Microsoft responds to protest by reinforcing norms; H&R Block celebrates Swift-Kelce engagement with employees

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the past week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Microsoft calls some Gaza protests ‘serious breaches’ of polic

Microsoft fired two employees this week after they broke into the office of company president Brad Smith over the organization’s support of Israel amid the war in Gaza. The protestors were part of a group called No Azure for Apartheid, which calls for Microsoft to stop providing software for the Israeli government to use during the war.

According to a statement viewed by CNBC, Microsoft called the statement “breaches of company policies.”

“Two employees were terminated today following serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement, noting unlawful break-ins at the executive offices.

“These incidents are inconsistent with the expectations we maintain for our employees. The company is continuing to investigate and is cooperating fully with law enforcement regarding these matters,” the statement added.

Following the office break-in on Tuesday, Smith said that Microsoft would “investigate and get to the truth of” how Microsoft’s technology has been used during the war. That’s important because it’s showing that leaders are aware of and hear protests. At least the peaceful ones anyway.

The comms process during these sorts of situations isn’t easy. Microsoft was decisive and swift in its response to the break-in and made sure to mention that such actions aren’t part of its cultural norms or expectations. That’s beyond a simple protest. That’s the line communicators need to keep in mind here — there’s a cultural agreement of what is and isn’t acceptable behavior when you join a company, and communicators need to help employees understand where those lines are. Providing avenues for employees to share their perspective on the world is something comms pros can facilitate — they can even prove useful in building a more understanding culture.

2. H&R Block tells staff to ‘call it early’ in honor of Swift-Kelce engagement

If you were without an internet connection over the last few days, you might have missed that Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and music icon Taylor Swift announced their engagement. Kansas City-based H&R Block took advantage of the moment and told its employees to head out early in celebration.

According to an internal email obtained by the Kansas City Star, H&R Block chief people officer Tiffany Monroe sent a memo to its employees just after 3 p.m. telling them they could head out to “celebrate love.”

It’s come to my attention that Kansas City, and frankly, the entire nation, is buzzing with the news of a certain celebrity engagement,” Monroe wrote. “Let’s be honest: between checking social feeds, debating, potential wedding playlists, and most importantly — telling your friends what married filling jointly means, I know focus is in short supply this afternoon.

So here’s the deal: if you’re so inclined, call it early. Go home. Celebrate love. Speculate about the dress. Argue whether the reception will be held in KC or a castle in Europe.

Monroe added at the end of her statement that “life changes = tax changes,” tying it all back to H&R Block’s purpose as a tax firm.

This is a masterful example of employee comms playing off a news event. Taking advantage of a local tie in a major story that set social media alight and giving your employees some time off in the process? That’s a great way not just to build goodwill among your people, but to communicate that you’re a great place to work for the rest of the world. Comms doesn’t have to be stiff and just focused on the facts all the time — if you’re able to have a little fun and keep it within your company’s voice and purpose, you can drive positive employee sentiment.

3. Report: Jargon can hurt morale and collaboration

There are tons of jargon-filled terms that get thrown the workplace around every day. A lot of them are industry terms that wouldn’t mean anything to someone outside the company, and might even be confusing for colleagues on different teams. But according to a recent study, those terms can get in the way of employee morale and collaboration.

In an interview with Phys.org, one of the authors of the study, Dr. Olivia Bullock of the University of Florida, said that she and her colleague surveyed 2,000 people who were told to imagine they had just started a new job. Half of the group got a message full of confusing industry terms, and the other half got a message with easy-to-understand and direct language. The group that got the jargon-filled message found it harder to comprehend, and that can wreck the vibe of any workplace.

“It doesn’t just make them feel bad about the information they’ve been given. It makes them feel bad about themselves,” Bullock said.

The study then asked people how they would respond to the jargon. The impenetrable language made them feel insecure and less likely to ask for help right when they needed it the most.

“They weren’t as willing to collaborate,” Bullock said. “If you can’t ask for more information or share that information downstream, you’re creating silos, and that’s disrupting your workflow and environment.”

This advice sounds quite basic because it is — be plain and transparent when you’re putting together internal messaging. Don’t assume everyone understands the terms you’re using, as organizations might have different acronyms and verbiage that wouldn’t translate for everyone. The more direct you are and the better you’re able to speak to a wider swath of the employee base, the better chance you have of getting your message through. If confusing messaging is hindering teams from working together or understanding each other effectively, that’s not just bad for culture — it’s bad for the business.

4. How about some good news?

• Washington state is conserving thousands of acres of old-growth forests.
• A historic Swedish church was relocated to preserve it from a local mine.
• A 93-year-old golfer in Britain hit his first-ever hole-in-one.
• Ragan Training is great for communications pros to find inspiration and resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here! Our PR Daily Awards close next week.

Have a great weekend comms all-stars!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and trivia.