You can have a great product, stellar employees, clear policies, and efficient systems, yet without good internal communication, your business won't thrive.
Having great internal communication isn't just a thought to be put on the back burner for when all the "important" tasks are complete. In fact, having great internal communication is essential to achieving high employee satisfaction and low employee turnover. That means you're not constantly spending a percentage of your profit having to recruit and train new employees to replace the ones leaving.
Now, more than ever, employees are demanding better communication and a better culture from their employers, or they'll look for a new job.
Here are 5 internal communication best practices that should be implemented immediately in your organization.
- MAKE INFORMATION EASILY ACCESSIBLE. It is imperative to have clear company policies, procedures, a vision statement, and goals for each department. Having all of this isn't enough though, it needs to be clearly communicated to the employees and easily accessible for them to reference when needed. Things such as physical bulletin boards and employee handbooks have historically been where this information is housed. But these days, there are so many additional options such as employee apps, online handbooks, training videos housed on a company intranet, and more. Ensure that all of your information is easy for all employees to access, especially if you have any remote workers, and make sure that all managers and employees know where they can find this information.
- UTILIZE A VARIETY OF MEDIA. Some employees may be a little more tech-savvy and some may be a little more old school. Most people don't retain all information the first time, so don't be afraid to repeat communications such as employee recognition, upcoming events, and new policies across a variety of channels. Employ a variety of tactics such as in-person meetings, emailed memos, an employee app, online company bulletin boards such as Slack and Trello, and employee newsletters. And most everyone's favorite -- VIDEO!
- REACH EVERYONE. With such a large portion of today's workforce working remotely, it is more important than ever to make sure that each employee is being engaged regularly. Make sure no one is falling through the cracks! Are there any employees who aren't a part of a team? Are there employees who don't have regular meetings with their supervisors? Are any supervisors on leave, and if so, is someone checking in with their employees? Ensure that each supervisor has at least some type of weekly check-in with each of their employees. Have regular team meetings, team-building events, and company parties. Have virtual work sessions, Google Hangouts, or even a virtual happy hour for the remote employees.
- FOCUS ON TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION. Having solely top-down company communication is a thing of the past. Today's employees want their voice to be heard. They have thoughts and suggestions they want to share to positively impact their company. Employee feedback is a valuable tool to expose blind spots and brainstorm possible ways to improve. Have supervisors regularly and intentionally solicit feedback from their employees. Have clearly communicated channels through which employees can offer suggestions and share concerns. Implement programs such as employee satisfaction surveys and exit interviews. Hold regular open-table meetings in which employees can ask key leaders questions and share their thoughts.
- ESTABLISH A REGULAR PROCESS. When implementing all of the above best practices, ensure that there are regular processes for each item. Having a manager get feedback from their employees once is great, but setting up an established and communicated process in which they will solicit feedback is better. Establish the processes and then make sure they are clearly communicated so employees know how often to expect a company newsletter, or how often they will be meeting with their team or manager.
At Tentpole, we have a troupe of experts who can get your communications circus running smoothly. DM us to learn more about how we can help you deliver the best experience for your employees in order to reduce turnover and improve your bottom line.
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