Sept. 20, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Click Rain Inc.

Making the move to a new office is a challenge many organizations go through, though not all move to a new workspace and move in with another agency at the same time.

That’s a challenge Click Rain Inc., the parent organization of Sioux Falls-based marketing agencies Click Rain and Lemonly, wanted to approach thoughtfully. The agencies moved last September into their new shared headquarters at the former Symms-Brownell Manufacturing Co. spark plug factory in the East Bank neighborhood of downtown Sioux Falls.

Navigating organizational change

Change can be difficult for every organization, but these teams are no strangers to change. Click Rain Inc. acquired Lemonly in early 2021, bringing the infographic design agency together with Click Rain, a digital marketing agency, to create a house of brands that provides world-class creative and digital marketing solutions to clients across the region and country.

Throughout the past 2 1/2 years, including the acquisition and last year’s office move, keeping employees informed and engaged amid organizational change has been a central focus for Click Rain Inc. 

Click Rain Inc. credits prioritizing internal communication as a key factor in successfully navigating nearly three years of growth and change, along with its agencies’ strong, people-centered cultures and shared vision.

Planning new office space

In fall 2021, Click Rain Inc. purchased the former Symms-Brownell building at Seventh Street and Nesmith Avenue and began a yearlong renovation to turn the space into the organization’s new headquarters. It all culminated on move-in day in September 2022.

Click Rain and Lemonly left their long-time office spaces in the year leading up to the move. Click Rain was part of the Rock Island Building on Phillips Avenue from March 2012 to October 2021. Lemonly was based in the Best Building on Main Avenue from fall 2015 to September 2022. Both spaces were beloved by the Click Rain and Lemonly teams and provided fitting homes for the agencies during major eras of growth.

Click Rain and Lemonly’s former offices at the Rock Island Building and Best Building.

Creating a space that not only could house both agencies but also carry the same atmosphere of their former offices was no small order. From finding the right building to designing its layout and features, leaders at Click Rain Inc., an internal design team and the company’s construction partners thought carefully about how to create a fresh, one-of-a-kind space at the century-old building — one their teams would be excited to call home for years to come.

Ensuring that everyone across the organization was informed, involved and excited about the new building throughout the construction process took thoughtful effort and planning too.

“For most people, navigating change is easier when they have some context. We worked hard to keep an open dialogue going with our team about the building project. Not only did we aim to keep people informed, but we listened to their ideas that also helped impact the project,” said Natalie Eisenberg, CEO and partner of Click Rain Inc.

Why internal communication matters for your team and culture

Internal communication is how organizations share information, build culture and relationships, and create shared meaning among organizational members.

Organizations are hives of communication where messages are being exchanged constantly through complex, interconnected networks of people, systems and structures both social and material. Communication is how organizations are constituted, structured and operationalized. So when communication within an organization weakens or breaks down, the organization itself breaks down. Employee engagement, job satisfaction and belonging decrease. Turnover, defects and inefficiencies increase.

Likewise, when internal communication is strong, an organization is strengthened. Engagement, satisfaction, retention and performance increase. Team morale, company culture and belonging are bolstered. An organization that communicates well internally is able to function better externally and to live out its values, act on its mission and serve its employees and customers.

For Click Rain Inc., an organization that champions progressive, people-centered culture and flexible work, internal communication is an essential aspect of company culture and a priority during organizational changes like an office move.

In its 12 years of making infographics and visual content, Lemonly has worked with dozens of clients — the likes of BP, Comcast, Yext and more — creating internal communication materials to add clarity and polish to organizations’ internal messages, including employer branding, company culture initiatives, onboarding, benefits and more. A core tenet of Lemonly’s approach to crafting internal communications for clients is that organizations should treat their internal communications like content marketing — using similar strategies, resources and intentionality to communicate with their employees as with their customers.

That internal communication expertise and philosophy served Click Rain Inc. well throughout the moving process as it employed strategies and content similar to those Lemonly uses with its clients.

Communication before, during, after office move

Click Rain Inc. communicated with team members in a number of ways leading up to, during and after the office move: gathering input and feedback, sharing updates, gaining buy-in and soliciting team participation in decision-making about ways to make the space their own.

The following is a summary of many of the communications Click Rain and Lemonly used with their teams about the office move starting in spring 2021:

Before construction

• Organization-wide survey to gather feedback, preferences and input during early-stage building search.
• Announcements at agencies’ all-hands meetings that the building had been acquired.
• Early site visit and tour open to all employees.
• Internal design team convened; employees encouraged to share ideas with members.
• Design plans and architectural mock-ups shared at several points as the interior layout came together.

During construction

• Quarterly site visits open to all employees to tour construction progress, including video tours for remote employees.
• Periodic updates and photos as construction continued.
• Weekly written updates from the core planning team in the months leading up to the move.
• Material samples, furnishings and interior design mood board shared with all employees.
• Team ideation and input for room names and selection by a group of employees.
• Organization-wide lunch panel discussion with neighboring businesses to get to know the new neighborhood.

Before move-in

• Department input and feedback on the seating chart for those with assigned desks.
• Pre-move briefings at agencies’ all-hands meetings about what to expect during move-in week and how to prepare.
• Moving committee assembled of leaders and employee ambassadors to help move boxes, give tours and answer questions.

Lemonly created a map infographic for the move to Click Rain Inc.’s new headquarters to help team members from Click Rain and Lemonly find their way in the new space.

During move-in

• Infographic featuring illustrated building map, room names, building history, amenities and first-day info for all employees.
• Move-in day welcome pack including a building map, company swag, snacks and employee welcome signs stationed at assigned desks.
• Placards with room names and Wi-Fi details in meeting rooms and welcome info for hybrid employees at unassigned drop zones throughout the office.
• Organization-wide Slack channel for office-related announcements, questions and ongoing updates.
• Technology training sessions for employees to learn in-office tech: Zoom Rooms, hybrid meetings, screen sharing, scheduling, etc.
• Written guide with office policies, procedures and need-to-know info for employees.

After move-in

• Post-move issues list for noting improvements and ideas as everyone became acquainted with the space.
• Exterior signage plan and mock-ups shared organization-wide after move-in.
• Team involvement in creating murals and infographics for the space and selecting decor.
• Ongoing ideation and implementation of functional and aesthetic upgrades like wall art, room decor and other details as everyone settled into the space.

Internal communication best practices during organizational change

Based on the communication strategies used before, during and after its building move, Click Rain Inc. recommends a number of best practices for organizations navigating similar changes. Whether it’s moving to a new office, changing your project management system or introducing a new employee benefit, these are solid internal communication practices to keep in mind:

• Start and end with why. Share context for why the change is happening and your rationale for decisions along the way. Understanding the “why” helps build buy-in. Remind everyone of the bigger picture at key points during the process. At the end, assess your outcomes against your initial goals.
• Set clear expectations early. Make sure everyone knows what to expect for how things will go: the process, timeline, major milestones, etc. It’s OK if there are things you don’t know yet; share what you do know, and give more updates later as you learn more.
• Share frequent, brief updates. Keep everyone in the loop with regular updates. You don’t need to wait for a major milestone or have a flashy presentation every time — a few sentences or bullet points each week is enough to help people keep a pulse on what’s happening. A teamwide Slack message, email or Loom video works great for sharing quick bites of information.
• Involve your people. Get input and participation from your team at every step of the process. Identify and communicate key points where folks can share ideas, get involved and help make decisions. Having a hand in making the change will help employees feel a sense of ownership and buy-in.
• Live out your values. Look to your core values to inform how you approach change and navigate challenging moments. Be intentional about enacting your values along the way so your actions and communication reflect who you are as an organization and ring true to employees’ experiences as part of your team.
• Follow up and follow through. Assess how things are going during the process and afterward. This might include team surveys, focus groups, conversations among your culture team, one-on-one meetings or an open-sourced issues list for improvements once the dust has settled. As you gather feedback, follow through with action and communicate back to the team. Make a plan for ongoing long-term assessment to continue to monitor and improve.
• Provide clear, open avenues for input. Great ideas can come from anywhere. If someone has an idea, they should know what to do with it: where to go, who to tell or how to share it with the right people. Whether it’s a suggestion box, shared document, weekly prompts or departmental representatives, ensure the paths for giving input are known and available to everyone.
• Use visuals. Create communications, content or materials your people want to consume. Make your message memorable, engaging and easy to understand using visuals that are skimmable and digestible.
• Make it an event. Roll out the red carpet, and make the big day feel special with a bit of fanfare. Plan an event or celebration, give it a name, create swag and build hype so the occasion is one to remember.
• Tell your culture story. Let your fans, friends, community and customers in on the fun. Post on social media, share user-generated content from employees, give tours, host a community event — whatever ways you can share your story with the wider world. Your people and culture are part of your brand and what makes you unique. Tell your story, and let your audience celebrate with you.

If your organization is looking for a partner to help create internal communication content so your internal messages make an impact, get in touch with Lemonly to talk about how we can help get your whole team on the same page through memorable messaging and engaging visuals.