This Labour Day , I’ve been thinking about what the labour movement has meant for all workers.

Weekends. Safer workplaces. Limits on working hours. Collective bargaining. Better wages and benefits. Maternity and parental leave protections. A stronger voice for workers.

Many of the things we now consider part of a fair workplace were fought for, negotiated and advanced by generations of workers and unions.

But there’s another Labour Day lesson I think organizations should pay attention to.

Unions know the importance of communicating with frontline workers.

They listen.

They organize.

They identify the issues workers care about.

They explain what is happening and why it matters.

They create opportunities for people to ask questions.

They build networks of people who can carry information into the workplace.

And, perhaps most importantly, they keep communicating.

Yet I’ve seen organizations where frontline employees suddenly receive a lot more attention when bargaining begins, an organizing drive appears or a major change needs employee support.

Suddenly leaders want to listen.

Suddenly there are town halls.

Suddenly managers are expected to communicate.

Suddenly everyone wants to know what frontline employees are thinking.

Employees notice.

Because if the only time you really engage with people is when you need something from them, that isn’t engagement, it’s a transaction….and by then, someone else may have spent years building the relationship you neglected.

There are lessons here for Internal Communication Professionals and leaders….

Don’t wait for bargaining to build trust.

Communicate with frontline employees when there is nothing to sell, defend or ask for.

Understand what matters to them.

Build strong manager communication.

Create ways for people to hear directly from leaders and, just as importantly, for leaders to hear directly from them.

Make communication accessible to people who don’t sit behind a desk all day.

Close the loop when employees raise concerns.

Show them how their work connects to the organization’s success.

And recognize their contribution consistently, not just when you need their vote, flexibility, patience or support.

The labour movement has taught us a great deal about the power of collective voice. Maybe it can also teach organizations something about communication.

Relationships built in moments of calm are the relationships you can rely on in moments of change.

This Labour Day, perhaps the question for organizations isn’t simply, “How are we communicating with our frontline employees?”

It’s:

“Would they know we value them even when we don’t need anything from them?”

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