Tipitina Communications, Inc.

Dave Frandsen, critically injured in a workplace accident, with his wife and niece.

A Communication Risk Reaps Rewards

One of my corporate employers was UPM North America, the U.S. and Canadian operations of global publication paper manufacturer UPM, a $7 billion, NYSE-listed company that is one of Time, Inc.'s primary suppliers.

More than three-quarters of UPM North America's employees work in expansive, 24/7 production facilities. Most use massive, fast-moving equipment that can create dangerous work situations. This reality makes workplace safety especially critical. The Company’s safety record in recent years had been poor, and management targeted it for aggressive improvement. Besides an array of training programs, managers turned to Communications to help educate employees about the necessity of improved safety.

Editorial Board members of U magazine, the newly created customer and employee magazine I had launched and edited, decided to make safety the theme of an issue. The Editorial Board and I felt strongly that nothing would more compellingly convey the consequences of a single unsafe moment than the story of an employee injured on the job. An editorial board member and hourly employee on one of the company's production lines recommended we pursue a story about Dave Frandsen, a former employee critically injured on the job, and how his injury had changed his and his family's lives.

Because of the sensitivity of the topic, executives wanted me to report and write the article. I reached out to Mr. Frandsen's wife, outlined the type of article we wanted to write and what we hoped it would accomplish. After discussing it with her family, Mrs. Frandsen agreed to participate and also gave Mr. Frandsen's physician permission to talk with me.

Reaction to the article was overwhelmingly positive. Managers reported that it was discussed extensively by employees. In a subsequent employee survey, the story ranked as the favorite or most memorable article during the magazine's first year of publication. Chicago-headquartered Lawrence Ragan Communications, the nation's leading publisher and producer of corporate communications newsletters and conferences, annually recognizes the best in employee communications. The article was judged the Best Employee Magazine Feature in that year's awards, besting Southwest Airlines in a competition won by American Express the previous year.

The story "is tragic," judges of the annual awards wrote about the article. "You tell it with sympathy, but without condescension ... A good writer knows when the material is so strong that the writing itself must be simple and understated. You have that material and your writing shows that self-discipline. As a reporter, you obviously earned the trust of the family. As an employee, you obviously earned the trust of your superiors. The story demonstrates that in both cases, the trust was well placed."

The article also earned a Silver Anvil from the International Association of Business Communicators.

The Bad with the Good Builds Credibility

Another brutally honest topic U magazine undertook under my leadership was an entire issue dedicated to the wrenching change - including a 34% reduction in workforce - the company had undergone in recent years.

Although aspects of the topic were difficult, reaction to the issue's honest and forthright approach was positive.

Results from a first anniversary employee survey about the publication showed:

• 75% of respondents said the magazine helped them better understand the company and its operations.
• 83% rated it "clear and understandable."
• 55% said it "provides important information I don't get elsewhere."