What is effective employee communication?
Communication is the interpersonal exchange of views and ideas from both, or all parties in the organisation. It empowers each individual to contribute their thoughts and feedback in the hope that this informs the next business decision.
Who should be valuing employee communication?
You guessed it- we’re going to say ALL organisations regardless of size or industry should form good communication strategies. It is a common misconception that small businesses do not need to encompass this into their practices, however, this is far from the truth, Small businesses rely on their talent to perform their duties under their expertise, so why wouldn’t you value their opinions and feedback on the job they are really good at? Business owners will find that this actually helps them formulate their next business strategy for example, the release of a new product or service. Did you know, Timpson’s chief executive (the UK’s leading key cutting and repairs company) visits each and every one of the retail outlets at least once a year to speak to the employees to understand their views and experiences. It’s no wonder their still around since 1865!
Large businesses should value employee communication by strategising employee relations initiatives such as data collection and employee surveys.
What forms of communication works best for me?
This really depends on your business model and organisational structure. Smaller businesses may value email correspondence to inform employees, however, be mindful not everything needs to go into an email – it can be seen to be insensitive, for example, informing employees of lay-offs will quickly disengage the remaining workers and instil a sense of fear of job loss. Remember the golden rule as we described in the first section: effective communication is a two way street and opens avenues to share ideas and thoughts. At HR Habitat we recommend face-to-face (or screen-to-screen, if you are remote) team briefings. Take caution not to ‘speak at’ your employees, rather ask questions. For example, when releasing a new product or service ask your employees how they might find a use for it or the reasons why they would not purchase your new product or service.
Centralised and decentralised methods of communication
There are many methods of communication and we would recommend booking a FREE diagnostic call with us to formulate your bespoke strategy. However, business leaders should know that communication comes in two forms. A centralised form of communication looks at methods that focus on communication coming from a single source, most commonly the senior leader of the business, The pros of this is that the information relayed is accurate and employees feel valued when having this direct contact with the senior leader. The downside is that it may make employees feel undervalued as their feedback is not usually considered in such a model. It also takes time and commitment from the business leader, and time is something all businesses want to save! A decentralised form of communication is when information is passed to employees from various internal and external sources,. This is a mix of senior management and external business partners (such as a HR business partner) relaying information to the company’s wider teams. Baran and Greenberg (1990) say that is is the most effective form of communication as the decision making process ensures fairness and equality due to the external body being able to consider the benefits of both the employees and employer when making a decision. To apply this to real life, this is what our clients value as our contribution to their business strategies mean that they are always free from risk of discrimination and unfairness when dealing with employees. Business making people decisions without this expert lead will often find their decisions are not welcomed by employees and takes longer to implement
When should I consider employee communication?
In the world of HR and business, it is vital you have a HR partner on board for all personnel decisions such as recruitment, disciplinaries, dismissals, redundancies, training and development, policy production and implementation, employee performance and all other people related issues and concerns. However, a top tip is not to wait for things to become an issue, take advantage of our HR strategies at the earliest point and you can kick back and just watch your business flourish.
We hope you have learnt something new around the importance of employee communication and we can go on about the benefits and evidence of this. Get in touch if you would like to speak in depth..
0330 133 5088
