A Guide to Internal Communication Best Practices in the Workplace

Having a solid and effective internal communications plan in place is essential for any business of any size. Internal communication not only allows your employees to align their work efforts with the core objectives of the company, it also helps promote camaraderie, collaboration, productivity and engagement.

Here are some employee communications best practices you can utilize in your workplace in order to ensure that your internal communications plan will be as effective as it can possibly be:

Create a strategy first.

All plans begin with a well-thought out strategy. A strategy that is conceived well are characterized by:

• Clear and direct messaging. Remember that employees are busy and easily distracted. Make sure that your messages are transparent, honest and simply formulated instead of being cryptic.
• Messages that are clear and well-conceived are able to bring about a definite call-to-action which management expects employees to respond to once they are presented with the necessary information.
• Messages are supposed to encourage open communication between leaders and employees through the emphasis of aligning their efforts with the core objectives of the company.

Establish performance metrics.

Performance metrics are vital to determining how employee communications best practices affect the behaviour of staff members. What these metrics aim to do is to determine, measure and analyze how successfully employees are able to go about their work responsibilities along with achieving the objectives of the company. Should performance metrics remain stagnant and at a standstill, managers and employers should be able to look for alternative messaging avenues and methods in order to not only improve employee engagement, but also to bolster morale and productivity.

Make sure that communication in the workplace is two-way.

One of the most important employee communications best practices you should be utilizing in the workplace is making sure that communication is two-way. A company that promotes a culture of communication also encourages camaraderie, trust and credibility.

Remember that two-way communication is as much about the sender of the message as it is about the receiver. It is about learning how to speak and communicate positively in the workplace in as much as it is about being able to actively listen. When there is an open dialogue between managers and employees and between all staff members, people tend to be more comfortable when it comes to speaking up about their ideas and thoughts. This then results in greater employee engagement, and of course, creativity and productivity.

Limit sending out mass emails.

Technology has led to a great shift when it comes to how people communicate and interact inside and outside of the workplace. However, while electronic and digital communication are certainly indispensable in this day and age, companies should not overdo their reliance on them. One way to do this is by limiting the amount of mass email being sent out. Remember that employees tend to ignore and disregard mass communications. Many still prefer to be addresses personally, and consider personal communication as connoting urgency or importance.

Utilize different communication platforms and avenues when relaying messages to your employees.

One of the most relevant employee communications best practices today is the use of different modes of communication when relaying messages to employees. While others may simply depend on email to communicate with their workforce, staff members actually prefer to be reached in various ways. Some may feel more comfortable communicating via SMS, while others prefer to get their information through company newsletters or the intranet. Make sure to utilize different avenues and platforms to make sure that the information you are sending out reaches the people you want to communicate with.