Workplace communication is something that every company manager needs to think about. If there is not good workplace communication, employees won’t be clear about what their jobs and tasks are and won’t perform their duties as effectively or as efficiently. You need to do everything you can to improve communication at work for your sake and for the sake of your employees. How are you supposed to improve communication in the workplace if you have never had to before though and what are the benefits of doing this?
In this article, you will learn four ways of improving communication in your workplace. Before beginning though it is necessary to briefly delve into the benefits of such restructuring. One of the primary benefits of improving company communication is that employees will be a lot clearer about what is expected of them and will be more effective in their duties and daily tasks. Additionally, when company communication has been improved employees are a lot less likely to feel detached or like they do not matter to your company. There are really no disadvantages to improving communication in the workplace.
Using SMS Messages
SMS messages are a pretty typical way for people to talk to each other out of work. Friends, family members, and couples use SMS messages to communicate. You can also enable SMS messages for Slack which is a great idea if employees do not all have smartphones but your company uses the Slack client. Slack is one of the world’s leading corporate messaging platforms which makes it a great option for your company too. If you do plan on using it then make sure that you factor in the costs associated with its use. It is not exactly a cheap platform to use.
You can also create group chats where employees can communicate with each other using their mobile devices. It does need to be noted however, some mobile providers do not allow group SMS messages. If members of your team are unable to communicate by group message you may want to invest in new mobile devices for them or alternatively using messaging providers like WhatsApp.
As long as employees have access to smartphones they will be able to download the WhatsApp messaging application. Another alternative to WhatsApp is Telegram although Telegram tends to be used for social communication whereas WhatsApp has a business add-on.
Regular Emailing
Another good way of improving workplace communication is by implementing a companywide e-mail system. In other words, give employees access to an e-mail account that allows them to communicate with other employees and of course, yourself.
Having a company mailbox will make it easier to share important news and information or more importantly than that, field complaints from employees. You need to make sure that you choose a reliable e-mail provider so that emails arrive on time as they are supposed to. While communicating with employees directly is good for workplace morale, it does need to be noted, however, that employees should not feel comfortable messaging you for everything as, after all, you are the manager, not their friend.
Going back to messaging applications for a moment, an alternative to emailing is using a service like Slack. Slack enables employees to communicate with each other immediately but with no intermediaries. If you are intending on using Slack then again you need to make sure that employees all have access to smart devices or alternatively laptops and computers. If you run some kind of corporate business then employees will have these things. If on the other hand, you run some kind of trade business then it is possible employees will have very basic mobile devices.
Encouraging Openness
You need to encourage employees to be more open with one another and with you. If employees do not feel comfortable being open and they may hide things and may not tell you when they are concerned about company issues. If employees do not feel comfortable talking to or being open then they might try and hide complaints from you.
A good way of encouraging openness is to hold workshops and of course to send employees direct emails from time to time letting them know that your door is always open and if they need to talk to you about anything that they can. Cultivating a companywide culture of openness can be achieved through workshops as mentioned previously.
If employees feel more open then they are more likely to want to share things with you and with each other. Not only will this improve overall morale but it can actually improve employee attitudes to work. By improving their attitudes to work you will be able to get them to do more and improve overall productivity. Improving productivity is a fantastic way to increase company profits.
Picnics and Gatherings
Hosting company picnics and gatherings can be a very effective way of improving company communication. Hosting events such as those mentioned in the previous sentence can be an effective way of making employees feel a lot more comfortable with each other and, when they feel more comfortable with each other, they are more likely to want to communicate and more likely to be open. Picnics and gatherings should not be a regular occurrence but should be held from time to time such as in the summer or to mark events such as Christmas and Easter.
If you do plan on holding events such as these then you need to make sure that you pay for your employees’ food, transportation, and provisions. You cannot hold events like this and then expect employees to pay their own way. Expecting employees to pay their own way at such events especially when you consider the ongoing cost of living crisis can be a pretty effective strategy for damaging company morale. Employees will resent you if you make them pay to attend events and they will talk badly of you, which can damage your relationships with them.
Running a company isn’t easy. Improving workplace communication is one way of making things slightly easier. If you are in charge of a company then follow this post’s guidance and workplace communication will improve in no time.
