More proof of a strong relationship between effective internal communication and a productive work environment, this time via independent consultancy Managing Work|Life Balance, cited in this article in Australia’s The Age. In part, the article notes:
Of 205 companies surveyed by independent consultancy Managing Work|Life Balance, the top 25 that were considered “best practice” encouraged diversity, improved the flow of internal communication, had a high number of senior women and had some form of paid parental leave.
… and …
“This is not only about getting people to understand the business benefits, but you’re also trying to win the hearts and minds of people.”
You can read the rest here.
An increasingly connected workforce creates new challenges for employers during already difficult workforce reductions. Websites (such as Internal Memos), email, message boards, and online news sources make all information public information very quickly and senior leadership teams more hesitant to communicate anything until the last possible minute.
The consequences? Former employees who believe they were treated unfairly and without respect because of untimely information and retained employees with less respect for their employer because of how their former colleagues were treated. What’s more, the untimely delivery of information creates an unproductive workforce as employees try to reduce their own uncertainty by discussing the situation with their co-workers.
The Coaching Point: Although convincing the senior leadership team to communicate everything they know as they know it is unrealistic, it is still imperative to manage to the employees who will remain after the reductions. Some general advice:
Communicate early. While it is unrealistic to communicate all information as you learn of it, there are pieces you can disseminate quickly. Doing so will create quick wins for leadership and the communication group and making a habit of it will increase the trust in information from those sources.
Communicate with candor. When questions come up that you cannot answer–either because you don’t know or you can’t tell your employees (possibly for legal reasons)–be candid and say “we don’t know” or “we can’t tell you.” Your employees will understand, and will see this as a visible sign of respect.
Read the rest of this entry »
