Elvis probably isn't regarded as one of the leading thinkers on how to engage, motivate and inspire employees.
Perhaps that's why he spent so much time in Heartbreak Hotel or being Lonesome Tonight.
When it comes to effective internal communication and what is working in the market place and what isn't, his plea for "a little less conversation, a little more action" should be turned on its head.
Conversation is exactly what organisations need - an informed, educated and open dialogue with its employees.
What most organisations are currently suffering from, however, is a surfeit of action - lots of initiatives; lots of change; lots of messages coming top-down.
HR is in a unique position to facilitate that conversation.
But where does it start and how does it stake its claim to make this happen? In the ghetto First of all, HR has to recognise that line managers often view its role as primarily functional.
Whereas HR aspires to deliver on the strategic business agenda, quite often line management is more interested in whether or not the latest salary round was handled properly.
HR has an ideal opportunity to get out of this "HR ghetto" and liberate itself from some of these preconceptions if only it realised the importance of internal communication to the CEO and began more actively to engage with this agenda.
A study by Deloitte and Touche for "Human Resources Magazine" found that 95% of CEO's rated effective internal communication as the Human Resource issue as "very important to the success of the organisation".
Unfortunately, when the same questions were asked of HR Directors, internal communication did not even make it into the top 5.
The message is that HR should step up to the plate and claim this area for itself.
To do that effectively, HR has to become better acquainted with the philosophy, process and creativity involved in making internal communication work.
The wonder of you Those organisations that have really made progress in developing their internal communication are the ones that have understood their employer brand - what it is that distinguishes them from the competition; what it means to work for this organisation; what the essential nature of the relationship between the employer and employees is.
Good examples are the ones that feature regularly in the Sunday Times top employers' list, such as Microsoft and Richer Sounds.
HR as the owners of much of the content that informs this relationship - from development programmes through to appraisal and reward systems - should be able to articulate what the brand is and stands for and how it works.
This creates a framework for all employee communication, whether it is about an HR programme, a business strategy decision or how your direct line manager or supervisor treats you.
Suspicious minds Elvis got it right in one respect: "We can't go on together with suspicious minds.
" Two of the most significant issues facing businesses today are trust and leadership.
From recent surveys it emerges that only 4 in 10 of us trust senior management and about the same number of us believe that management behaviour is consistent with the company's values.
In short, the conversation isn't working.
To get it working, HR should start the process of active listening.
This can be achieved through formal surveys and focus groups, but also impromptu feedback sessions and developing a listening style for operational management.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for HR is to develop leadership communication styles that are consistent with the brand, the organisation and the personal style of the individual.
Working with leadership groups to improve their understanding of their own communication style and how that impacts on the organisation could be one of the most significant impacts on how employees view communication in the organisation.
One for the money Finally, don't forget that internal communication is not just a "nice to have".
On its own communication can't transform your organisation.
But if you can align your company's leadership style, with the HR programmes you run and well maintained communication channels, you can make a difference.
Ultimately that difference can also be shown on the bottom line.
To quote Ian Ryder, Global Brand Director of Hewlett Packard, "A staggering 68% of customer defections occur due to an attitude of indifference on the part of the employee.
" If HR can do something about that indifference, its impact will be seen not only in better scores on the company survey results, but on the profit line too.
Ten steps to communication heaven for HR 1 Appreciate the importance of communication to your CEO and what his/her expectations are 2 Get to know more about the discipline of communication - what works and what does not - from practitioners 3 Work with your colleagues in marketing, PR, corporate affairs, brand and internal communications to ensure all your efforts are aligned 4 Articulate your employer brand and use that as the framework for everything you do 5 Start by listening - what are your employees really saying are the issues that need to be addressed 6 Don't be afraid to be different - creativity and innovation are more likely to make you an "employer of choice" rather than doing what everyone else is doing 7 Encourage a spirit of honesty in every thing you do; mend any areas of broken trust quickly 8 Work with your leadership teams to help them understand how to improve their communication style 9 Measure the impact of your communication programmes; develop active listening as a core competency for your managers 10 Make the links between an engaged workforce and happy customers - they are there, you just need to find them.
Perhaps that's why he spent so much time in Heartbreak Hotel or being Lonesome Tonight.
When it comes to effective internal communication and what is working in the market place and what isn't, his plea for "a little less conversation, a little more action" should be turned on its head.
Conversation is exactly what organisations need - an informed, educated and open dialogue with its employees.
What most organisations are currently suffering from, however, is a surfeit of action - lots of initiatives; lots of change; lots of messages coming top-down.
HR is in a unique position to facilitate that conversation.
But where does it start and how does it stake its claim to make this happen? In the ghetto First of all, HR has to recognise that line managers often view its role as primarily functional.
Whereas HR aspires to deliver on the strategic business agenda, quite often line management is more interested in whether or not the latest salary round was handled properly.
HR has an ideal opportunity to get out of this "HR ghetto" and liberate itself from some of these preconceptions if only it realised the importance of internal communication to the CEO and began more actively to engage with this agenda.
A study by Deloitte and Touche for "Human Resources Magazine" found that 95% of CEO's rated effective internal communication as the Human Resource issue as "very important to the success of the organisation".
Unfortunately, when the same questions were asked of HR Directors, internal communication did not even make it into the top 5.
The message is that HR should step up to the plate and claim this area for itself.
To do that effectively, HR has to become better acquainted with the philosophy, process and creativity involved in making internal communication work.
The wonder of you Those organisations that have really made progress in developing their internal communication are the ones that have understood their employer brand - what it is that distinguishes them from the competition; what it means to work for this organisation; what the essential nature of the relationship between the employer and employees is.
Good examples are the ones that feature regularly in the Sunday Times top employers' list, such as Microsoft and Richer Sounds.
HR as the owners of much of the content that informs this relationship - from development programmes through to appraisal and reward systems - should be able to articulate what the brand is and stands for and how it works.
This creates a framework for all employee communication, whether it is about an HR programme, a business strategy decision or how your direct line manager or supervisor treats you.
Suspicious minds Elvis got it right in one respect: "We can't go on together with suspicious minds.
" Two of the most significant issues facing businesses today are trust and leadership.
From recent surveys it emerges that only 4 in 10 of us trust senior management and about the same number of us believe that management behaviour is consistent with the company's values.
In short, the conversation isn't working.
To get it working, HR should start the process of active listening.
This can be achieved through formal surveys and focus groups, but also impromptu feedback sessions and developing a listening style for operational management.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for HR is to develop leadership communication styles that are consistent with the brand, the organisation and the personal style of the individual.
Working with leadership groups to improve their understanding of their own communication style and how that impacts on the organisation could be one of the most significant impacts on how employees view communication in the organisation.
One for the money Finally, don't forget that internal communication is not just a "nice to have".
On its own communication can't transform your organisation.
But if you can align your company's leadership style, with the HR programmes you run and well maintained communication channels, you can make a difference.
Ultimately that difference can also be shown on the bottom line.
To quote Ian Ryder, Global Brand Director of Hewlett Packard, "A staggering 68% of customer defections occur due to an attitude of indifference on the part of the employee.
" If HR can do something about that indifference, its impact will be seen not only in better scores on the company survey results, but on the profit line too.
Ten steps to communication heaven for HR 1 Appreciate the importance of communication to your CEO and what his/her expectations are 2 Get to know more about the discipline of communication - what works and what does not - from practitioners 3 Work with your colleagues in marketing, PR, corporate affairs, brand and internal communications to ensure all your efforts are aligned 4 Articulate your employer brand and use that as the framework for everything you do 5 Start by listening - what are your employees really saying are the issues that need to be addressed 6 Don't be afraid to be different - creativity and innovation are more likely to make you an "employer of choice" rather than doing what everyone else is doing 7 Encourage a spirit of honesty in every thing you do; mend any areas of broken trust quickly 8 Work with your leadership teams to help them understand how to improve their communication style 9 Measure the impact of your communication programmes; develop active listening as a core competency for your managers 10 Make the links between an engaged workforce and happy customers - they are there, you just need to find them.