If you could use some help in getting your employees to avoid workplace communication problems, these strategies may be of help.
To help employees avoid communication problems on the job and facilitate the flow of information, implement a series of strategies that can help.
1. Put it in print. Publish important company policies and procedures in a manual or handbook and give one to each employee. This will prevent disagreements and provide uniformity for getting things done. Managers sometimes ask employees to sign a form showing they have received a copy and will read it. This helps to ensure employee cooperation should disputes over procedures occur later.
2. Use the Web. Post a departmental or company Web site with project updates and announcements that can keep employees in the loop. Rather than wonder about or question the status of an important development, a Web site or listserv offers up to the minute information and keeps everyone linked. An added advantage is that employees can access it any time of the day or night, at their convenience.
3. Grow a grapevine. Announce key events in house at meetings or to department heads, who can then inform their staff members. Issue a press release to clients outside the organization, with copies to employees, so everyone is on the same page, literally, about the type of information to be shared publicly.
4. Update information periodically. Distribute new individual pages with changes to employees for replacing old ones in the handbook. Don't rely on handwritten changes or word of mouth alerts. You may want to accompany revision sheets with an announcement to make sure they aren't accidentally overlooked or discarded.
5. Organize routine meetings. While you don't want to meet without a purpose, collect and prioritize new developments that can be shared among employees at weekly or monthly gatherings. Workers can become disgruntled when they are uninformed of the latest happenings, especially when their jobs are impacted.
6. Invite feedback and questions. An open door policy for administrators is an effective method to promote two-way dialogue about company events. Encourage employees to email, telephone, or stop by the office of those in the know. Secretive dealings and hard-to-find company officers can promote the growth of rumors, gossip, and insecurity.
7. Consider publishing a company newsletter. Include a section for personal events, like marriages, births, anniversaries, and deaths, to help employees feel valued as people, not machines. Ask skilled staff members to contribute news items or even write a column. You may want to profile an employee in each issue, complete with photo and biography, to encourage staff members to get to know one another.
8. Organize a communications training session. Business writing, speech making, and communications protocol for email and telephone are valuable services that can benefit everyone. Some companies make these mandatory while others offer such training as a courtesy.
Communication is a vital skill that can impact your company's success. Take proactive steps now to prevent problems and encourage positive interaction among your staff members.
