It might be ambitious to say, but a lot of the world’s problems could be solved through prioritizing communication. Everything from international relations and politics to the relationships we have at work and at home hinges upon communication. We can’t fix your marriage (although some of these tips will help every aspect of your life), but we can make your business more successful through prioritizing internal communication.
Communication is crucial for fostering positive work environments, enhancing employee engagement, and ultimately contributing to your team’s and your organization’s success.
Have you ever worked for a boss that liked to keep secrets from the rest of the team? Have you been part of an organization that didn’t collaborate across departments? It doesn’t feel good, and it doesn’t help you do a good job. In fact, we’re willing to bet some of those “secrets” weren’t even confidential, but the leadership was used to keeping information withheld from the larger group simply because there wasn’t an environment of positive internal communication flow established. That one act (okay, fine… multiple acts) of not providing enough (or any) information gave you and the rest of the employees another chance to disengage from the company.
Prioritizing internal communication is crucial for fostering a positive work environment, enhancing employee engagement, and ultimately contributing to the organization’s success.
Why Prioritizing Internal Communication Matters
Communication is essential for employee engagement. Leaders must prioritize internal communication to set clear expectations. When internal communication is prioritized, employees are more likely to understand the company’s goals, their roles, and what is expected of them. This clarity leads to higher engagement because employees feel more connected to their work and the organization.
Open communication also creates feedback loops where engaged employees are encouraged to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback. Inclusion makes employees feel valued, which creates a stronger mental and emotional investment in the work they do for the company.
Consistent communication also helps reinforce company culture, mission, and values. Do you remember how much you invested in employee onboarding where you informed your new hires on company culture and how they fit in? (If you didn’t spend a lot of time and care on new hire orientation, let’s fix that by reading Employee Onboarding Mapping is Essential.) Cultural immersion doesn’t end at onboarding. It thrives in open communication. Employees who are aligned with the organization’s culture are more motivated and more productive.
Internal Communication Yields Improved Collaboration
When employees feel like they’re valued and know that they’re in a supportive environment where they can share feedback, you get stronger teams. Effective internal communication breaks down silos and fosters collaboration across departments. When everyone is on the same page, teams work more cohesively, and this leads to innovation.
Prioritizing internal communication also ensures that important information flows freely within your organization. This reduces misunderstanding, mistakes, and conflict. Ensuring everyone has the information they need to perform their jobs correctly allows everyone to stay focused on the bottom line.
Collaboration – and Communication – Builds Trust and Transparency
Internal, transparent communication from leadership builds trust. There’s not this constant sense of secrets and suspicion. There’s less doubt – and more benefit of the doubt when things do go awry. When employees trust their leaders, they are more likely to stay committed to the organization – even during challenging times.
Employee morale is also increased through effective internal communication. Regular updates and open lines of communication help to manage expectations and reduce anxiety among your employees. This leads to higher morale and lower turnover.
Risks of Poor Internal Communication
Companies that don’t prioritize internal communication face many issues: disengagement, increased turnover, impact on their bottom line, and resistance to change.
We’ve witnessed:
- A lack of connection to the company’s goals and vision.
- Doing the bare minimum. Gallup suggests 71% of the workforce is not engaged and 15% of workers are actively disengaged.
- High turnover.
- Loss of talent.
- Miscommunications leading to decreased productivity and inefficiencies.
- Reputation damage from employees (or former employees).
- Change management issues and fear of the unknown.
- Slowness to implement new initiatives.
Internal Communication Grows Your Bottom Line
By developing a good internal communication plan, you’re going to change the outcome of your organization. You’ll avoid unnecessary turnover (and the costs of recruiting, training, and hiring new employees), you’ll stop stifling creativity and innovation, and you’ll have everyone collaborating, suggesting improvements, and focusing on your mission.
It’s a critical part of any business’s People Strategy. This is your company’s plan to find and hire incredible talent, grow amazing managers, nurture fantastic teams, and create effective internal communication so that everyone from the top down is living your brand’s promise – to the point that outsiders find your company irresistible: everyone wants to either be hired by or do business with your organization. People Strategy is just one part of our four-part process in the Stratavize Transformation Model. When you activate all parts of the model, you’ll see Whole Systems Change: everything improves together.
Are you ready to prioritize internal communication for employee engagement? Request a consultation now.
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