For any business to function at its most optimum, big or small, it is key for there to be good internal communications between employees at all levels of the hierarchy. Employees need to be able that they easily and freely able to communicate with not only their colleagues and team members, but with upper management too. Improving internal communications when they are bad is something that every business operator needs to think about.
Internal communications have an impact on every part of your business’ long-term success. From customer relationship management to product development, all teams can benefit from better communications.
5 Tips for Improving Internal Communications
Even the smallest changes can have a big impact on your company’s internal communications. Here are 5 simple tips you can consider implementing.
1. Make sure everybody knows your company’s vision and goals
All your employees should know your company’s vision, its goals, and the values that underpin these. It doesn’t matter whether it is delivered as part of a training exercise or as a semi-regular reminder—when employees are all educated to the same level on a company’s goals, they will be able to communicate amongst one another more effectively to reach them.
2. Encourage the sharing of information
A culture of information sharing and knowledge management is one of the best ways for improving internal communications. All good companies provide some form of platform for this knowledge sharing and management where employees can go to share information that they have seen in the news, through their own reading, and research.
By having an opportunity to share what they know, your employees will be more eager to get involved and do it. Not only does this improve communications, but valuable insights and pieces of information will be disseminated within your organization.
3. Make sure your employees are always informed
When your employees are distributed and aren’t all present in the same office at the same time, they will not always have access to a company computer. Whether these are retail employees distributed across multiple physical stores or employees who need to be present on job sites, having a central place where all your employees can go to stay informed and communicate is vital.
This can be something as simple as a Facebook group that all employees are invited to and within this group, you can share news, updates, and information that you want your employees to be aware of.
4. Make sure important information is accessible
Most companies have their own repository of internal information. Whether these are company policies and procedures or something else, it is important that your employees can easily access it.
Your employees shouldn’t only be getting access to this information during their training—it should be available as a reference point. To that extent, have some form of cloud location where files can be uploaded and shared with employees for access at their own leisure. Google Drive and Dropbox are perfect for this.
With access to this information, your employees are likely to return to it when they want to clarify something and reach out to colleagues or management for help if they can’t find an answer.
5. Have an open internal dialogue
Keep your employees updated on the latest happenings within your organization. Structural changes, new management, current progress, and future plans are all things that employees want to hear about and, when they do, it helps to motivate them.
Don’t just talk down to your employees with this information, though—allow them to engage in the discussion. Encourage questions, comments, and input from the people lower down within your organization and show that all ideas are welcome from everybody.
Research has shown that when employees feel as if they have a key input in the direction of the company, they are more likely to come forward with their ideas and thoughts that can contribute to the long-term success of it. This is a key step towards improving internal communications.
Remember, your employees are a wealth of information that can be utilized for the benefit of the company.
