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How Senior Leadership Can Improve Employee Communication

Justina Dukelow
by Justina Dukelow on July 5, 2017

How senior leadership can improve communication with employeesToo often, corporate managers adopt an outdated approach to employee communications. Instead of conducting thoughtful conversations, senior leadership at many organizations simply rely on standard meetings, memos and presentations to engage with their teams. Although these channels are effective, they are hardly useful by themselves. Rather, companies need to make sure managers and executives listen just as much as they speak.

Creating a siloed communication structure can alienate employees and make them feel as if their ideas are ignored or undervalued. More importantly, failing to weigh the input of others could potentially limit what an organization is capable of accomplishing. When employees' ideas are not analyzed, businesses cut themselves off from a valuable resource. Professionals within any enterprise were recruited for a reason. Most will have strong or at least constructive opinions about how certain processes or services can be improved, potentially helping the company become more efficient and profitable.

Learn how to crowdsource your next ideas discussion directly inside your  Intranet, involving employees at all levels

With tools like TemboSocial Ideas, corporate leaders can improve employee communications by creating a collaborative workplace where  the exchange of ideas is not only valued but encouraged. In fact, this should have a positive impact on the bottom line. A recent Forbes article found that organizations with strong leaders who can communicate well and inspire performance see double the profit growth compared to organizations with traditional leaders.

Be transparent

According to Business Day Online, Airtel Nigeria CEO Segun Ogunsanya believes that being transparent is key to effective communication in the office. Employees are major stakeholders in organizations, so any major shifts in the overall vision or direction of a company can be extremely disruptive.

Although changes may be necessary for a number of reasons, informing team members about the adaptations well in advance is necessary. Simply springing change on employees is a great way to ensure the office becomes disgruntled. 

If employees are regularly updated about the corporate vision, goals and direction the company is headed in, employees will be able to envision how they fit into that plan, contributing to higher engagement levels.

Break formal barriers

It's important for senior leaders to break formal barriers of communication

Although having regular company meetings to review the most recent earnings reports may be necessary, these stuffy events should not be the only time executives engage with employees. Attempting to have one-on-one, informal sessions can often be a more effective way to engage in meaningful conversation. Chatting over lunch or grabbing a few drinks after work with an employee can be a fantastic way to remove tension from any interaction with team members.

This way, employees are more likely to be themselves and discuss any major concerns or ideas they might have for the company or their own roles. Not only could this potentially get a shy employee to open up, it will expose upper management to more ideas and concepts.

Recognize performance

Personal recognition of a job well done is one of the best ways to show employees that their hard work is being noticed. It can be discouraging for employees when managers do not praise them for completing a stellar project or beating sales goals. Although it's important not to come off as patronizing, even simple verbal recognition of a great performance can go a long way toward keeping employees satisfied.

A good strategy in this regard is to discuss the steps taken by employees in the wake of a particularly successful project in a one-on-one setting. This will help managers gain insight into performance trends as well as help employees take note of which steps and strategies were effective.

Learn how to crowdsource your next ideas discussion directly inside your  Intranet, involving employees at all levels.

Justina Dukelow
Written by Justina Dukelow

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