A carefully crafted communication strategy in the workplace is the cornerstone of a successful organization. How you communicate with your staff members, as well as how they communicate with you and respond to challenges in the workplace determine whether or not your company will succeed. A significant point to remember is that when communication lines in the workplace are clear and open, employees are more committed to their work, are more loyal and more engaged.
The following guide can help foster employee communications best practices in the workplace so that a company is led to success:
1. Conceive a strategy.
Employee communications best practices will always begin with a carefully developed strategy. When crafting a strategy, make sure to keep the following points in mind:
Because both management and staff members are busy and have very little time to spare, make sure that messaging is clear, simple, straightforward and concise. Use simple language so that each member of the organization understands what you are intending to say.
Messages that are formulated well will explicitly contain a call to action, meaning that they will immediately inform employees as to how management expects them to react and act following the information that was provided to them.
Messages should contain important and relevant information that promotes the values and vision of the company, as well as the openness of communication between managers and staff members.
2. Establish metrics.
The second step towards employee communications best practices is the utilization of performance metrics in the determination of employee behaviour and effectivity, as well as their overall engagement in the company and their work. These metrics don’t only look at how employees behave in the workplace, but also how successful they are when it comes to achieving the objectives of the business, completing projects, and integrating the vision and values of the company.
3. Create a dialogue.
Engaged workers rely heavily on internal communication that is transparent and open. Employee communications best practices involve all employees having access to relevant and important information through meetings, intranet and other communication platforms in the workplace.
Dialogue leads to openness from all levels of the company. Both management and staff will feel that they are heard, and that what they say matters to the organization. When people feel valued and heard, they are more likely to feel motivated to improve their performance in the workplace.
4. Limit mass emails.
While it is so much easier to communicate with other people because of technology, reliance on electronic media should not be done in excess. One way of avoiding this excess is by limiting one’s use of mass email.
Although many may utilize mass email to disseminate information easily and quickly to several recipients all at once, what must be noted is that a lot of employees tend to ignore mass communications. A solution to this is to screen memos and to send them out only once a day or a few times a week. This assures that employees are not overwhelmed with information that might not even be of value to them, and that information reaches staff members to whom the information is relevant.
5. Display a digital signage.
Having a digital signage in the workplace allows for easier communication, as well as an emphasis of what the company wants its workers to constantly remember. Signage can display anything from important policies, real-time performance metrics, news updates, and even company logos and corporate videos. Having this communication tool in the workplace allows employees to have the company as well as its values in mind the whole day as they work.
