Taking the pain out of outsourcing: developing a comms strategy.

Abstract

The article discusses methods of planning a communications strategy to support employees in companies where jobs are being outsourced. The author discusses the specific case of a retail clothing company that made the decision to outsource its information technology (IT) department. The importance of keeping employees informed throughout outsourcing processes and developing a negotiation strategy that will represent the interests of employees is emphasized. Tools that change management teams can use to build a successful communications strategy such as timelines, messages from leadership, and face to face briefings are described.