feel appreciated. For women, this is especially critical, when outside of work their effort and contribution can often feel invisible and taken for granted. In the workplace, there’s a disparity between genders when it comes to feeling that management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort. 64% of men feel appreciated versus 58% of women. Unsurprisingly, this gap is closed in companies featured on this list, with both genders scoring equally and with higher appreciation levels, with both genders scoring a significantly higher 85%.
Our tip: Appreciation often costs nothing. We believe it’s as critical a component as other rewards are often overlooked or left to busy line managers who might not always have time. Set up structures that encourage regular peer-to-peer appreciation, celebrate awareness days like Employee Appreciation Day, even when budgets are under pressure try to make space for fun.
To find out more about what it takes to create a workplace where women can thrive, you can read the full report here or talk to us about our journey and how we’re helping the organisations we’re supporting.
Creating accessible communications: practical tips and strategies
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Creating accessible communications is not just a nice to have, but should be a necessity. Ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand information is vital for inclusion and equality.
In this article and video, we delve into practical tips and strategies for creating more accessible communications, particularly focusing on documents.
Why accessible communications matter
Accessible communications are essential for ensuring that everyone can participate fully and equally. This includes people with visual, hearing, learning, cognitive, and mobility impairments, as well as those with limited proficiency in the language used.
There are several compelling reasons to prioritise accessible communications:
- Inclusion and equality: Everyone deserves access to information and the ability to participate.
- Improved engagement and efficiency: Reaching a broad audience and including those who have previously been excluded will increase engagement with your content.
- Good practice and compliance: While there are different regulations for accessibility depending on audience and industry, it goes beyond compliance. Accessibility is an ethical obligation to ensure equal access to information.
- Business benefits: Accessible communications can expand your audience or customer base, and improve the overall user experience, leading to higher satisfaction and brand engagement.
How do we know what is accessible and what requirements to meet?
In the UK, accessibility regulations came into force for public sector bodies in September 2018, covering websites, mobile applications, and intranets. While these regulations do not apply to all forms of communication or across all sectors, they have provided us with universal guidelines we can and should follow to ensure inclusivity.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the primary standards to adhere to, with the current version being WCAG 2.2. These guidelines focus on four key areas:
- Perceivable: Ensuring content can be perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses.
- Operable: Making sure all users can operate the interface, regardless of ability.
- Understandable: Ensuring information is clear and easy to interpret.
- Robust: Designing content to be reliable and functional across a wide range of technologies and capabilities.
How to create accessible documents
Now let’s get into the practical tips and strategies for creating more accessible communications, particularly focusing on documents.
Format
To ensure maximum accessibility, understanding the final use of your document is vital. Decide if your document will be used online, in print, or both, and design accordingly. For online use, a landscape format reduces scrolling and improves usability, while for print, a standard portrait A4 size is ideal. You should also consider creating separate versions for digital and print use. Addressing accessibility from the start is more efficient than fixing issues later.
Readability
Aim for a reading level accessible to the average reader. In the UK, it is encouraged when writing for a general audience to aim for a reading age of 9 years old. Headings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and images can help to break up text and reduce reading fatigue. Make the most of tools like the Hemingway Editor to help identify readability challenges and simplify content.
Screen readers and voiceovers
Screen readers are essential for many users, so ensure your documents are compatible with screen readers, which read text aloud. Consider creating voiceover versions of documents to provide a more engaging and easier-to-listen-to experience. Text-to-speech AI voice generators can be a cost-effective way of doing this. However, adding subtitles and captions to videos is a basic requirement.
Navigation
Good navigation improves document usability. Be sure to always include next and back buttons, and a back-to-contents button. Navigation elements should be tagged for screen readers and placed predictably at the top of pages.
Typography
Typography plays an essential role in creating accessible documents. Here are some key guidelines from WCAG 2.2 to help you design text that is easy to read and navigate:
- Use visual hierarchy and proper tagging (H1, H2) for headings.
- Choose sans-serif fonts for body text and serif fonts for headings.
- Aim for a minimum font size of 16 pixels or 12 points.
- Avoid all caps, as screen readers read them as individual letters.
- Use adequate line spacing and avoid justifying text to prevent readability issues.
Colour Contrast
Ensure high contrast between text and background for readability. Consider colour blindness and test your document’s colour contrast using online tools. Providing a dark mode option can enhance accessibility.
Forms, tables, and diagrams
Make information comprehensible without relying solely on colour. Use patterns and ensure proper tagging for screen readers. Consider voiceover versions for complex data presentations to enhance understandability.
Imagery
Use images wisely to support understanding. Ensure they have alternative text (alt text) for screen readers to describe the content. Unimportant visual design should be tagged as decorative so as not to confuse screen readers.
Getting started with accessible communications
Now, it’s your turn. Here are three ways to get started:
- Make one piece of communication accessible this week: it could be a social media post, a website update, or an internal document. Every step counts.
- Review your organisation’s accessibility policy: and if you don’t have one, advocate for creating one.
- Consider signing up for a free accessibility training course: take your learning further, there are lots of resources available.
Accessible communications are not just about adhering to regulations; they are about making a meaningful difference in how we connect and communicate with everyone. By prioritising accessibility, we can ensure that our messages are inclusive, effective, and impactful for all audiences. If you need support in creating accessible communications, our team is here to help.
Webinar: Accessible Communications: Maximising impact and inclusivity
In this concise virtual session, our Creative Services Director, Sarah Neale shared practical strategies to help your messaging reach and resonate with diverse audiences.
From emojis to emails:
Decoding digital body language in the workplace
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
With hybrid or remote working now the norm for many, the subtle cues and gestures that once played a crucial role in face-to-face interactions have now moved online.
Just as physical body language conveys emotions and intentions in person, our digital body language can do the same through our online behaviours and interactions. Understanding these digital cues can help us communicate with clarity, set expectations, and develop effective communication among teams.
What is digital body language?
Digital body language encompasses the nuances of how we communicate through online channels – email, messaging apps, video calls, and social media. It can include our choice of language, response times, use of emojis, and even the way we structure our messages.
This virtual type of communication can reflect our tone, engagement, and professionalism just as much as our posture, vocal intonation and facial expressions would in person.
Digital body language in the workplace
Our digital body language could be shaping our relationships with coworkers more than we realise. The way we communicate online has the power to build or break trust, convey respect or indifference, and significantly influence how we are perceived by colleagues and clients.
Here we explore five areas of digital body language that could impact how we’re understood by colleagues and stakeholders.
1. Tone and clarity
Without vocal inflections and facial expressions to rely on, the tone of messages can be easily misinterpreted. Word choice, punctuation and emojis can all play a critical role in conveying emotion and intent. A message ending with a full stop might come off as stern or final, while one with an exclamation mark can seem enthusiastic.
And context matters, too. A short and simple, “Can we talk?” out of the blue could seem daunting or intimidating (especially from a manager to an employee). But by giving context – “Can we talk? I have a few ideas I’d love to share” – gives clarity and transforms the tone to one of collaboration and enthusiasm.
Emojis, though sometimes seen as informal, are increasingly recognised as valuable tools for conveying tone and emotion to colleagues online. For example, a simple smiley 😊 can soften a message and convey friendliness, turning a seemingly neutral message into a supportive or positive one.
Using emojis thoughtfully can help bridge the gap between written text and the subtle nuances of face-to-face interactions. However, it’s important to consider the workplace culture and the context in which you use them to ensure they enhance, rather than undermine, your professionalism.
2. Formal vs. friendly
Digital communication in the workplace has stretched the boundaries of formality, making casual interactions increasingly more common.
The choice between a brief message and a well-structured email can convey different levels of professionalism and urgency. Overly formal emails in a casual workplace might seem out of touch or create distance, while using GIFs or memes in a formal setting can appear unprofessional.
Knowing your audience is key. A quick “FYI” with a casual tone might work for colleagues but could be seen as dismissive if sent to senior leadership. Tailoring your digital language to match the culture and expectations of your audience can ensure your messages are pitched at an appropriate level and are always well received.
4. Salutations and sign-offs
How we address people can also send clear signals about our intentions, and sets the tone for the rest of our message and our relationship with the reader.
Using “Hi [Name]” suggests a friendly, informal tone, which is good for casual conversations or emails to colleagues. It shows that you’re approachable and the message is likely relaxed. On the other hand, “Dear [Name]” feels more formal and respectful. It’s often used in professional settings to indicate that the email’s content is important or serious, or for communicating with people you don’t know well.
Similarly, the way you sign off an email affects how your message is received. Sign-offs like “Best regards” or “Kind regards” are polite and professional, suitable for business or formal emails, showing respect and courtesy. They suggest a level of respect – but may suggest distance or formality when used between colleagues.
In contrast, “Thanks” or “Best” feel more casual and friendly, which works well for less formal exchanges or when you want to leave a positive, approachable impression. Choosing the right salutation and sign-off helps set the right tone, makes your message clearer, and leaves a lasting good impression on the reader.
4. Response times
Employees are often bombarded with instant messages and emails throughout their working week, making it difficult to stay on top of replies. Yet, in some situations, a delayed response could suggest to your colleagues that you are disinterested, distracted, or even disapproving.
For example, if a manager consistently takes a day to respond to messages, employees may feel undervalued or ignored – even if the delay is simply due to their workload.
Although we can’t always give messages our full attention as soon as they enter our inbox, it’s still important to acknowledge receipt and set expectations around when you plan to reply. Even a quick thumbs up on a Teams message can tell the sender, ‘Yes I’ve seen this, and I hear you’. This simple action helps to make colleagues feel heard and respected, even if you need to respond in more detail later.
5. Availability status
Online status indicators (e.g., Available, Away, Do Not Disturb) communicate more than just presence; they reflect your availability and willingness to engage. Being marked as ‘busy’ or ‘do not disturb’ often signals that interruptions are not welcome, even without you explicitly saying so.
Such status indicators can be helpful when it comes to expectation-setting for how quickly you will be able to reply. However, it’s important to be mindful of your status settings and the subtle messages they send. Habitually appearing ‘away’ or ‘busy’ can imply a lack of accessibility or openness to collaboration.
Improving your Digital Body Language
Being conscious of your digital body language can help you strengthen your online communication skills, ensuring messages are clear, respectful, and effective.
Here are a few strategies to help you get started:
1. Be aware and intentional
Understand the digital body language signals you’re sending and receiving. Be deliberate about your response times, tone, and the way you use digital tools.
2. Set expectations
Encourage your team to set some general guidelines for digital communication. Discuss acceptable response times, preferred communication channels, and appropriate times for sending messages. Setting these expectations means everyone is on the same page.
3. Leverage technology thoughtfully
Use the full range of digital communication tools available, but choose the right medium for the right message. Video calls for nuanced conversations, instant messaging for quick queries, and well-structured emails for detailed information.
Message received
Digital body language is an integral part of modern workplace communication. By being mindful of the signals we send and how they are interpreted, we can communicate more respectfully, avoid misunderstandings, and grow our relationships with colleagues.
Embracing the subtleties of digital body language can lead to better communication, connection and collaboration within your team.
If you’re looking to support your colleagues to enhance their online communication skills and master their own digital body language, we can help.
Overcoming the 'Strategy Struggle': engaging employees with new company strategies
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Discover how to effectively communicate new strategies, boosting employee understanding and engagement.
As we approach 2025 and the end of many 5-year strategies, businesses are already gearing up to launch their 2030 strategies. Many senior leaders recognise the importance of crafting new strategies to navigate the fluctuating economic environment. Yet, effective communication of these strategies is just as crucial if they are to have any impact on the future of the business.
As Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, emphasises: “It’s never been more essential for CEOs to have a consistent voice, a clear purpose, a coherent strategy, and a long-term view.”
The Strategy Struggle is real
It’s clear though that communicating new organisational strategies in a way that resonates with the wider business can often be challenging.
The Harvard Business Review found that only 28% of executives and managers could list three strategic priorities – and that number is likely to be even less for employees in non-management roles.
Lack of clarity; poor communication skills; the fact managers are already juggling many other priorities – these can all mean that important strategic messages don’t trickle down or land in an impactful and memorable way.
And it’s not that employees aren’t willing to engage with strategic goals. Employees are eager to hear more about their organisation’s strategy rather than just its purpose and values. Clear and effective communication not only helps employees feel confident in the strategy but also boosts advocacy and retention, which is crucial in today’s competitive talent market.
So, if communication is the key to strategy success, how do you overcome these struggles and ensure your long-term strategy is heard, understood, and even felt?
How to make your strategy stick
The key lies in fostering a deep understanding and genuine connection to the strategy, ensuring employees are not only informed but also inspired and actively involved.
By building a solid foundation through clear communication and consistent reinforcement, businesses can create a cohesive, motivated workforce ready to embrace and drive strategic change.
Alignment and Understanding
- Define core objectives of the new strategy and ensure clarity of vision.
- Inspire and align leaders to gain their commitment.
- Create simple and consistent messaging around the strategy.
Engaging and Involving
- Develop an emotional connection through an authentic and human narrative.
- Actively involve employees in the strategy’s development to win their hearts and minds.
- Ensure leaders are equipped to drive and model the change.
Reinforcing and Sustaining
- Celebrate and recognize successes to maintain momentum.
- Share good news stories and best practices to establish the new direction.
- Provide opportunities for continuous improvement and adjust communications as needed.
Unlocking the Strategy House
One common tool for communicating strategy is the strategy house diagram, but this visual representation can often fall short in conveying central messages. These diagrams frequently suffer from poor, cluttered design, and a lack of clear hierarchy – failing to highlight the most essential elements of the strategy.
To be effective, strategy house diagrams must be thoughtfully constructed with the emphasis on core objectives and key messages. Keep the visual elements simple and ensure that each part of the diagram logically connects to the overall vision.
When done well, these diagrams can be powerful tools to help employees understand the company’s strategic goals.
It’s a journey, not a destination
It’s important for leaders to remember that implementing a new strategy is a journey that requires patience, consistency, and persistence in communication efforts. Throughout the process, continuous adjustment and adaptation of communications are essential to align with and support employees effectively.
Ultimately, the strength of a company’s future lies in its ability to build a cohesive, motivated workforce that is not only informed about the strategy but inspired to drive it forward. By prioritizing clear and consistent communication, businesses can turn strategic plans into tangible successes and pave the way for prosperity.
If you’re looking to develop impactful communications that will get your global workforce to engage with long-term strategies, we can help.
The emotional rollercoaster of work: insights from Gallup’s 2024 Report
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
We explore the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace report to uncover key insights and their implications for the workforce.
Imagine this: over a quarter of the UK workforce experiences sadness for a significant part of their workday. Yes, you read that right. The UK is second highest in the world when it comes to workplace-induced sadness. And on top of that, stress levels remain alarmingly high with 38% of employees reporting high stress and almost 1 in 5 experiencing frequent anger.
Our jobs, which should ideally bring purpose and satisfaction, are casting shadows over our daily lives. Clearly work can evoke strong emotions in employees and for many, it’s negative.
These shocking insights comes from the Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2024 report, covering data from 100 different countries across the world.
We take a deeper look into the numbers to see what’s really going on behind those office doors and on the factory floors.
Key insights from the Gallup Report: engagement or disengagement?
The first notable finding in the report is the level of engagement. Unfortunately, here in the UK engagement remains low at 10%. But there’s a twist – management plays a crucial role in this statistic.
Why managers matter
Gallup’s findings highlight that managers are pivotal, accounting for 70% of the variance in team engagement. So, if employees are feeling disconnected at work, managers may well have a lot to do with it.
Here are some insights from the report:
- Loneliness at work: 20% of the world’s employees experience daily loneliness, with young employees feeling it more acutely. Interestingly, having a job generally decreases loneliness – 20% of working adults feel lonely compared to 32% of those unemployed.
- The manager’s dilemma: Whilst managers are more likely to be engaged and thriving in life, feeling their opinions count and having a strong connection to their organisation and colleagues, their emotions are a rollercoaster. They experience higher highs and lower lows than non-managers, likely leaving them mentally exhausted.
- The flip side: However, the flip side is equally stark – managers are more prone to stress, anger, sadness, and loneliness. They’re also more likely to be on the lookout for a new job.
Challenges facing younger employees
The workplace environment for employees under 35 has significantly deteriorated, painting a challenging picture for the future workforce:
- Declining wellbeing: Wellbeing among younger employees declined in 2023.
- Loneliness epidemic: Younger workers under 35 are more likely to experience loneliness and less likely to feel cared about or have opportunities for development, especially in remote and hybrid settings.
- Lack of clarity: Less than 40% of young remote or hybrid employees know what is expected of them at work.
These stats are not just numbers; they reflect a growing discontent among younger employees that could have long-term implications for businesses if not addressed promptly.
Read more: How to effectively communicate with a multigenerational workforce
Strategies for improving workplace engagement and wellbeing
Managers play a pivotal role in shaping the employee experience. Countries with higher manager engagement see two times more engaged employees. When managers are engaged, their team members are more likely to be engaged too.
Disengaged employees cite the need for better culture. 41% of disengaged employees suggest that improving culture and engagement would enhance their workplace experience. And enhancing employee engagement can lead to significant improvements in business outcomes, retention and absenteeism, so it’s worth the investment.
Here are some practical takeaways for internal communicators to take forward:
- Support managers: Provide them with the tools and training they need to manage stress and build resilient teams. Encourage managers to have meaningful, two-way conversations with their team members.
- Develop clear communications: Clarity is key. Ensure that all employees, especially younger ones, understand their roles, what is expected of them and how their work aligns with the overall business purpose and goals.
- Openly support mental health and wellbeing: Provide resources and support for mental health. Creating an open and honest environment where employees feel cared for can improve overall wellbeing.
- Provide opportunities for connection: Encourage collaboration and interaction across all levels of the business to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Build a sense of community through team-building activities and social events, even as virtual or hybrid events.
While the Gallup report paints a rather bleak picture of the current state of the global workplace, it also offers opportunities for the path forward. By focusing on engagement and supporting our managers, we can turn the tide and create a work environment that uplifts rather than brings down.
Are you ready to take a step forward to a more engaging and emotionally balanced workplace? Get in touch to discover how we can support you in creating a fairer, healthier, and happier workforce through the power of accessible and effective communications that drive real change.
Celebrating two years as a B Corp agency
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
As we celebrate our second B Corp anniversary, it’s a great moment to reflect on what has been a big year for Something Big.
We believed we were already living the values of B Corp long before the movement was even formed, so our expectations of how much it would impact our business were low. However, as the movement has expanded to over 2,000 businesses in the UK alone, and brand awareness has grown – with 38% of surveyed individuals recognising or having heard of B Corp – it has become hard not to get caught up in the excitement.
In fact, within the global B Corp community, the UK is the fastest-growing country with the highest brand awareness, although the movement started in the USA all the way back in 2006. It might be hard to pinpoint why this is, but what we can say is that as part of this growing community we’ve been caught up in a snowball of progress and impact.
Highlights from our second year as a B Corp agency
1. Speaking up
Having set out to help make workplaces fairer, healthier and happier, we’ve not only helped our numerous clients improve their employee communications, but have also inspired over 1,300 DEI, wellbeing, HR and communications professionals in our growing community through our series of free, virtual webinars. If you’re getting FOMO, sign up to our LI newsletter to stay in the know.
2. Forming alliances
Never ones to sit back, we’ve actively got involved in the B Corp community, creaing and driving a series of alliances with other great B Corp businesses, building partnerships and growing our network.
3. Always learning
Living our values to the max, we’ve been making mistakes and learning from them, check out our Impact Report where we share our learnings.
5. Measuring and tracking
We’re excited to have finally found a robust and sustainable way of measuring our full carbon emissions and a genuine way to move the dial on reducing them, thanks to Ecologi Zero.
5. Bigger goals
As we’ve gained our confidence, we’re keeping up the progress with some bigger plans to make a meaningful difference. This year we’ll be helping organisations engage their employees in their sustainability journey, continuing to support the DEIB agenda, and helping organisations provide better support for employees living with cancer. We’re only just getting started.
If you’re looking to partner with great people, experts in their field, who care about being responsible and looking after our planet, then we have the B Corp agencies for you… Find out more
How does being a B Corp make us a better business?
Beyond being better for the planet and our people, we believe being a B Corp has made us a better business to work with, from our clients to our supply partners. From better service levels to better relationships here’s what you can expect when you work with a B Corp.
Want to join us in our journey of making a meaningful difference?
Whether you’re looking for a new agency to work with, you’re another B Corp looking to join one of our alliances, or just want to keep in touch with our progress, talk to us.