Top tips for successful organizational communication management

It may not seem like a priority topic for companies to look at, but promoting positive internal communications ultimately leads to a better working environment for all employees. Good communication between staff at all levels has been shown to help keep sick days and employee churn to a minimum, and improving output and revenue for the business. Poor internal communication practices cost companies a considerable amount of money each year in time and resource wasted due to poor communication and misunderstandings.

Transform your internal communications processes with these top tips for success.

Top tips to improve internal communications

#1. Be transparent in your communications

Transparency in organizational communication is often of paramount concern among employees. It equates to trust, indicative of both the employees trust in the company itself, and how much the employee feels the company trusts them.

Transparency in your internal communications also denotes a level of respect for all involved and helps maintain integrity at all levels of your company structure. This feeling of trust, mutual respect, and honesty can have a big impact on your staff retention and employee wellbeing. This ultimately helps to reduce staffing costs and improve productivity, while cementing your brand as a good employer and helping you attract the best talent.

#2. Review your onboarding process

Your onboarding process is the first experience new talent have with your organizational communication processes and can have a real impact on how they view the company and their place within it. A poor onboarding experience can reduce confidence and productivity, and has a negative effect on staff turnover.

With virtual onboarding processes becoming the norm for many companies since the pandemic began, onboarding has changed to fit remote working lifestyles and ensure new employees are able to access information and communicate to the same level as they would in the office.

Your onboarding strategy should include a section on internal communications, outlining to your new staff member all the aspects of your communication systems that they will need to confidently carry out their work. A surprising number of companies do not have a full onboarding process in place, this can lead to a range of problems for new employees, especially in internal communications.

Make sure all new staff members are trained and competent in the use of all organizational communication tools within the business, and know who they need to speak to via the use of a directory facility. Ensure they have easy access to all handbooks, forms, and training materials, as well as safety and comfort information.

#3. Be timely with your internal announcements

Rapid announcements and timely communications give a real boost to how employees view their organization. It maximizes their opportunity to adjust their work accordingly where necessary with minimal impact on their efficiency or their lives outside of the workplace. Eliminate rumors before they start and show the workforce you value them by responding quickly when there is news to be shared.

When planning the timing of your announcements, be sure not to overwhelm employees with information. Plan out your communications with priority items first.

#4. Listen to your workforce

Ensure your staff have a clear picture of their workplace and the issues it faces by being transparent. This helps promote collaboration and the sharing of ideas when issues arise.

To help maximize productivity and employee happiness, use open lines of communication, which flow both ways.

Keep your workforce assured that they have a voice and that they can be heard within the organization. Your staff are an invaluable source of information which may be invisible to other departments and those working in other areas of the business, for example remote workers or those in remote locations.

As an example, your workers on the ground have a unique experience of the organization and the challenges which may arise. Giving them the full detail of matters arising through internal communications fuels them to come up with innovative solutions which may have been missed had they not been kept informed.

#5. Empower employees to communicate upwards

Help level the playing field and remove the ‘them and us’ sentiment commonly found in organizations with poor internal communications strategies.

Give your employees the confidence to speak up if they require training or if they’re unsure of any aspect of their work. This will help fuel their confidence, share ideas, improve their happiness at work, and reduce instances of miscommunication or misunderstandings.

#6. Encourage open feedback in your organization

Encourage feedback at all levels of business. The inability to feedback on a work issue or a lack of action on feedback reported leads to lowered motivation and efficiency which is bad for your staff and bad for business.

Reassure your employees that they have the means to feedback openly in a structured way, that results in assessment and action where necessary. Positive organizational communications which helps employees implement change can have a profound effect on the happiness of your workforce.

#7. Use a consistent tone of voice

Use a consistent tone of voice to bring your strategy together. Every message coming from the organization, whatever the channel, needs to be consistent and in line with your brand guidelines. These should be defined in a document to reflect the brand values, culture, mission and tone of voice, and be used to communicate both internally and externally.

Consistent messaging will bring your values and culture to life by being subconsciously absorbed by employees. It follows the same principles marketers use to communicate on a brand externally.

#8. Use social intranet services

Implementing a social intranet within an organization ensures employees are connected, without relying on external platforms that might blur the lines between personal and professional life. A social intranet gives employees the tools to boost conversational power, human resource solutions, and quick responses.

A social intranet empowers information sharing, offering a place for employees to share the latest industry news and trends, bringing down silos by easily sharing knowledge within the organization, boosting creativity and exchange.

How to improve internal communication management in your organization

Build a strong, long term organizational communications plan by following these pro tips:

Set objectives - Ensure you have clear goals for your organizational communication plan for staff at all levels and in all locations.

Build a clear road map - Minimize confusion and build a clean, easy-to-follow plan which is accessible to all members of staff.

Look at your plan from the user’s point of view - Test your communication plan from a range of points of view. Ask a sample of staff in different departments and locations to test it for you.

Request feedback - Ask for honest, constructive feedback, don’t be afraid to make changes.

Transform your internal communications processes with Unily

Unily can help your organization develop comprehensive organization communication management processes designed to fit every user and ensure smooth, next-gen communications within your company.

Encourage open collaboration and drive positive change by transforming your organizational communications with Unily.