Imagine you are the CEO of a restaurant chain with 50 outlets (maybe you are!) and you are re-thinking your communication strategy. You have a lot of things to say to a lot of people and you are wondering how best to communicate going forward.
You ask your trusted advisors for a coffee and a chat…
Helen, your HR Director mentions that a company Away Day might be a good idea to bring everyone together and invite improvement ideas from staff.
Michael, your Marketing Director suggests a poster campaign with corporate values and key policies to educate staff.
Ian, your IT Consultant states that his company has just developed a new pop-up tool which could be programmed to display key messages at specified times during the week.
Carol, your Head of Compliance recommends you remind staff of the company’s GDPR and Environmental legal obligations and suggests some staff workshops.
Carol also shows you the relevant clauses in ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 to provide extra stimulus. You smile at her enthusiasm and knowledge and ask whether there are any constraints on communication methodologies in the Standards? Apparently, there are none.
What an opportunity you think, to resurrect your communication strategy with various mixed media!
A set of requirements in a Standard provides a framework which can be used to improve an aspect of a business. Many delegates who study ISO 9001 for the first time are surprised to discover that the Standard directly relates to business leaders and that it is full of clauses that would be “common-sense” to most businesses.
With top management commitment, recognised accountability and a reasonable degree of involvement, ISO 9001 certification can provide a fantastic communication framework.
