It’s not just the what to communicate with employees, but very much the near and how!

Effective employee communications is not just about what is said but how, where  and when the message is delivered.

Today, the demand to maintain and improve channels of communication is overwhelming.  Better ways to engage employees, stronger channels to interact and systems which can expand with the growing capacities of your company’s demands are greater than ever.

Creating efficient and cost effective solutions can be difficult to ascertain but not impossible.  Here’s a brief collection of approaches and tools which can enhance your internal communication platforms and integrate what your engagement strategies seek to achieve.  But remember behind any tool, must be a strong and thorough strategy (and great relevant content always!) which will give you the perfect platform to build from:

Employee communications – Go digital

Social intranets or other forms of employee communications and recognition platforms are not just online hubs to chat and send the latest emoji through they really are great employee communications tools.  Instead, these platforms enable your company to lighten the load in your IT department and provides your workforce with:

• Company and team based announcements as and when they come
• A stronger communication channel/s to liaise and respond accordingly
• An opportunity to reduce endless paperwork
• Updated policies and procedures
• A central hub of information and communication
• Flexible and interaction communication solutions
• Other means to communicate rather than email

Private social tools

Social tools such as Slack, Yammer or HipChat, provides managers and leaders designated platforms to liaise privately and have more one to one types of employee communications, particularly great for those who work off site or whose function is in open based office environments.  It gives them the ability to discuss sensitive matters, ascertain updates of ongoing projects or liaise with team members.  They can also be used to share files, contact search or to reference an ongoing conversation in future correspondence.

 

Track away

Known as one of the best IC tools, Issue Tracking Software (ITS) enables customers or employees to submit a case or ticket, have it assigned to the right employee and resolved in a periodic time frame. Issue tracking software helps provide support to customer/employee enquiries, track open issues, track team productivity, prioritize the most important questions and collects valuable customer feedback that in the long-term can help improve your products and services.

 

Reading and looking

‘The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text’. Using images through infographics, photos and videos can increase how engaged your employee’s feel.  By providing variety to how they receive company information and updates will help to decipher how information is understood and integrated into the workplace.  Encourage the use of video through intranet software, training opportunities and digital signage, delivering anything from CEO messages, business as usual information, to crucial or crisis updates.

 

Be creative

There is nothing worse than stagnated and broadcasting messages which do not have personality or life in the message particularly with employee communications as often it is the business pushing messages on to the employee rather than the employee pulling information from the organisation.  In 2013 PGi found that 88% of millennials wanted to work in a “fun and social work environment.” Show creativity through the delivery of employee communications.  Ask for feedback through interactive channels, offer incentive based competitions or even give employees a chance to upload their own videos to the intranet.  This will encourage employees to interact with colleagues and managers and will also strengthen their commitment to your company.

 

Feedback and action

Utilise survey platforms which are quick, easy and manageable.  Feedback is crucial in ascertaining what employees and customers think of your company and provides valuable input into the functioning and operation of your service delivery.

Internally, this could be anything from a cloud based platform to a whiteboard in the lounge room – give your employees more than just a pen, give them their voice.

 

Work and social media!

Encourage your employees to share photos  (or video) of themselves and colleagues at work on social media platforms, hash tagging the company name or the brand or your cause and purpose. This can create a wider audience reach for your company and can also provide employees with an environment which is interactive and responsive to technology culture and reliance. Great for Employer Brand awareness and talent attraction too. Don’t be scared of employee communications, embrace it, encourage it and help to guide it.

 

App, app, away!

Communicating with employees is only effective if you utilise what they already use (or really want to use if it’s not available in the business yet).  Apps can provide the perfect opportunity to communicate with staff instantly and with effect, especially if important news is needed to be communicated within a very short time frame.  By providing the right mobile app, employers can engage with their employees and provide information they need, on the go.  This is particularly effective for offsite on non desk based employees whose only channel of communication is via their mobile.

Here (without endorsements or kickbacks) are some great examples of just some of a huge choice in tools you might put in practice: https://www.interact-intranet.com/10-great-examples-of-internal-communications-tools-software-in-action/

Your employees will always be the key in delivering the most successful and effective platform. Listen, create and action!

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Engage & Prosper is a UK based privately owned Employee Engagement Consultancy and Social Enterprise, on a mission to help organisations develop a highly productive and fulfilling workplace culture, with their people, through enhanced employee engagement strategies, fabulous and effective internal communications platforms and tailored reward and recognition programmes.

For more information on Engage & Prosper or to discover how we can help you achieve your organisational and people goals please call +44 (0) 330 223 0464 or find out more at www.engageandprosper.com