Some thoughts on effective internal communications
Andy Stonehouse
Effective Brand Strategy with quantified results. Connecting you with your ideal target client through our unique Data-Driven Design process.
One of the lasting impacts of the pandemic is the shift in how and where we work - coupled with the change in attitudes around what we desire from our working lives and reappraised expectations around the work/life balance.
Work from home (WFH), Hybrid and remote working are not new concepts. Indeed S2 design chose to adopt the WFH model over 20 years ago when we founded our firm, but the pandemic has drastically accelerated the trend with many organisations having to move to home working practically overnight.
Most commentators don't foresee a mass return to the regular nine-to-five shifts. Research suggests that 51% of workers would consider leaving their current role if the option for hybrid work was removed.¹
This raises many important questions about how businesses deliver internal communications. When communication can have such a huge impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of a business then this is an issue that deserves serious thought.
How important are internal communication systems? And what steps can you take to ensure you optimise the processes in your organisation?
We all know that communication is an essential part of life. Like anything else we take notice when we encounter bad communication - and probably rarely notice the good examples - unless they are somewhat exceptional.
Communication is central to how we build relationships, communities and society in general. It's long been held that it is one of the key foundation blocks of any emerging civilisation.
Why is internal communication so important?
Humans are social and collaborative by nature. We share and develop ideas communally and as business is a microcosm of society this process is a truth in the business world as much as in our social communities.
Communication can be the deciding factor that could make or break our ability to succeed in business.
Effective internal communication brings with it many business benefits. Company’s morale, productivity and efficiency can all improve when effective communications are present. Statistics show that staff productivity increases by 25% in organisations where employees are well connected.²
On the flip-side, when communication breaks down, misunderstandings and frustration result. Conflicts, missed deadlines and general inefficiencies rise.
Given the importance of internal communication then what are some key strategies for ensuring that your whole team are communicating well and that everyone is on the same page? Below are some of the best methods to improve internal communication within your business.
Ensure that your company’s values and goals are clear
As a brand design firm, it's obvious that we believe this is a crucial starting point.
72% of employees don’t completely understand their company’s strategy.³
If your employees are not aware of your company goals and values, it’s only natural for them to disconnect. Not knowing company goals is a major contributor to broken connections and poor internal communication.
Holding a big picture view of what they’re doing and why is not bearly the role of the management. If you believe that any interaction anyone has with a representative of your company can affect how your firm is received then being sure all staff know and project your core values is crucial. It also enables employees to find greater purpose and value in their work. Research has shown that the younger generation are more likely to take a job where they feel aligned with the values of the organisation for less pay than to chase a higher wage somewhere they do not feel they belong. Conveying business goals to your workforce and bringing them along on the journey is hugely important.
Done well aligning around a common vision will help unify staff and collectively focuses them on an end goal.
Understanding business-wide objectives, helps staff relate to the reason behind the tasks of their day-to-day work. Sharing these values clearly, result in enhanced collaboration and enables teams to tackle issues presented to them more readily as they see how they fit into the grand scheme more readily.
But how do you put this into action?
85% of employees say they’re most motivated when management offers regular updates on company news.⁴ There are many ways to keep your staff updated on developments in the business’ plan. Periodic emails, newsheets, calls, or even quick briefings on such information can be a great way to keep everyone informed and in the loop. Technology allows things to be taken a step further. A company intranet, App and team What'sApp's are all ideas I've seen work well. There are also systems where businesses can keep relevant content in one centralised dashboard that will notify employees when a new update arrives.
Create an open dialogue
Removing any sense of self-determination and 'voice' from people is one of the most negatively impactive situations a human can endure.
We all want to have agency. We all wish to be heard. The challenge in business is that not all voices are always given an equal platform, or indeed given are not given the same weight when they are heard. Which can quickly lead to disengagement and can negatively impact morale.
But it's a pretty simple fix. Create an atmosphere of open communication within the workplace, exciting, new ideas tend to be shared. For example, it's the people delivering a service see better ways of working based on their lived experience. An open dialogue will help improve the current state and efficiency of your business and be achieved in various ways.
Here's just a few ideas:
Put policies and processes in place that encourage people to speak up and offer their ideas instead of forcing people do so with formal meetings or formal interactions. Some people can feel uncomfortable speaking up in a meeting or writing a proposal paper! An informal system enables more independence and empowerment to those who do have ideas to share. An old fashioned suggestion box has been one of the most successful ways I have seen this done in some firms (as people can also remain anonymous if they so wish) and all can participate. If it's physical it removes any barriers of technology, it also reduces the need to be familiar with company processes. For remote workers a simply email box or a messaging app can be used.
Hold regular meetings where employees can share. Often these are most effective at the team or department level when the employees involved already interact with each other regularly. But also mixing teams occasionally can bring forward alternative ideas.
An open-door policy (maybe a set time or afternoon each week) is generally a highly effective way to encourage all employees to share concerns, thoughts or just anything they want off their chest privately and more confidentially.
Create feedback surveys can help businesses stay on top of what matters most to employees, what's working - or not working and help identify areas they can improve.
Employees generally just want to feel heard and listened to more in their workplace. Enabling this goes a long way to help improve employee satisfaction and drive better business communication.
There are two additional points I'd add:
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2. Employing a system as a tick-box simply to make your staff 'feel heard' is a highway to disaster. If you set-up any combination of the above then the company has to be fully committed to it. Obviously, not every idea will be possible - and communication of the reason why some things have not been implemented is important. But if nothing is ever taken forward then the whole system is viewed as meaningles and only results in alienating your employees.
You must be inclusive
It's worth reiterating - it is vital that everyone feels included. Making sure that everyone, remote or in-house, has a voice (and preferably a face too) facilitates better two-way communication and will help with both transparency (an essential ingredient in any healthy workplace), and with staff bonding.
Plan external events and get-togethers
This one is not universally liked. For most people spending time away from the office with colleagues, not focused on work, can go a long way to improving team bonding, engagement and communication within your business. It's fine if it again gives the individuals control. Social events, meals-out, and fun activities are all good.
The mistake some companies fall into is to make them seem compulsory. Applying pressure on people who don't sign-up. If you want everyone involved plan a work away day. Make it part of people's paid hours - and ensure the chosen activity is something that is suitable and inclusive. There's no point in going paintballing if some of your team have mobility issues!
During the pandemic, WFH became normalised and many people have started new positions and careers virtually. Some of your employees may never have physically met - creating an event where colleagues can meet and put a (real) face to the name can be a huge plus. Opportunities that allow staff to make connections and become more than just colleagues who email one another also help internal communication. They build the develop personal connections between employees which aids their ability to collaborate in the long run. Work interactions become much more friendly and conversational, allowing for a more fluid communication.
Recognise talent
In any organisation or business, we expect to have goals set, targets to be met, or key performance indicators. How we recognise and reward those who make achieving those goals possible is important.
Recognising an individual or a team’s efforts can a great way to improve your morale and can develop friendly competition. Sharing those achievements and recognising those 'wins' can also help other staff stay in the loop across the business with the successes you are having.
Think about what such acknowledgement should look like for you. Some firms hold massive award ceremonies, some give bonuses. Although both these can work, a simple chat with a team or individual who has done well can go a long way. Taking fifteen minutes to praise that team and toast their hard work could be all that's needed. Peer recognition, is a strong motivator and has a hugely positive impact on employee engagement and experience. Building a culture based on celebrating each other’s wins, creates a much happier environment for everyone. If this becomes a regular thing, talent recognition becoming the norm, builds a desire to succeed and be recognised and creates a feeling that the organisation is one unified team full of talented people.
Recouping
Working long hours can be exhausting – physically and mentally. The pressure and stress inherent is many roles will inevitably have an impact.
We all know about the need for work/life balance and about the importance of both mental and physical health but employers can help their staff. It’s essential to have downtime and a business can help that to happen.
Flexible hours have grown along with the WFH revolution. The work from anywhere and work at any time (within reason) have been adapted by some. Offering core-hours or looser start and stop times when working from home, encouraging breaks and even wellness apps have been used by some firms to try to reduce the impact of work stress. Thus, giving employees time to relax and so reengage their work with fresh eyes, be more effective and more relaxed when communicating with their team.
Make internal knowledge easily available
Not all information and communication is necessarily person-to-person. Many workplaces will need staff to access documents, videos, and specific links where company-specific information and processes are stored. Often this is held on an intranet but it’s been discovered that only 13% of employees use their company intranet daily. Even more astounding, 31% of employees surveyed by Prescient Digital Media admitted that they have never even used their company intranets.⁵ We all know that websites concentrate a great deal of effort on UX design. Unfortunately, many firms don't apply the same focus on user experience for their internal systems.
People prefer information to be laid out in an easily consumable way. If it takes too much effort to locate the required information they simply become frustrated, which in turn affects their productivity.
It’s crucial to have systems in place that make your critical internal resources readily available to those who need them, and that system needs to be easily understood and navigable by the intended user not devised for the ease of the system administrators.
Ensure you have the right tools to communicate effectively
A business’s ability to collaborate is only as good as the tools and systems they use. As we’ve detailed above, using the right communication tools is more important than ever with hybrid and remote working set to continue long after COVID-19.
Tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Skype are amongst the most commonly used, but there are a host of other options available.
However, when it comes to choosing the right internal communication system for your business, you need to ensure it has the capacity to meet the particular demands of your company and your distributed workforce.
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Suggested additional reading: For more details on improving your Business Internal communication, check out our new eBook — Solving the Employee Experience Crisis.
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