5 Tips For Improved Communications With Your Employees

Communication with employees is an inextricable part of sustainable business practices. Without engaging with the people that get the work done on the ground, your HR practices can become removed from important issues and challenges.

Employee wellness and mental health are currently leading the conversations around internal communications and human resource management. Employees are also placing these factors high on their list when reviewing workplaces. In fact, 81% of workers say they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future.

This article shares five tips that you can use to enhance employee communication and keep your organization current on wellness and mental health trends.

1. Establish Your Communication Channels

The ‘how’ is vital when thinking about internal communication. What means does your team have to relay information? Email isn’t the only option. You can use SMS, email, phone, dedicated communication platforms, and more. Text messaging may be the most effective tool in communicating within your organization. In fact, 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes.

Evaluate how your team works and choose channels that suit them. For example, if remote working is your primary workflow type, Slack, ClickUp, or Teams are great options to keep in touch and get information from everyone.

These platforms also have mobile apps, making it possible to text employees and communicate on-the-fly. There are also dedicated texting providers like Trumpia that do more than simply provide a texting service. Trumpia can actually be used to simplify HR tasks like open enrollment communication, sending policy updates, providing training resources for employees, and managing the recruiting process.

Other channels that can diversify your communications include internal blogs and newsletters. You can use these to keep employees updated on company developments.

How To Implement Communication Channels Effectively

With any new digital platform or channel, HR must make employees the focus of their implementation strategy. 78% of efficient HR departments upskill employees with digital literacy and tech skills.

Use training and detailed onboarding systems as an opportunity to ensure that workers can use platforms to foster efficient communication. It’s a good idea to provide resources and how-to videos on how your communication channels work so that employees can refer back to these when needed.

Also make sure your employees are “turning off” during their personal time.

While mobile apps and text messaging are excellent ways to communicate, they can make it difficult to put work aside at the end of the day when notifications are coming through. Luckily, platforms like Slack and Teams allow you to set the hours in which you want to receive notifications.

If you are using text messaging, make sure you keep your messages concise and to the point. Repetitive texts can be frustrating. Also, only send messages during times your employees are able to take action (during their work hours).

2. Encourage Feedback

Another helpful communication channel to consider as HR is a feedback platform.

89% of HR leaders believe that regular check-ins and employee feedback are important for success. Prioritizing feedback can help you maintain a harmonious work environment. In addition, employees that feel their voices are heard feel more empowered to perform well at their work.

Some great dedicated feedback platforms include:
• ContactMonkey
• BambooHR
• SurveyMonkey

Employee experience HR platforms, like Workday, can also be a great help in collecting feedback and employee comments, tracking suggestions and complaints, and more.

You can also consider implementing performance reviews, suggestion boxes, and other listening or feedback mechanisms.

Feedback is a wonderful way to gauge the space your employees are in, and how they are doing so to say. Are they dissatisfied, overwhelmed, etc? Or are things going smoothly for them?

Gaining feedback like this enables you to identify where you need to work on things and how you can improve the employee experience and their satisfaction. It enables you to uncover flaws in your systems, processes, and more to share with management.

3. Have Regular Meetings

One-on-One Meetings

Schedule time for one-on-one check-ins with your employees at regular intervals. This lets you see how they are doing and whether they have any concerns or challenges you can help with.

These meetings can be 10-15 minutes long and can help establish better relationships with each employee.

If your employees work remotely, use video conferencing such as Google Meet, Skype, or Teams.

Group Meetings

Group meetings offer another approach to team communication and feedback. Meeting as a group can facilitate better team dynamics and connections and allow people to approach situations creatively. With your entire team present, one person may offer a solution to another’s problem.

You can also use group meetings as an opportunity to reiterate policies on communication and encourage others to speak by leading by example.

Discuss challenges openly. Celebrate achievements. Show accountability for your own faults as HR. And share strategies or ideas for how to tackle concerns.

Informal Team Meetings

Team social events, team building activities, and other more informal occasions can also facilitate better internal communication. They allow employees to form stronger relationships and become more comfortable with their colleagues and superiors.

Stronger team dynamics can lead to more harmonious collaboration, engagement, and communication.

4. Assign Work Clearly

An obstacle to good communication is a lack of clarity and direction. 43% of employees in a Metlife study identified a lack of purposeful work as a contributor to them potentially quitting their jobs.

When your team is confused about what they have to do or their distinct roles, it becomes tricky for them to be accountable and to hold others accountable. Uncertainty can lead to delays in productivity and the dreaded “I’ll have to ask so-and-so and get back to you.”

Designating work clearly and having well-structured workflows can resolve numerous hiccups in interactions. Make sure everybody knows who does what and who they must approach for what task or activity. Clarity in work is also making sure the individual employee understands how their individual contribution makes a positive impact on the team and the organization as a whole.

Project management platforms like ClickUp, Monday, Trello, and HubSpot Task Management are all great for keeping everyone organized.

5. Personalized Benefits Communications

In recent years, employers have made an intentional effort to improve and increase employee benefits. Many employers have renewed their dedication to expanding workplace benefits including childcare, telemedicine, mental health support, and more. However, the move to better employee well-being has not been entirely successful without matching efforts in boosting benefits communications.

According to a Metlife study on employer-employee dynamics, only 65% of employees say they find their employer's benefits communication simple to understand. And 46% find benefits communications to be irrelevant to them. Employees find that their employers do not clearly communicate the availability and suitability of benefits.

This is an area of communications that HR can focus on to enhance engagement with employees. Customize your benefits communications and information to individuals or relevant groups of workers.

When your staff understands what benefits they can take advantage of, they are more likely to trust in your management. It will also increase their job satisfaction and make them feel valued by leadership.

The Bottom Line

Communication has no one-size-fits-all template for businesses and their employees. The key is to have your ear on the ground, stay connected to your employees, and remain open. That way, you can implement communication strategies that fit your organization and grow yourself and the business.

If you’re looking for ways to show your employees you appreciate them, check out our employer solutions. With our program, you can give your employees access to unique savings on products and services that they want and need.