How to improve workplace communication
Businesses these days are very good at working to improve workplace communicating. This is clear in their customers or prospective customers. This can be inhanced with the use of social media. We think this can be a great way to improve workplace communication.
However, how effective are you at talking with your staff?. Communication (or lack of) is still one of the main areas of concern we hear from staff. Are you doing enough to communicate internally?
Here are some ideas you could consider:
These days, it’s almost expected that a business will give information through video. This is becoming more common with marketing. The use of YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media channels have increased dramatically. This can also be a great way to improve workplace communication.
However, many organisations still rely on emails. This is common when communicating with internal departments or to get a message out to the whole business. Video can be a very powerful tool. You can keep your team up to date on new progress and changes with your company. By using video, this is very engaging and perhaps more entertaining. It is also better than reading a long email. Therefore, a great way to improve workplace communication.
Here are some examples as to how you could use video as part of your communication:
- Online training and how-to videos.
- Weekly or monthly company newsletters.
- A presentation from a Director.
- Company-wide meetings where you have more than one site.
- Important updates to company procedures.
- Interview your employees about a business challenge/suggestion.
Keep videos short and punchy. Make them conversational, record interviews, and use animations. If you have a marketing department, they could perhaps help with this. Shannon in our team might be able to help if you wanted to explore this further.
Launch an Internal Social Network
Adding internal social networks to your communication strategy will encourage people to talk with each other. This is also a great technique to improve workplace communication.
Choosing an internal social network is one way to introduce social media into the business. Social software can be a great information resource for a company because staff use and add to it. Users can also decide on the type of content and the people they want to talk with. This is similar to what can be found on public social sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Regular feedback sessions
Hold regular meetings with your teams and 1-1 and be consistent. Whether these are daily huddles, hold them daily. If it’s a weekly session or monthly update, hold them when they’re planned. If you get into the rhythm of doing these more, you and your team will get a lot from it.
Don’t forget, for discussions on performance, you should be creating a culture of observational feedback. You can also give feedback as and when things happen. Don’t wait until a set time of the month to do this. If you see something good give praise and feedback. If something needs to change let them know this too.
Open Door Policy
Empowering your staff to share their opinions is one of the most effective ways to improve workplace communication. It is also a great way to motivate staff in your business. Rather than settle for what the management says, encourage two-way feedback. Remind them that their opinions will not affect their place in the business.
Having an open door policy reduces office politics and helps employees realize that their opinions matters. They will feel they have an impact in the business.
Share your Purpose and Core Values
I’ve been reading a few books recently and a common them is around the company values and purpose. Sharing these with your team, along with business objectives, drives performance. This is because it creates both a sense of urgency and commitment. By sharing these within the business, you are also helping them commit to pursuing those goals in their own way.
Goals that are publicly available to your employees also help put meaning into metrics. To update employees on your progress of achieving goals and objectives, with metrics, gives it a whole new meaning. You can also help everyone see how their efforts are adding to the goals. This is a powerful means of improving internal communications to help meet expectations.
Publish a Monthly Company Newsletter
I’m slightly traditional and think there’s still a place for a staff newsletter. This can be printed off and shared in staff areas, notice boards, posted out or emailed. It’s important to remember to include staff who are not in the business. For instance, colleagues on maternity leave or off long-term sick. Keep then included in communications regardless of the forum you use.
Publishing a monthly newsletter gives you an opportunity to increase awareness of your company. This is especially important for new employees who may need to get acquainted with company processes. A newsletter can also be a great tool for updating staff on recent progress.
You can also include some fun stuff. Get your teams to help with the content. The use of photos is always positive.
Use Mobile Tools
Today, mobile’s are changing the face of communication for all businesses. The use of smartphones and tablets for work-related sharing has helped companies to operate across a number of locations and time zones effectively.
Using smartphones and tablets can also greatly improve your internal communications strategy. There are many apps available, like a mobile intranet, that enable companies to push notifications. This also allows employees to respond right from their own device. This is not only convenient for them, but also ensures communication channels are open at all times for all.
Staff working for you are what makes your business great. If discussions are not working, this will hinder your success. As you add more staff, this becomes more complex. Get communication right, and it will help drive engagement and help push your business forward.
For more on how to improve workplace communication, contact us at The HR Booth on 01383 668178 or email us through our website.