The latest from our blog
Explore insights, how-to tips, trends, and best practices from our team of internal communications experts. All our blog posts are original content written by our writers, consultants, and interns.
Annual Enrollment Communication Will Be Different This Year
Here’s How to Step Up Your Game By now, you’ve probably nailed down your 2025 benefits design and have a good idea of what needs to be communicated during annual enrollment (AE). This AE won’t be like other years, though. You’ll be sending your benefits messages to employees against an […]
Start AE Planning Today: Your Future Self Will Thank You
Most annual enrollments happen in the fall. So why start worrying about them in June? Here’s why. Because you spend a lot on benefits (30% of compensation), and you want employees to take advantage of and value them. Benefits are a crucial aspect of employee recruitment and retention. In fact, […]
Walk the talk on workplace well-being
The pandemic helped employers better appreciate the link between employee well-being, engagement, and productivity. So over the past few years, employers have boosted well-being offerings in a big way. But all the benefits in the world can’t erase what is fundamentally the biggest influence on employee happiness and well-being—and that […]
As DEI gets a second look, what happens to DEI communications?
Earlier this year, the New York Times published DEI Goes Quiet, noting a shift in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) environment since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. But while public sentiment remains split, many companies are actually expanding DEI efforts (57%, according to a […]
What’s up with employee unhappiness? Ways to get the sparkle back in your organization
A recent report from BambooHR delivered some sobering news: Employee happiness in the last quarter of 2023 was the lowest it’s been in four years. Gallup’s July 2023 poll also found over 80% of Americans are unhappy at work and in life. Given these statistics were collected post-pandemic, it’s definitely […]
4 Ways to Create a Mental Health Communication Campaign that Sticks
Long before we ever heard the term “coronavirus,” employee mental health was declining. Now, as we enter a post-pandemic world, we’re coming to terms with how the stress, isolation, grief, burnout, and caregiving challenges experienced by employees during the pandemic have made the mental health problem that much worse. If […]
The O’Keefe Group Receives the Prestigious Gold Quill Award of Excellence
We are honored to share that The O’Keefe Group (OKG) has received the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award of Excellence. The Gold Quill Awards program has been recognizing and awarding excellence in strategic communications for more than 40 years. It’s acknowledged as one of the most […]
Why Communicators Are Still Feeling Burned Out + What You Can Do About It
These days, workers in every field are experiencing an uptick in stress and burnout – and internal communicators are no exception. Since the beginning of the pandemic, communicators have been faced with an almost daily onslaught of new challenges and commitments. These challenges continue to take their toll on communicators’ […]
Help Your Managers Master These Three Essential Skills
The relationship between a manager and an employee looks a lot different these days. Before the pandemic, the idea of asking employees what was happening in their lives outside of work wasn’t considered appropriate for the workplace, and it might even have been frowned upon by Human Resources. Times have […]
2023 Annual Enrollment: Consider These Enhancements to Shore Up Attraction and Retention
Annual enrollment for 2023 employee benefits is right around the corner. This year, as businesses continue to grapple with labor shortages, retention issues, and a burned-out, disengaged workforce, it’s more important than ever to offer a benefits package that meets employees’ needs across all aspects of their well-being. After a […]
