How can we support employees living with cancer?
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
One in two people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. This means cancer is likely to impact us all at some point – whether we receive a diagnosis or know someone facing cancer.
In the UK alone, 890,000 working-age people are living with cancer, and around 700,000 are balancing work while caring for a loved one with the disease. However, half of those living with cancer are afraid to tell their employers and over a third feel isolated at work during their cancer journey.
At such a difficult time, people should feel supported by their employers and colleagues – not afraid to share their diagnosis and left feeling like they aren’t receiving the support and flexibility they need.
Joined by Lindsay Bridges, Global Head of HR at DHL Supply Chain and Anna Dunn, Associate at Working With Cancer, our CEO, Sally Pritchett, started an honest and insightful conversation about how we can better support employees living with cancer.
What common challenges do those living with cancer face in the workplace?
One of the biggest challenges around cancer is the misunderstanding it creates, both for the person facing it and their employer. Until someone experiences diagnosis and treatment, it’s hard to know what recovery will be like. Cancer recovery isn’t linear – everyone responds in their own way and with different emotions. Understanding this can help create a more supportive and empathetic environment for those going through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
What can employers do to better support employees facing cancer?
Understand that everyone’s situation is different
Cancer recovery isn’t the same for everyone. People with similar diagnoses can still experience very different emotions, treatments and challenges. This makes having a standard ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy difficult.
While it’s important to have a workplace policy, employers should also guide colleagues on who they can talk to and what processes are in place, and provide flexibility to meet each individual’s needs. Offering a clear, open line of communication can help reduce stress and create a supportive environment during an already challenging time.
Give your managers clear guidance
Equip line managers with the tools and information they need to confidently support team members facing a cancer diagnosis. Clarify what support your company provides, let them know their role in supporting the employee (versus the responsibilities of HR) and provide helpful resources. This not only ensures employees receive the support they need, but also helps them feel less like a burden, knowing managers are prepared to offer the right support.
Consider creating a guide for managers or running training sessions to help line managers within your company feel more confident handling these sensitive situations.
Support employees with their return to work
After cancer treatment ends, many people face a new set of emotions – loss of identity, a lack of confidence and fear of recurrence. While they may want to return to normality, navigating these feelings can be tough, and added pressure from employers can make it harder. Compassion and open communication are key during the return-to-work period.
When discussing an employee’s return to work, it’s important to ask how they’re feeling and what feels right for them. Let them lead the conversation so they can be honest about what feels right for them. Just like treatment, the post-treatment phase is not the same for all. A phased return to work period of at least 12 weeks can help employees ease themselves back into work and rebuild their routine without feeling overworked or overwhelmed.
How can employees better support their colleagues who are facing cancer?
Give people control
When someone is facing cancer, they may feel a loss of control. Asking how they’d like to discuss their diagnosis and treatment – or if they want to talk about it at all – can help them regain some control by setting their own boundaries. It’s important to respect their wishes and follow their lead on how open they want to be.
This conversation should continue after treatment too, so you can continue supporting them in the right way for them. Asking simple questions like “How’s your health?” allows someone to choose how much they want to share and whether they want to discuss their cancer moving forward.
Treat your colleagues as you normally would
Cancer doesn’t define a person, and many may not want to be seen only through that lens. Treat your colleagues as you normally would, while being mindful of their needs and how they’ve said they’d like to talk about their cancer.
A quick call or message to check in can mean a lot, but remember – there’s more to their life than cancer. Keep conversations balanced, acknowledging their interests and experiences beyond their diagnosis, so they continue to feel recognised for who they are beyond their diagnosis.
Think about what you say
It’s normal to feel unsure about what to say to someone facing cancer. A simple acknowledgement, like ‘I don’t know what to say, I’m sorry,’ can be enough. Avoid making assumptions about their journey or suggesting treatments, as everyone’s experience is unique.
Let the language that they use guide you – some people may feel empowered by using language like ‘battling’ or ‘fighting’ cancer, while others might prefer to say they are ‘living with cancer’. Respect their chosen language and be sure to support them in a way that feels right for them.
Advice for colleagues and employers who want to better support those living with cancer
There are lots of amazing resources available to help you better support someone living and working with cancer. Charities like Macmillan offer online communities and advice specifically for those supporting a loved one, friend or colleague through their cancer journey. Organisations like Working With Cancer can help employers and employees, employers to manage cancer and work.
For employers, offering training about cancer recovery can help teams better understand what someone may be experiencing. This awareness helps them offer more compassionate and informed support, creating a more understanding, supportive and empathetic work environment for everyone involved.
If you want to make your workplace fairer, healthier and happier by better supporting your employees living with cancer, we can help. Get in touch to find out how we can help you educate your workforce and create a culture of care and support.
Tune in: Supporting employees living with cancer
Employee Wellbeing Calendar 2025
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Download your free Employee Wellbeing Awareness Days Calendar for 2025.
Stay committed to your employees’ health and wellbeing in 2025 with our free downloadable calendar that highlights key health and wellbeing dates and events.
Why Employee Wellbeing Matters
Engaging your employees and delivering important health and wellbeing communications is an ongoing process that requires consistent attention throughout the year. Recent statistics reveal a concerning trend: global workplace wellbeing is declining, with a staggering 78% of employees reporting that work stress has negatively impacted their physical health.The role of employers in addressing this issue is increasingly clear and crucial. A overwhelming 93% of employees believe their employer is responsible for helping them manage their mental health.
Encouragingly, 89% of employees report that their company’s leaders openly discuss their own mental health, indicating that discussions around wellbeing in the workplace are becoming more commonplace and expected. This shift highlights the growing importance of prioritising employee wellbeing as an integral part of organisational culture and strategy.
How Can Our Calendar Help You?
- Comprehensive Planning: Helps you plan your employee wellbeing programmes for 2025.
- Key Dates: Includes important health and wellbeing celebration and awareness dates throughout the year to keep your business on track.
- Conversation Starters: Provides top tips for initiating important discussions about health and wellbeing with your employees, encouraging healthier behaviors and breaking down stigmas.
If you find this calendar useful, then check out our Diversity and Inclusion Calendar and Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar.
If you’re looking for a partner to help you roll out your employee health and wellbeing programmes, we’d love to hear from you.
Download our Employee Wellbeing calendar
Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar 2025
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Download your free Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Days Calendar for 2025.
Our free Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar can help you plan your activities for 2025, featuring key awareness dates and events that drive positive change.
Keeping sustainability high on your communications agenda is essential for talent acquisition and employee retention. ESG and planetary responsibility are crucial topics for your employees, with 68.6% of those choosing an employer stating that environmental policies and practices are important, and 65.5% indicating these policies influence their decision to stay with an employer.
Why You Need a Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar in 2025
- Focus Your Sustainability Communications: Utilise awareness and celebration days throughout the year to guide your sustainability efforts.
- Raise the Profile of Your Green Activities: Highlight opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations about sustainability.
- Make the Most of Key Awareness Dates: Our top tips can help you to make the most of these events and engage your employees with the important work of protecting our planet.
If you find this calendar useful, then check out our Diversity and Inclusion Calendar and Employee Health and Wellbeing Calendar.
At Something Big we’re passionate about helping businesses raise the profile of their sustainability activity. If you’re looking to make a difference to the planet and need some help rolling out your sustainability and environmental awareness programmes, talk to us. We’d love to help.
Download our Sustainability and Environmental Awareness calendar
Brand bravery – find your fit: Three levels of bravery and how they can elevate your brand
By Hannah Wright, Senior Creative
When we think of being brave, we largely think of this as being a positive thing. I mean
who doesn’t want to be brave?! We’ve grown up consuming endless stories of courageous characters coming to the rescue of those most in need and saving the day. Hurrah! (See: Masters of the Universe).
And then we enter the world of adulting and work and the bravery thing continues to be threaded neatly through everything we do and expect of ourselves. And our brand.
But what is bravery exactly?
Let’s start by taking a look at the dictionary definition:
‘To meet or face (danger) with courage; to encounter, defy.’
Okay. So superheroes. Swords. Strength. Power-poses. Courageous catchphrases and capes.
But when it comes to branding, not all heroes wear capes! (sadly) Here’s how we might break down the definition for the business world. Brand bravery is:
- Standing up for what you believe in
- Not being afraid to rock the boat
- Having opinions on difficult topics
- Meaningful action which supports your words
- Honesty, vulnerability, humanness
- Being your true self
And why would you want to be brave with your brand?
Bravery helps clearly define who you are as a brand. It’s walking your walk. It solidifies your purpose and helps you find your people (your audience/clients/customers/network) who will ultimately help you achieve your end goal. It gives people something to grab onto – something to remember you by and something to hang their loyalty hat on. Essentially, it’s your defining difference and it proves your commitment to achieving whatever it is you’ve set out to do.
But like most things in this life, brand bravery is a (very) sliding scale.
At the one end, you’ve got your ‘low’ level brand bravery. But don’t be fooled into thinking ‘low’ is a bad thing (more on that later). Here’s what this may look like.
Low-level bravery
Think Ben and Jerry’s. Oddballs. Riverford Organic Farms. That kind of thing.
These (great) brands know what they stand for. And they’re not afraid to shout about it or to stand out in their industry. But the delivery – vocal and visual – is quite often on the cheeky or playful side of things. They’ll grab your attention with their bold, fun visuals – be that playful words or unusual imagery – and they’ve got opinions and personality. But it’s enjoyable for the end user. It’s palatable but effective.
Taking a step up from this cheeky approach is what we might call mid-level brand bravery.
Mid-level bravery
In this category, we have brands such as Patagonia, Lush, Dove, Who Gives a Crap. Brands across multiple industries but who all tip over into this next level of bravery.
These brands quite often retain some of that cheekiness from the lower levels but there’s a much higher degree of confidence when speaking their mind. They can be direct, humorous, and just a bit ‘different’. It’s engaging stuff and quite often has an inspirational edge which can tap into our own craving for bravery (cravery?).
On the visual side of things, their comms are just a bit more ‘edgy’. Euphemistic. Unusual. Unexpected. They’re likely to grab your attention but more for their minimalistic approach. Less is more. They say and show only what is needed to draw you in and pack a punch.
When we witness brands like this, we often feel empowered by their ability to show courage in tackling real-world problems. We’re unlikely to feel hugely uncomfortable on the receiving end of their comms but we get a real sense of what’s ‘wrong’ – be it a political, social or environmental issue – and we see how these brands are doing their bit to right these wrongs.
At then at the latter end of our scale, we have high-level bravery.
High-level bravery
There are no two ways about it, brands within these categories can quite often leave us feeling challenged. Shocked. Uncomfortable, even. But all for the right reasons. And we don’t love these brands any less for making us feel this way. In fact, comms within these categories show some of the highest levels of engagement and success (I think we all remember the ‘Hit me at 30mph’ campaign from the UK Government, right?!).
In this category, we have organisations such as Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, BrewDog and Bodyform. They show and tell us things which stop us in our tracks. Seals suffocated by plastic bags. Blood and gore. Harrowing facts. And forthright opinions on global topics. They call out other brands, world leaders and quite often, us. They challenge the status quo, they make us sit up and listen, and really get us thinking about things we might not even realise we’ve come to accept or often ignore.
So how do you get it right?
Chances are, you’ll have mentally placed your brand within one of these three levels.
Or perhaps you’re straddling a couple of them. You might even start to think about other brands you like – or don’t like – and where they might sit within this scale.
Whether you’re starting out or have a brand that has celebrated many anniversaries, it’s important to get this right. Your brand is a delicate eco-system made up of your organisation, your products and services, your people and your customers. It’s the bridge to your clients and customers which needs to be strong and dependable.
Step one is defining your ‘you’
What is it your organization cares about? Why do you exist? What do you hope to achieve one day or carry on achieving? You’ll likely have this stuff mapped out but it’s good to revisit this as things can sometimes go astray.
Then assess your current comms
Are they telling the story of ‘you’? If so, how?
If not, why? How brave are they compared to others in your arena? Which brands mirror the kind of comms you want to be putting out there? How could your comms be braver? What might that look like?
Have a think about your audience or client base
What do they expect of you? What do they like and/or believe in? What’s their level of bravery? Are your current audience even the audience you want to have?
Trust your gut
Which one of these levels felt like ‘you’? (or who you’d like to be as a brand). What feels appropriate for achieving your vision?
The wrap-up
It can often feel like being the most brave is the right thing to do. It taps into our inner She-Ras and He-Men (YOU’LL NEVER DEFEAT US, SKELETOR). But when it comes to your brand, this is rarely the case. It has to be appropriate for you, your audience and where you are in your journey.
If one day you’re all Comic Sans and pastel tones and the next you’re using expletives and calling out politicians, that ain’t right. Gently, gently. Pin your end goal to the wall and look at it daily but take those baby steps. And be sure to take your audience – old and new – on the journey with you. Warm them up. And every day just take things a little further towards that end goal – be that evolving your tone of voice, strengthening your colour palette or finally getting around to replacing your stock imagery with real photos of your people.
Remember – brands are essentially just people (more on that another day!). If you’re showing up in a way that feels authentic, it’ll be easier to create meaningful communications that truly resonate with your ideal audience. If you’re not quite there yet, it’s possible you might have some followers who just aren’t your tribe. As you grow your brand into what you want it to be, you’ll likely lose some of these followers along the way – and that’s perfectly fine. Because the others who show up are going to be far more engaged, and will ultimately help you get to where you’re going.
So unless you’re an entirely new brand, this is somewhat of a long game. It’ll happen but let’s not scare off your current audience with a complete personality change overnight.
Need a little help getting there?
At Something Big, we can help you find the right level of bravery for your brand and audience – whether you want to refresh your tone of voice or create a meaningful campaign that has a positive impact. Get in touch to find out how we can support you on your journey.
Diversity and Inclusion Calendar 2025
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
Download your free Diversity and Inclusion Awareness Days Calendar for 2025.
Never miss an important date in 2025 with our free downloadable calendar that includes key diversity and inclusion awareness dates and events.
Nurturing a true sense of belonging among your employees can’t be a short-term objective – it’s an
ongoing commitment to ensuring that everyone in your workforce feels heard, respected and
valued. And with 65% of employees wanting to feel a strong sense of belonging at work, now is the time to ensure your business is aware of diversity and
inclusion days that matter to your employees.
How can our calendar help you?
- Helps keep your diversity and inclusion employee engagement programmes on track.
- Includes a wide range of cultural, racial, religious, age, gender, sexual orientation and
disability awareness dates. - Top tips for opening up and developing important conversations to help you make the
most of these events
If you find this calendar useful, then check out our Employee Health and Wellbeing Calendar and Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Calendar.
If you’re looking for support in rolling out your diversity and inclusion programmes, get in touch to see how we can help.
Download our Diversity and Inclusion calendar
How communication overload is slowing organisations down (and how to fix it)
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
As passionate communications experts we love communication….when it’s effective. The problem is too often we’re communicating too much and instead of helping it’s hindering.
We all know how it feels to be constantly swimming against the tide, trying to keep up with an ever-increasing avalanche of emails, notifications and messages, flicking between channels and getting distracted by notifications pinging on multiple devices around us. This constant influx of communication is forcing us to multitask, distracting our concentration, preventing us from getting into productive flow states, and preventing us from achieving important tasks.
Has hybrid working made this worse? Possibly. While very few people are missing the busy, noisy and distracting environments of the pre-pandemic open-plan office, today’s equivalent is perhaps the increased instant messaging platforms pinging away. Sure, we can turn off notifications, but it doesn’t stop our colleagues having questions.
On top of simply not harming productivity, this communications overload is also impacting mental wellbeing, stressing employees out when they feel they can’t keep up no matter how hard they try, and creating a sense of dread that they’re missing important messages and tasks that get buried in the noise.
As professional communicators driven by making a meaningful difference, we want to help the organisations around us. Here’s what we believe are the main culprits are along with our tips for reducing the communications overwhelm.
Too many channels
It’s great that technology blesses us with better channels all the time, but we must be careful to ensure that these new channels aren’t just adding to the noise. Part of the communications overwhelm is purely maintaining and checking so many difference channels.
Our tip: Be brave and don’t be afraid to close channels down.
From closing X and Facebook accounts to turning off internal channels like Yammer or WhatsApp. Question if another existing channel could serve the same purpose.
Poor use of channels
“Email as become a counter-productivity tool” Justin Rosentein, ex-Facebook and co-founder of Asana
If you’ve ever experienced a school parent WhatsApp group when a child loses its blazer, or have been part of a ‘Reply all’ email frenzy, you’ll appreciate how quickly poor communication can do its damage. Unfortunately, poor communications etiquette is common practice in organisations because it’s rare that anyone has been shown how to communicate better. Like leadership skills, there’s an assumption that subject matter experts automatically know how to communicate effectively.
Our tip: Provide effective communications guidance to employees
Help employees to choose the right channel, understand the anatomy of an effective piece of communication and how to use AI tools effectively.
Whilst email isn’t quite dead yet, it is time to reset the way we use it. Email should be limited to 1:2:1 conversation or used as an ‘inform’ broadcast channel only.
Too much collaboration
Yes, we did just say that. It’s obviously great to involve people, engaging stakeholders on the journey is critical to success, but that doesn’t mean cc’ing the whole company every time there’s an update or getting feedback at every stage.
Whether we blame modern matrix management, shifting leadership styles or anxiety over making decisions, there’s no doubt that organisational decision making is slowing down and getting more complex.
Our tip: Increase clarity where possible
Be clear on roles, responsibilities and RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed). One of the most common reasons for looping in too many colleagues is not being sure who needs to know what, being clear on this can help reduce communications overwhelm.
Poor personal leadership
When we think leadership, we often look to the top of the organisation, but everyone can take responsibility for stepping up personal leadership within their roles and this extends to being concise and considerate in their communications.
Our tip: Empower champions
We can’t all absorb every topic all the time, divvying up projects, workstreams or topic themes provides a great way to funnel communications through individuals so they can filter and share updates when appropriate, reducing the constant overload.
‘Always on’ communications
With hybrid working came many flexibility benefits including a blurring of the general 9-5.30 workday, the challenge this brought for many is a culture of ‘always on’ communication which has added to the feeling of overwhelm.
Our tip: Set the ground rules around the ‘right to switch off’
While for some the ability to work outside of the usual workday helps flex around care responsibilities or other responsibilities, it can add pressure to colleagues to feel always available. Be clear on expectations and the ‘right to switch off’ and increase awareness of ‘send later’ features.
As passionate communicators with experience in supporting large organisations with employee engagement, we’re keen to make sure communication helps drive innovation, builds relationships and enhances productivity. If you think over communications is slowing your organisations down and aren’t sure where to start book a call with us here.
30 practical strategies for creating effective and inclusive internal communications
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
In a noisy world filled with countless channels and constant ads, internal communication can feel overwhelming for many. Being an excellent, effective and inclusive internal communicator requires a lot of skill and expertise.
In this article, we’ll explore the key areas that make organisational communications more effective and inclusive.
5 strategies to reduce the volume of communication
There’s no doubt that in all organisations communication has become overwhelming and the larger the organisation the more overwhelming this can feel.
‘Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating’ Charlie Kaufman
While instant chat channels like Teams and Slack have helped speed up collaboration they’ve also added to the noise and duplication. Already struggling to keep up with the hundreds of daily emails, instant chat messages now mean we’re expecting employees to hold several conversations concurrently. And rather than speed up productivity this multi-tasking is slowing organisations down and impacting employee wellbeing as they fight to prioritise and keep on top of their workloads.
- Pledge to reduce duplication, making communication engaging and effective the first time prevents having to send it multiple times.
- Proactively segment audiences so you can personalise and increase relevancy.
- Increase self-serve information, letting audiences consume information when they’re ready.
- Give your channels a clear purpose, audience and content strategy so the right information is going through the right channels.
- Ditch the routine, if a newsletter is going out weekly because it always has and the deadline is driving the content, it’s time to ditch the deadline and publish on demand instead.
5 strategies to increase the clarity in your communication
There’s an irony to Blaise Pascal’s quote ‘If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter’ because, of course, we would have more time if we were consuming less communication. In organisational comms, one of the best things we can do is respect our workforce’s limited time.
- Work hard on your subject lines / headings, these are your headlines so think like a journalist.
- Use AI tools to keep your comms concise. AI can be great for getting started, but they can also be quite verbose. write prompts carefully and consider giving a challenging word count.
- Structure your comms thoughtfully: start by setting the topic, add depth in the middle, and end with a clear call to action.
- Reduce company jargon; it complicates communication, especially for newcomers or those in a hurry. Avoid acronyms when possible.
- Set word count limits. If you regularly publish newsletters or intranet articles, be clear on your limits and challenge yourself to stay within them.
5 strategies to increase accessibility in communications
The most creative communications in the world won’t be effective if they don’t enable people with different abilities to access them. All workforces will have employees with differences in visual, hearing, learning and cognitive processing as well as those with limited literacy proficiency.
In the UK, accessibility regulations have been in force for the public sector since 2018 ensuring comms tools like websites, mobile apps and intranets all follow accessibility guidelines. There are no regulations for organisational comms, but that doesn’t need to be a barrier for driving accessibility in your communications.
- Focus on readability, with the average reading age in the UK being 9 years old. Consider using tools like Hemmingway Editor to help simplify your communications.
- Format your text based on its intended use. As most content is consumed digitally, consider how it will be viewed and adjust accordingly. For example, if it’s likely to be read on a desktop screen, use a landscape layout instead of portrait..
- Ensure compatibility with screen readers, this means formatting your documents with consideration.
- Check your colour contrasts as employees with colour blindness may struggle with certain colours or contrasts.
- Get your typography right because font choices and sizes are crucial for making communications effective and accessible.
For a deeper read on accessible comms check out our recent blog or watch our webinar.
5 strategies to use imagery inclusively
The human brain typically processes images significantly faster than written text, making imagery a potential fast track to creating effective communication – when used correctly. Often, however, imagery is also used to break up text, fit existing templates or to make communication ‘look better’. This is where the challenge comes, forcing audiences to process images that add nothing to the overall purpose of the communication.
- Make sure images add to the content, try to avoid bland library shots that add no value.
- Try to avoid overly surreal images unless this is part of your brand identity.
- Authentic representation is vital. If you’re using library images, try adding prompts like ‘diverse’ or specific attributes to result in a wider selection.
- Aim for a balanced representation of people over time to avoid bias towards certain parts of your workforce or reinforcing stereotypes.
- Consider using animation or illustration to provide more options if authentic or appropriate photography isn’t available.
5 strategies to making your communications more audience centric
While it may seem obvious, it’s easy to focus on your own priorities and accidentally overlook how your audience will perceive your communications.
- Consider different job roles and aim to make communications resonate with the frontline. Before sending or approving, put yourself in your audience’s shoes to make improvements.
- Workplaces are diverse with cultural nuances, avoid idioms or complex expressions that could hinder inclusion.
- There are up to five generations in the workforce for the first time, stop and think how communications could be perceived by different ages of your workforce.
- Using audience insights is critical for your messaging to resonate. If the organisation is struggling due to challenging times, staff shortages, or seasonal peaks, ignoring this in your communications can alienate your audience. Instead, acknowledge the organisation’s current situation and ensure your communications are appropriately positioned.
- Stay attuned to how your audience responds, including their preferred channels, formats, and language, to maintain effective communication.
Tiny wording tweaks like replacing ‘lunch breaks’ with ‘rest breaks’ can make more difference than you think if your front line includes out of hours or night shift workers.
For a deeper exploration on embracing multi-generational workforces, check out our webinar.
5 strategies for building trust in your communications
Effective communication is not about saying what you want to say correctly but enabling it to be heard correctly. To inspire action from your audiences, trust and believability play a huge part.
‘The idea is to write so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart’ Maya Angelou
- Consistency is key to building trust. Whether guiding the workforce through a complex transformation or engaging them in a new strategy, keep a consistent dialogue on rationale and goals.
- Tone of voice should be authentic, open, honest and human to be believable.
- Avoid vague phrases, if there’s important information, share the facts openly.
- Don’t ignore difficult topics: if there’s a question on the workforce’s mind, address it directly. Avoiding it won’t make it go away; it just reduces trust.
- Provide feedback loops and create psychologically safe opportunities for audiences to share concerns, questions, or feedback.
Top tip: To ensure you comms are human, read them out loud, if you sound like a robot you probably need to create a warmer, more conversational tone.’
How would your audiences answer?
Employees go through a mental checklist when receiving communications. Their response – whether, how quickly, and how they engage – depends on how they answer these questions:
- Is this aimed at me?
- Is this relevant to me?
- Do I trust this?
- How do I feel about who this is from?
- Do I care about this enough to prioritise it?
- Do I understand what this is about, or does it require me to stop and think?
- Is it clear what action is expected of me?
- Is there a clear deadline for responding or actioning?
Bringing the value of creativity
As passionate communicators with experience in supporting large organizations and hard-to-reach frontline audiences, we use creativity to simplify messaging, bring stories to life, and inspire action.
Want to find out more? Book a call with us here.
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.