Communication-forward business philosophy | Digital Letterpress: Part 13
For three years, I had the privilege of being part of the Publix Supermarkets family. During that time, I worked with incredible coworkers and for incredible managers. I felt cared for and appreciated. I felt like I was making a difference every day I put on my uniform. I can say something a lot of people can’t say about their workplaces: I loved it. Now that I don’t work for the company, I still enjoy shopping there because of the experience I receive every time I step in the store. Why? What is it about Publix that makes it a joy to work and shop there?
It begins with the atmosphere created by the environment. And at the end of the day, the positive and service-minded attitude begins with Publix’s premium communication. They pride themselves on both internal (between management and employees) and external (from store to customer) communication. I believe the company’s willingness to be open and collaborative with employees and the general public has done much to endear it in the eyes of its followers over the years.
Publix understands the need to connect with its customer-base. They place a lot of energy in sending positive messages to people who shop in the store, whether it’s a polite greeting and or friendly smile. They believe that those messages create the type of atmosphere they want customers to experience. Aside from face-to-face communication, the company conducts surveys every few months to receive feedback from its audience in order to refine areas that may need polishing. Every month, the stores are “tested” by a mystery shopper who comes through a store and grades his or her shopping experience. The store then receives a score based on the shoppers grade. Managers keep up with these scores and constantly refer to them when encouraging associates to the best job possible. The premium the company places on sending and receiving messages with its audience helps build the trust needed to have loyal customers.
In “Public relations professionals’ perspectives on the communication challenges and opportunities they face in the U.S. public sector,” Booke Fisher Liu and Abbey Blake Levenshus use the government as an example for the importance of external communication with the public. They write: “All of the communicators concurred that publics’ trust in government communication is important because trust is necessary to effectively communicate messages.” This ideal extends from the area of government to any organization concerned with building an audience-base. Success begins with transparent communication that leads to trust, and trust that leads to further effective communications. Audiences that trust someone with believe that person’s messages. Publix understands this and has worked to build trust between the company and its customers, leading to audience buy-in.
Perhaps a greater focus for the company, however, is its emphasis on internal communication. In line with this philosophy, Phil Rabinowitz of Community Tool Box writes: “Internal communication is a lot more than people talking to one another, however. It’s the life blood of any organization, the way in which everyone gets the information she needs. It means that anyone can easily get his question answered, as well as that no one gets left out when there’s a birthday celebration for a staff member.” Publix constantly works to deliver messages to its associates, whether its managers speaking to employees or corporate visiting and speaking with local workers. The company strives to make everyone feel part of the family, not just part of a system. The company supplies employees with constant training, advancement opportunities, and communication channels. They preach open door policies as well as supply a yearly survey for associates to voice their opinions.
Writing about Publix’s founder, George Jenkins, blogger W. Mark Whitlock posted about the vision of Mr. George. Whitlock explained that the man “traveled tirelessly, visiting stores, talking to store clerks, listening to cashiers, working alongside baggers. He continued these visits up until the very week he passed away” (Publix Philosophy). Every new-employee orientation meeting includes the story of how Mr. George founded the company because, while working at a grocery store himself, the new company owner refused to meet and speak with Mr. George face to face. From that moment on, Mr. George swore that he would be a company based on open communication, trust, and a focus to serve. When managers take the time to meet and speak with associates, those associates feel appreciated and will enjoy working. That’s one of the huge successes of the company.
According to Molly Parsons and Steve Urbanski, when polled about avoiding pitfalls of organization communication, a focus group “agreed that traits of a successful project include constant communication, defined roles and goals and respect and honesty for each person a part of the group. In addition, they agreed that the type of interpersonal relationship they have with their peers or managers greatly affect the culture of an organization” (Recognizing Dysfunctional Communications a Means of Improving Organizational Practices). Publix, over its 86 year history, has polished its philosophy of honoring and respecting its employees with its ability to inform and listen. Listening effectively is just as valuable to an organization as sending information. Listening and applying feedback from associates leads to happier workers as well as a more effective system.
The article “Exploring Public Sector Communication Performance: Testing a Model and Drawing Implications” covers the dangers and pitfalls of red tape in an organization since it blocks the effectiveness of communication. Authors Pandey and Garnett write: “Red tape can influence communication performance in two key ways. First, rigid rules and procedures can be expected to restrict the number and capacity of communication channels available for transmitting information. Second, red tape is likely to negatively influence individual motivation to seek or provide needed information.” In these terms, Publix strives to cut out the red tape between leader and follower. While it does employ rules and regulations, it does not overwhelm associates with them. The company instead works to create an atmosphere in which is enjoyable to work. Much like it uses communication to build trust with customers, it uses its open communication and collaboration to build the trust of its associates. With that trust, the company knows it retains some of the most loyal associates an organization can ask for.
Even though my time with this company is over, I won’t forget the lessons it taught me and the experiences it gave me. The vision Mr. George had for a company based on trust, honesty, and respect truly is one many companies can learn from. Whether internally or externally, Publix Supermarkets stands tall as an organization committed to strong communication.
