Communication between management and employees is crucial to the success of any company. Messages must be both meaningful and effective. Not only does this communication allow businesses to tap into the insights of their staff, it also enabled workers to feel happier and more engaged- leading to increased productivity.
A recent article from fast Company offered five tips for improving internal communications in the workplace:
1. Encourage conversation throughout the company
Offer ways for employees to speak to each other, exchange ideas and collaborate on projects. According to a study by the National Federation of Independent Business, instant messaging platform have been found to provide seamless collaboration with off-site workers; manage multiple conversations at the same time; eliminate the need for long-distance phone calls; and produce archived chat logs that can be referred back to later.
2. Think horizontally and vertically
As well as improving communications horizontally- at a peer-to-peer level – it’s also important to improve them vertically so that workers are connected at all levels. This can empower workers as their voices are heard to executive level; and executives will gain a valuable insight into employee’ concerns.
3. Make a budget
Effective programs require a budget; but that doesn’t mean costs should be cut. Managers should assess which existing programs could be improved and how investment could help with this. Keep in mind that failing to invest in improving employee relationships, engagement level and feedback opportunities can cost more in the long run thanks to higher staff turnover levels, miscommunication, and even loss of customer retention.
4. Measure the impact
Three helpful ways to review how much of an impact an internal system has made on a company include: looking at changes to sales, profits and productivity levels; carrying out surveys on employee happiness and job satisfaction; and looking at staff retention numbers.
5. Empower leadership to set an example
If employees are expected to share knowledge and information with others, those in leadership roles should be the first to set an example. This is true for senior executives and directors as much as it is team managers and dedicated internal communication managers- it must be a team effort in order to create change.
