The Tribe Report 10. The Non-Desk Best Practices Issue | Page 16

HIGHLIGHTING COMPANY HEROES
Using magazines to reach and celebrate frontline employees
BY STEPHEN BURNS
Today’s technology brings an array of new options to
reach non-desk employees, but print materials still carry
a certain impact, particularly in creating company pride.
Georgia-Pacific’s employee magazine, Growth, is a longstanding example of a company using print as an effective
resource for a predominately non-desk audience.

Employees respond to seeing people in
similar positions being acknowledged
and appreciated.
At Tribe, we’ve found that low-tech options, like a
magazine, can be great for engaging non-desk workers
who have limited options and time to get online. The
medium, however, is not the only important element. For
this issue of Growth, Georgia-Pacific worked with us to
incorporate these three keys for a successful print piece.
CELEBRATE THE FRONTLINE
Print materials are a great way to showcase the heroic
aspects of frontline workers. Tribe’s research with nondesk employees indicates that they want management —
and the rest of the company — to understand the realities
of their jobs and to acknowledge the frontline’s role in
the company’s success. This is your company’s chance to
celebrate the contributions of all your frontline employees
in a meaningful and substantial way.
USE REAL EMPLOYEE PHOTOGRAPHY
Employees respond to seeing people in similar positions
being acknowledged and appreciated. Unfortunately, due
to time or budgetary restrictions a lot of companies
opt to use stock photography. But to employees, this
comes across as disingenuous and misrepresentative.
Georgia-Pacific understood the inherent value of this
16 | TRIBE REPORT

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investment. For Growth, we were able to travel to mills
and lumberyards across several states and spend time on
the floors taking photos of employees. With GP’s help, we
were able to take the proper safety precautions and not
disrupt any work. As a result, the pictures we captured
are not only visually striking, but they also convey a
realness that will translate to employees who read the
piece. These genuine faces and scenes can help bridge
gaps and break down silos across your company.

PEOPLE
& VALUES

SPOTLIGHT
ON SAFETY
GP TR IVIA:

GP EMPLOYS ABOUT
35,000 PEOPLE AND
OPERATES NEARLY
150 MANUFACTURING
FACILITIES GLOBALLY.