For most businesses and companies, high productivity rates are essential aspects of success and growth. In most cases, internal communication will determine how productive employees will be more than you know.
Imagine that you’ve gathered a great team of experts to work in your company and improve your business’s achievements. They come up with great ideas and use innovative approaches. But, they struggle with establishing effective communication. Fear not, as there are ways to help improve that.
The importance of internal communication
Interaction among employees has become an essential feature in most companies. It supports the exchange of information among team members, enables them to do their jobs, and finish projects on time. This is why it’s essential to come up with a functional communication strategy. In the long run, this can:
- Ensure more efficient decision-making
- Provide a nurturing working environment
- Increase team collaboration and motivation
- Build stronger relationships
- Promote affirmative company culture
- Generate stability and productivity
Inspiring and encouraging employees will improve their productivity and give them room for progress. This will also help your business move forward and improve on every level. The success of a company usually depends on internal communication and will reflect the satisfaction of your employees.
Types of internal communication
We can make a distinction between the following categories:
- Top-down
- Bottom-up
- Culture
- Crisis
- Peer-to-peer
Top-down
Top-down communication covers everything coming from senior leaders and managers. Their job is to provide employees with a clear business strategy and regularly update them about company progress. Although formal in nature, it shouldn’t create a barrier between managers and employees. It should serve as a safe space for the exchange of important data.
Bottom-up
The exchange of relevant information shouldn’t stay strictly top-down. To keep track of your employees’ insights and knowledge, bottom-up or two-way interaction is paramount. This can be achieved through:
- Employee feedback
- Allowing staff to propose suggestions or ideas
- QA sessions for further information or clarification
- Gathering employee sentiment and mindset with surveys and polls
Employees should have active roles in contributing to the organization. This will have a positive impact on the performance of your business.
Culture
Coming up with a set of values and beliefs to lead your company doesn’t mean you’ve implemented your company culture. Once you’ve laid the foundation, you should make sure that everyone understands, respects, and practices the unique set of your business ideals. These might cover:
- Company mission and values
- CSR communication (different types of campaigns, policies, initiatives, etc.)
- Onboarding
- Reward system
- Informal social interaction
You can’t enforce company culture overnight, but with time, it will be reflected in the behavior of your employees.
Crisis
Keeping everyone informed in times of crisis is paramount. Having a solid crisis plan at standby will help keep your employees safe and mitigate risk. The plan should cover responsibilities and protocols in case of an emergency. An emergency can be:
- A natural disaster (flood, fire, earthquake, etc.)
- Environmental issues (pipe leaks, hazardous material spill, etc.)
- Technological problems (cyber attacks, viruses, etc.)
- Product issues (recalls, failures, or faults)
- Financial crises (significant money loss, fraud, bankruptcy, etc.)
- Employee misconduct and conflict
- Leaks of confidential or internal information.
Peer-to-peer
With the expansion of remote teams, keeping everyone in touch can be a bit difficult at times. But, peer-to-peer interaction has become a powerful tool in the workplace. This is particularly helpful when employees want to connect with workers they haven’t met before. Peer communication involves:
- Working on specific projects and tasks
- Sharing of files, data, images, etc.
- Connecting with employees from other teams for a specific topic or task
- Private conversations
- The exchange of knowledge or experience through forums or blogs
- Peer recognition
Learning more about what’s going on in your company and among your staff members will help find the best approach for boosting productivity through internal communication.
Boosting productivity with good internal communication
Regardless of your ultimate goal, boosting your employees’ productivity should be a top priority in the long run. This is important because it:
- Saves time
- Improves employee engagement and experience
- Builds trust and collaboration
- Encourages employees to share their ideas and goals
- Brings people closer in difficult situations
You might be unsure about what communication methods and techniques to put in place. Little research will help you find the best approach for improving productivity and interaction among your employees. Building relationships among staff members is an elaborate process, so try to approach the whole concept with patience. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few things to begin with:
Start early
Building effective internal communication should start early, with the onboarding process. Employees will know what to expect if you communicate your vision early on. This will also make sure they stay committed and engaged as the workload increases.
Providing new workers with a work buddy and checking on them in the first weeks and months will help them adapt quicker. Monitoring their progress will help keep them on track and encourage their further engagement and productivity.
Promote a nurturing work environment
A workplace should be a stress-free and familiar space. Keeping things positive will make your employees feel comfortable and relaxed. Everyone would love to work in a family-like atmosphere, especially in these post-pandemic times.
Closer employee interaction will help build an intimate community. A hard day at work could be more productive with an easygoing setting and a supportive team. Celebrating birthdays, weddings, or personal achievements are only some of the ways to promote a feeling of community among team members.
Acknowledge everyone’s input
There’s no better way to motivate employees than to acknowledge their hard work. Creating a celebratory atmosphere will prove beneficial for everyone. Employee productivity will improve and your company will thrive.
Giving everyone credit for their work promotes supportive collaboration. It also motivates employees to give a helping hand to those in need. An occasional shout-out from a senior associate or an appreciative comment from a team member will do wonders for employee morale.
Ensure employee wellbeing
A productive employee is a happy and satisfied employee. Being mindful of employees’ mental health and wellbeing will benefit the whole company. A stress-free and professional environment will give employees a chance to express themselves and talk about issues without holding back.
Open-mindedness and honesty are essential to good internal communication. Being able to talk things through without anxiety and fear will reduce stress, build stronger relationships, and improve employee interaction.
Embrace change
Most employees don’t cope well with change. Although it sometimes means things are moving forward, change can still be a source of anxiety and tension. Change includes:
- Structural business change (mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring)
- Brand changes (new products or services, discontinuation of products or services, new branding or website, etc.)
- Opening, moving, or closing an office
- Introducing new software, tools, suppliers, distributors, or internal processes
- Industry-related change (regulatory or compliance changes)
- Different political, economic, or social changes (new law or policy, financial market shifts, or social campaigns)
Talking things through with your employees will help reduce the pressure. You should clarify the nature of the change, why it’s happening, and what happens if things stay the same. Try to be honest and straightforward when explaining what comes next. Employees will feel more comfortable and go back to their tasks much easier.
Keep everyone posted
Once the staff has adopted the company culture, everyone should stay in contact. Relying on various tools and apps will ease everyday communication. Company leaders and managers should use them to keep everyone posted about relevant company updates and encourage cross-team communication as well.
For example, Pumble is a team collaboration app that can boost your team’s productivity. Its user-friendly interface has got it all: real-time communication, quick file sharing, and simple workspace administration. Replacing emails has never been easier and cheaper. Pumble can help teams stay connected on a daily basis, even if they’re scattered across the globe.
Improve staff experience
Improving employee experience even during breaks will be good for building stronger internal communication. This will encourage them to be more productive and have better results. You can provide your staff with certain benefits to show your appreciation:
- Company events
- Free meals and drinks
- Paid transport
- A chill-out zone
- Day-care for working parents
Make sure that everyone knows they can enjoy the benefits. Showing your people you value their contribution will help maintain employee retention and ultimately speed up company progress.
Provide feedback
Listening to what employees have to say shows that your company values each worker’s point of view. Acting on the feedback speaks volumes of your company culture and promotes a nurturing work environment.
Successful internal communication should be the core value of all companies. But to achieve that, employees should be comfortable with giving and receiving feedback. No matter the form it comes in, an unbiased review can ease the pressure off employees and increase their productivity.
In conclusion
Realizing the importance of effective internal communication is the road to success. Although it might seem like a given, interaction between employees needs time to build. Cultivating openness and transparency will prove beneficial for your business. Productivity will go up, the staff will be more content, and ready to tackle any challenge you put before them.
Making sure everyone understands what they have to do and have the necessary resources will reduce the chances of poor communication. Employees will be enthusiastic about their jobs and complete the tasks quicker and with more ease. Investing time and effort in a functional communication strategy will benefit the entire business, not just your staff.
About the author
Anja Bojic is a passionate content writer who is constantly working on improving her writing skills and knowledge, and all that with the aim of delivering engaging and insightful content to her readers. Although she studied English Language and Literature, she’s always interested in learning more and writing about various topics, including time management, productivity, and communication, as well as remote work and life-work balance.
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