The Schindler Team
group.schindler.com
Employees may spend only a few minutes of their day travelling in an elevator. But by making the best use of its potential as a communications platform HR teams can use this short journey to genuinely boost employee experience. Here are five ways they can go about it.
Engage hybrid workers with an enriched experience that starts at the front door
Hybrid working has accelerated in the years since the pandemic, with workers now spending on average 40% of their hours in remote locations. This creates a new onus on organisations to elevate their physical office environments to provide a richer employee experience, thereby motivating employees to go into the office more often and use the space effectively for activities focused on co-creation, innovation and community.
Employee communication strategies that make use of physical office locations, such as elevators, are a critical part of this. Used strategically, they create the possibility of building up a rewarding or even exclusive experience from the moment an employee enters the office building, be that via the delivery of timely company news, a reiteration of corporate values or even ‘mood conditioning,’ using imagery or soundscapes.
Capture employee attention in a naturally distraction-free environment
Employees are bombarded with information. From work emails, to push notifications and texts, there are myriad platforms competing for their attention throughout the day. For the few seconds they might spend in an elevator though, the lack of mobile network coverage creates an inherently distraction-free environment in which their attention is far less fragmented. This creates an openness to communications that might be lacking in many other settings.
Elevators can therefore be a highly effective vehicle to capture employee attention, reaching them at a time when they’re most able to focus and where they may be looking for a welcome distraction in a setting which might traditionally be thought of as awkward. A platform such as Schindler’s DMS opens up to inform, entertain and communicate within an elevator setting.
Hold attention (and reduce waste) with digital OOH media
Employee communication delivered via digital out-of-home (DOOH) media, such as eye-level screens in office elevators, is not only a less wasteful way to communicate with employees, but also far more effective at capturing their attention compared to both traditional out-of-home (OOH) platforms, such as posters pinned up on a noticeboard, or online media, like email.
DOOH delivers higher rates of retention and a greater willingness by employees to spend a few seconds viewing content, particularly in areas which require a natural dwell time, such as elevators. Logistically, they’re also easier to update or amend, and reduce the potential waste and environmental impact of traditional OOH media.
Leverage in-built flexibility to deliver targeted, real-time updates
Screens within elevators are typically organised via a network of centrally connected screens. As a result, employers are able to relay any updated content in as little as an hour making them an ideal platform for ultra-targeted and timely communications. This might include local weather, the details of upcoming work events or relevant news developments. Employers could even go one step further, making use of programmatic solutions to micro-target messaging for employees at different parts of the day.
Whatever the nature of the content, elevators using Schindler’s DMS can be used as vehicles for dynamic and customised content that reflects the expectations of employees used to the real-time nature of digital content consumed via their smartphones.
Curate a holistic content experience
Make the most of the dynamism of in-elevator screens with a content plan that meets different employee needs. For example, a 2021 Office Pulse study found that more than 90% of people enjoyed updates on local weather and more than 80% wanted bitesize updates on trending news. Organisations could tailor the latter within office buildings to provide helpful summaries on wider company news, employee perks or policies. Pair this informational content with ‘digital escapes’ too, interspersing vivid or relaxing imagery on screens to help relieve workplace stress.
