Photo by Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels
Did you know disengagement in the workplace costs US companies over $300 billion every year? The number is shocking. However, what’s more shocking is the fact that it takes regular and consistent communication to engage employees in the workplace. Communication is one of those aspects that demand constant effort to be productive and yield results. That’s why we’ve gathered some tips for you to improve communication and make the organization more successful.
Invest in Innovative Tools
Workplaces are adopting the hybrid model. Employees come to the office a few days a week and spend the rest of the week working from home. To combine remote and onset work effectively, you need innovative and reliable tools. Luckily for you, you can use the same tools for both work modes. The tools can help you assign and delegate tasks, check individual and team progress, assist in problem-solving among other things. Then, you can use them for video conferences and text messaging. Since most tools have overlapping functionalities, define how you and your team will use every tool.
Craft Corporate Newsletter
When employees work in the same office, they have direct access to the newest information regarding projects, clients, and corporate events. However, when they switch to remote work, keeping abreast with the current affairs becomes more difficult. To solve this communicative problem, you should give employees a dedicated place where they can look for relevant information. One of many great options is crafting an internal corporate newsletter and sending it via email once or twice a month. You can divide the newsletter into sections giving every department enough space to share news and content. This way you’re not only communicating across different organizational levels but also creating an archive for future reference.
Collect Feedback
One of the ways to continuously improve employee communication is through collecting feedback. It allows you to actively and effectively shape the way they work, engage, and interact in the workplace. More importantly, once you receive feedback, you have the opportunity to act on it right away and make necessary improvements. Therefore, encourage your staff to give and receive feedback while openly communicating with each other. You can also make feedback a part of your workplace culture to make it worthwhile. Another great way of collecting feedback is through anonymous polls or surveys. It might make them open up and make suggestions they usually wouldn’t in public.
Find Time for Bonding
Like most teams, yours too probably worked remotely during the pandemic. This work arrangement has affected your staff more than you can imagine. Although they communicated a lot, they’ve grown distant. Then, they’ve become disengaged from work activities and unmotivated to meet expectations. One of the best ways to break loneliness is to encourage them to bond and strengthen their social and personal relationships. The more they know about each other, the better and more effective they communicate. More importantly, there are fewer conflicts you have to resolve and mistakes you have to correct. Bring back the pre-pandemic rituals such as drinking coffee in the morning as a team or chatting by the water cooler.
Make Expectations and Deadlines Clear
Working remotely for over two years has caused most employees to slack or procrastinate at times. The choice of home office had something to do with it. When you work from the bedroom or kitchen, you tend to get easily distracted. Now that your team is back in their old offices, they might struggle to try to get back to the old regime. What could help them get back on track is having their team leaders make deadlines and expectations crystal clear. Clarity is what makes communication effective no matter what the circumstances are. For this reason, be as clear as possible when setting expectations. This way, you’re helping employees do their jobs more responsibly and efficiently.
Check in On Your Staff
Another way of bonding and making communication more efficient is checking in on your staff. Whether they’re working remotely or in the office, it doesn’t matter. You can still check in on them and see how they’re doing. Sparing a few minutes every day could help you and your team discuss non-work-related things. For example, you’ve heard an employee has bought a place of their own. It’s a huge transition and all the renovating and decorating could make them lose focus. You can approach them and see if there’s something you can do to help them balance work and private life better.
Conclusion
Good communication is the solution for employee disengagement and other problems in the workplace. If you and your team communicate successfully, they’ll feel willing to engage in workplace activities. With these tips, you’ll become better communicators thus achieving business goals easier.
Author bio:
Stella van Lane is a Sydney based mom and a passionate writer in love with coffee, chocolate, music, books and good vibes. Her top interests are business, technology, health etc.
Follow her on Twitter
Leave a Reply