Communication Strategies for dynamic environments

Enshored is an outsourcing partner to fast-growing startup and scale up companies. Enshored is growing quickly too. Like many outsourcing companies, operational centers are based in lower-cost countries, while leadership, sales, and marketing are managed closer to the clients. For Enshored, this means operations based in the Philippines and leadership in the US.

This creates a challenge as to how best communicate in such a dynamic environment, given the challenges of distance, and an ever-changing and expanding team of leaders. A failure to communicate well at a fast-growing company can seriously damage the culture you are trying to build, can lead to operational failures and misalignment and a lack of buy into the vision and direction of the firm. Since day one, Enshored has recognized the challenge and worked hard to ensure that communication is prioritized.

Practically, Enshored adopts the following practices:

1. Keep the corporate structure as flat as possible

There are only really four levels within the company – executive, operational and functional leadership, team leadership and agents. No offices, no separation of management from employees.

2. Communicate effectively and often

There are site-wide town-hall or all-hands meetings every time that senior executives are on site at any operational center. Standard agenda at these meetings include giving updates on new clients, new processes, new hires and promotions, as well as any operational or other functional headwinds. Enshored also recognizes the top performers since the last meeting and ensures that everyone understands how success is measured and what it looks like within the Enshored culture. The goal is to ensure that everyone can hear directly what is going on at Enshored, from those setting the direction of the company, and to seek clarification if required. It also helps with creating a culture where accountability is linked to performance. These meetings are put on at least quarterly, and generally every six weeks.

3. Hold regular informal meetings with key employees

Large meetings are great for getting a message out but they can be quite one-sided. It is also not always possible to get the nuances and flavor across. These seem better suited to more informal meetings. For Enshored, breakfast meetings are a big thing. Generally, Enshored offices are busiest overnight, as our customer care, sales and marketing and content moderation teams in the Philippines work hand in hand with their clients and their customers in the US.

Practically this means a lot of people finishing their work days between 6 am and 9 am. This creates a great opportunity for Enshored to arrange these informal group meetings with key employees. Enshored key employees get opportunities to meet with senior execs, and operational, HR and other leaders to exchange lessons learned, talk about best practices, and also to better get to know each other. Food and eating together is a key part of Filipino culture, and also a nice way for the company to recognize the efforts of key employees – trying out the huge array of tasty breakfast buffets available.

Enshored recognizes the need for a disciplined approach to communication. Without it, it would be extremely challenging to preserve the start-up culture, maintain the energy required to grow at breakneck speed and ensure the corporate culture is appreciated and adopted by all.