19 January 2010
Orange puts communication strategy in place to close site
Telecoms provider ups communication support following site closure announcement.
Last week, Orange announced the proposed closure of its Keypoint office, one of the buildings on the Orange campus in Bristol, in the west of England. It's proposed that about two thirds of the employees based at the site will be relocated within the Bristol campus. The other third – a Service contact center – will be able to apply for roles within the existing contact centers in Darlington, NE England and Plymouth, in the south west, or take redundancy.
The announcement is the latest in a number of significant changes since Tom Alexander, CEO of Orange, shared his vision for the company – "The Agenda" – 18 months ago, which included plans for a full review of the way Orange uses its real estate.
Communication priorities
Stuart Jackson, director of corporate communications at Orange told Melcrum, "These decisions are never easy to make but as a company we have to continue to challenge ourselves to make sure we're working in the most efficient way so we can continue to improve, grow and evolve as a business."
Primary communication channels used to communicate the closure included:
- Face-to-face briefing for impacted employees
- Teleconferencing with people managers
- Email communication to the wider business
"Our priority now is to ensure our employees have access to all of the information and support they need through our employee representatives and people managers but also our core communication channels, which include an intranet microsite built to house all information regarding employee consultations and Q&A pages," said Jackson.
"My team have worked closely with HR to ensure we have a comprehensive communications plan in place for every stage of collective and then individual consultation," he added.
Have your say
Which key communication principles need to be remembered when announcing redundancies and office closures? How can Orange best support employees in this time of uncertainty? Share your thoughts below.
Recommended resources:
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How to ensure you're taking the right approach to engagement
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