Whatever the size of your company – whether you have 1 or 100 employees – effective internal communications will be a crucial component of how well the business operates, the level of productivity and the overall staff morale. According to an infographic from Weekdone.com, 41% of people believe “lack of communication between staff and management” is the one biggest mistake companies make in managing their employees.
How do you determine good internal communication?
In order to breed a culture of positive, open communication between all employees, teams and management staff, it’s important to first clarify what effective communication consists of.
Here are 5 key elements of successful internal business communications:
- Accessible and easy-to-use medium or mediums
- Communication methods (verbal and non-verbal) that employees understand and recognise
- Two-way, mutual dialogue
- Consistent, clear and open communication
- Defined and understood objectives
How can businesses utilise digital technology to improve internal communications?
Online Project Management tools
Teamwork can become messy and disorganised without a centralised space to manage all the individual components of a project, especially if employees are located in different offices or work remotely. It can be easy to become confused about who’s doing what, how far along they are in the process, where information is located and how much work is left. A project management tool such as Basecamp or droptask can help to virtually connect teams, facilitate clear communication, collaboration and sharing, and co-ordinate all activity in one easy-to-manage tool. Offering a simple way for employees and management to stay on top of a project or piece of work can also cut out numerous face-to-face update meetings that could waste time and money.
Company email newsletter
You may already be using email marketing to communicate with your customers and database, however, have you thought about using this method to share communications with employees? A regular internal email newsletter is a great way for all staff to be made aware of exciting news, business or project updates and team member announcements. It will not only keep staff up-to-date on any developments but can help them to feel more involved with business too.
Mobile tools and apps
If you decide to integrate digital technologies and online platforms into your day-to-day business practices, it could be useful to use platforms that offer mobile applications. If staff are able to download tools or platforms on their work device (such as mobile or tablet), they can stay connected on the go. This is particularly pertinent for businesses with staff who regularly travel or work remotely. By choosing tools that offer mobile apps, you can provide a further level of accessibility, connectivity and communication for all team members – not just those that are office-based or who work on a desktop computer.
Video conferencing tools
If you have staff located all over the country (or even the world!) then video conferencing tools could be a great benefit to your business. Instead of wasting time and money on traveling or hefty phone bills, video conferencing allows team members to ‘meet’ digitally. An hour video conference could be much easier for teams to schedule into their diaries, rather than allocating half a day for travelling to and from meetings. Although face-to-face meetings are important for team building, video conferencing can eliminate wasted time and encourage more timely and efficient communications.
Create an online forum for employees
Ensure employees have a dedicated space for sharing information and updates across teams and departments online, rather than relying on emails. Setting up an employee online forum with platforms such as Yammer can provide a centralised place for communication. This will encourage staff to become more engaged with the business and share their ideas, thoughts, news and updates in an appropriate space that won’t get lost in a busy inbox! This will also benefit any remote workers by enabling them to stay informed and feel that they are part of their wider team.
Although digital technology is a great asset in creating effective internal communications, it is important to put processes and objectives in place to ensure these methods of communication are adopted successfully. Take time to establish your chosen tools and platforms as the prominent methods of communication to encourage staff to fully embrace them and create a more collaborative and communicative work environment.
Interested in learning more about how you can make the most of digital technology to improve business processes?
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