Investing in communications makes good business sense irrespective of whether you are a large or small employer. Research shows that staff satisfaction, motivation and retention levels directly relate to how good a communicator an employer is.

As an employer you make a significant financial commitment to your employees who are members of the TPS, contributing more than twice what they do to their pension. But unless you communicate this well, you risk not fully reaping the benefits of this substantial investment.

The most influential driver of public opinion about a company or product, such as a pension scheme, is the view of the company employee and/or product user/scheme member. If you communicate the scheme well to members they are more likely to feel valued, value the scheme and become advocates of it, promoting it to others.

Used properly the TPS should be a useful recruitment and retention tool and it should have a positive impact on employee relations. Good communications are vital to achieving this and any investment in communications is likely to cost only a fraction of the cost of your investment in the pension itself.

The following diagrams (reproduced with kind permission of Ipsos MORI) clearly demonstrate the link between good communications and staff satisfaction and employee retention.

Figure 1: Impact of internal communications on employee advocacy Figure 2: Impact of internal communications on employee retention

Here the impact of good communications on generating more productive employee behaviours, through raised motivation and help in reducing costs associated with disaffected staff i.e. through reduced labour turnover, is self evident.

Further proof of the value of communication as a key opinion driver can be found in Ipsos MORI’s research into residents’ perception of the standards of service their local council provides. Communication is such a powerful driver that it is worth noting that the only service a local authority could invest in to get a higher return in regards residents’ satisfaction levels, is in improving the street scene.

The link between good communications, high performance and staff motivation is clearly demonstrated, so investing time and money in communicating with teachers about the TPS should be seen as a worthwhile investment in front line staff.

As employers you are responsible for communicating the scheme to members. The level of investment that you are able to make in communications will depend on many localised factors but irrespective of these, this investment should serve you well in both the short and the long term.