You might be surprised at the extent to which employee engagement and productivity depend on good communication. Communication matters. In fact, it is essential to business success.
The concept is simple; employees who don’t know what’s expected of them rarely perform to their full potential. Their work lacks direction and they don’t understand the strategy or reasoning behind certain tasks.
The good news is that developing clear lines of communication at your company is easy to do. You simply need the will to improve it…and a little bit of know-how.
Here are our top tips for effective communication:
1. Be clear
On the face of it, this seems to be an obvious tip. You can have the best ideas in the world, but they won’t get you anywhere if you can’t communicate them clearly.
What most people don’t realise is that being clear isn’t just about speaking slowly and avoiding jargon. Being clear is about understanding your audience, knowing how to talk to them, and providing a context for your decision-making.
If an employee understands why they are doing a task, and how it will affect them, they will feel engaged and be more productive.
2. Be honest and positive
In a time of budget cuts, layoffs and pay freezes, no news definitely isn’t good news.
In tough times communication becomes more important than ever. Employees need reassurance, encouragement and positivity. If your staff feel appreciated and receive recognition for a job well done, they will feel engaged and secure.
Plus, if you can be honest in sharing bad news, any good news that you deliver in the future will be more credible.
3. Use different channels
Not everybody processes information in the same way; some people find it easier to read a message, others find it easier to hear a message, while others still need to hear a message multiple times before they can digest it.
Use every channel available to you – electronic, written, face-to-face and meetings. Nothing beats human interaction, so try and promote face-to-face communications and encourage two-way conversations.
4. Create the culture you want
Your actions and the relationship you have with your staff set the tone for the entire company’s culture.
The standard for communication needs to be established at the top, with senior leaders and managers.
If you can create a company-wide habit for clear communication, you will reap the rewards with a focused and engaged workforce.
5. Measure effectiveness
Evaluating the success of communication is just as important as delivering it.
Don’t be afraid to set objectives and assess them. Ask yourself if your staff have understood your message, if they took action after receiving your message, and if the cost of communicating outweighed the benefits for your business.
If you’re doing it right, the answer should be yes to all three.
Quinyx workforce management has been specifically designed to make communication with your staff easier. At the click of a button you can share information with your employees, manage important messages and easily follow up on communication. And your staff can communicate directly via their mobile phones.
