The younger workforce has always been connected in all walks of life thanks to the internet and phones. Whether that’s 10-hour phone calls with friends that would have parents crying about the phone bill, Myspace, MSN, BBM, Facebook… the list goes on. Before that, you had news outlets, letters, phone calls and emails to keep everyone connected. As time passes, the way we communicate has gotten more sophisticated, more entertaining, more accessible and, in general, just better.
The point is, staying connected in the workplace is no different. While you can use intranets, hubs, Teams etc., if you’re not putting out high-quality internal comms, that disconnect will increase. COVID-19 has really highlighted the importance of having measures in place to keep everyone connected, and just how detrimental a disconnect can be to wellbeing, work ethic and the overall employee experience. Our latest whitepaper revealed that 65.9% of survey respondents believed that working from home affected their wellbeing, with 69.6% saying that impact was negative. Microsoft Teams, Zoom and hubs have allowed us all to carry on the watercooler conversations (with the added bonus of comfy clothes and the occasional dressing gown) and regular meetings have kept departments in the loop; though, during such a trying time, this hasn’t always been enough when it comes to looking after everyone and making them feel included.
Many businesses have really stepped up their game when it comes to corresponding with employees; including Friday afternoon silliness, quiz nights and more to help both increase morale and the sense of togetherness while also just finding new and interesting ways to connect, have fun and tackle the increasing issue of wellbeing. Check out our blog listing some great examples of companies that doing a great job at maintaining their positive employee experience through great internal comms strategies.
Internal comms isn’t just about keeping everyone connected. It’s also an area that holds a lot of gravity when it comes to promoting workplace ethos, culture and general work environment practices. It’s important that they mirror your tone of voice and continue to embed the aforementioned, as this is a sure way to boost morale and make your comms more appealing. If your comms are ineffective, boring and miss the mark, even the exciting things like incentives look unappealing and morale certainly won’t improve, and neither will performance.
AON reported that just one disengaged employee may cost a company on average $10,000 in annual revenue – so imagine how much money you’re potentially losing if all of your employees are disengaged because of sparse, boring comms.
Good internal comms paves the way for a lot of areas affecting the employee experience to improve. Of course, a connected, positive workforce will mean engagement levels are boosted and there’s no uncomfortable disconnect between management and employees. But, especially for new starters, hearing from the company while working from home is not only exciting, but also reassuring. These comms allow new starters to understand the shared goals of the company, the practices, and the importance and value of their role. Similarly, they work as reminders for other employees that their hard work is valued while continuing to instil those common goals and values.
Having that steady flow of communication is greatly appreciated, especially if that communication isn’t boring employees to tears. It’s the very core of morale boosting, of letting teams know they’re appreciated as well as being a general check-in point that everyone can connect with. Employee experience benefits greatly from this, because if there’s no steady communication, it can cause disconnect in several areas, create a negative sentiment and an overall feeling of being lost within the company – especially while working from home. These internal comms remind everyone that they are a valued member of a team. If you don’t have regular internal comms, it’s time to implement this ASAP. You’ll be surprised just how much of a difference this makes to multiple areas of the business.
Need help creating internal comms that have your teams jumping out their chairs with excitement? We happen to be pretty good in that area, some might even call us experts… Get in touch at anythingspossible@drpgroup.com or give us a call on 0844 682 5989 and we’ll help you improve employee experience in your business. Or check out our blog with a list of seven things you can do to improve the employee experience. You might find some useful nuggets in there or if you want to delve more deeply, have a read of our latest Whitepaper on Workplace experience.