An HR communication plan and change enablement story.
Building to Support Change: Introducing New Career Paths for Zoomies
Often, when it comes to being a great communications consultant, you have to be able to see through walls. Clients don’t always know the full extent of what they need, or if they do know, they may have a hard time articulating it. So as their partner, you have to help them get there. In a way, it’s like being asked to remodel a home: you don’t begin to knock the old walls down until you first know what the foundation is like.
Such was the case with Zoom and their need for an HR communication strategy.
This is the most stunning piece of corporate anything I have ever seen. I would literally hang the images on the walls of my home.
– Jodi Rabinowitz, Head of Talent and Organizational Development, Zoom
What was needed
Perhaps no other company had a year quite like Zoom did in 2020. But even before the pandemic hit, Zoom was well on its way to having record growth. For years Zoom was seen as a unicorn company, quietly amassing market share from larger, more established video conferencing rivals. Then, in 2019 the company went public, and with that came an explosion of business—as well as an explosion in hiring.
It was an exciting moment to be a Zoomie. But as with any company going through such a dramatic spurt, there were some growing pains. Pre-IPO colleagues had a different perspective of their company than post-IPO colleagues. There wasn’t a clear career path for most jobs. Often those who got raises were the ones who knew how to ask for them.
The leaders at the company understood that some changes were in order and had been making plans. Then 2020 came and the first quarantines went into effect, and practically overnight Zoom became a common household name. Suddenly this rapidly growing business had to figure out how to shore up its internal architecture, all while the weight of virtually the entire online world was resting on its shoulders.
Services provided
HR Communication strategy and plan
Key messaging
Visual identity
Manager toolkit
Training guides
Executive presentation
Digital and print assets
Creative direction
Zoom People Experience Team visual identity and icons
What we did
Zoom hired ROI in early 2020 to help introduce and communicate their philosophy for career development and kick off the new program that would guide employee’s growth. We recognized that before that could happen, foundational work was required. In working with Zoom’s head of Talent and Organizational Development, we introduced a strategy that would ensure the goal of adoption and participation was achieved.
ROI got to work developing a plan, key messages and a distinct visual way to introduce the new career growth philosophy. ROI worked closely with the Zoom team to create materials unveiling the philosophy at the Zoom All Hands meeting, laying the groundwork and rationale of the coming changes for all employees.
Then, for a company where a third of managers had never managed before, it was essential that everyone from the CEO on down understand the career path changes, the reasons for it and how it was created. ROI built a toolkit to help Zoom’s managers introduce the changes to each employee in the company, helping them explain things like how new job levels were structured, what opportunities existed and how employees could develop their careers.
Along the way, we created additional materials that were custom-made for each employee audience—from the program’s visual identity and 12-month roll out plan, to training guides, messaging and an executive roadshow. ROI’s diversity, equity and inclusion panel also reviewed every resource to ensure it was free of bias.
Communications message map & image library
How it turned out
As with any client relationship, the number one thing we did was try to understand Zoom’s needs. At times, not even Zoom fully knew what was needed—understandable given that so much of what they were doing was completely new terrain. But one of ROI’s hallmark qualities is that we don’t just provide what’s being asked; we provide what’s needed, offering up ideas and solutions to which our clients can react.
This approach worked great with our client at Zoom, and she could see the thoughts that had been solely in her head take shape in the form of design elements, talking points and communication strategies that she could then take to her leadership team. In fact, she was so impressed by how the work turned out that she later remarked, “This is the most stunning piece of corporate anything I have ever seen. I would literally hang the images on the walls of my home.”
Because of our HR communication strategy, Zoom was able to roll out its new career path program to every employee in the company, ensuring that the future of Zoom—and of every household relying on its platform—is set for whatever event comes next.
Zoom visual icons
The team that made it happen
Erika Jensen
Vice President, Account Manager
Cindy Ann Ganaden
Senior Art Director
Scott Kaul
Senior Consultant
Denise Rotman
Senior Creative Strategist