HR professionals: 7 tips to get attention from C-Suite

Sending an email to a C-level executive? The shorter and more direct it is, the better. Use the email as a means to open up the conversation, not as the medium for the conversation itself. “No senior executive is going to take the time to read one lengthy email,” Flaxington says. Try this formula: Use the subject line of the email to state your issue; in the body, briefly explain what that issue is, what you need from them and when you need it (using bullets to outline the high-level issues you want to address). End with a question such as, “When would we be able to discuss?” which opens up the door to a follow-up conversation.

Even if it’s clear to you that taking care of your employees is good for business, the C-suite doesn’t always make that immediate connection. When addressing an issue, frame it in a way that speaks to its impact on the business, whether negative — a potential liability or risk to the company’s reputation — or positive — opportunities to increase profitability, revenue or efficiency. These are the matters to which C-level executives take notice and respond, Flaxington says. Another way to get their attention? Talk about what the competition is doing.