Employees Want "More Communication"

In today's corporate environment, our economic crisis has created tremendous uncertainty and fear among employees. More than ever, companies need to think and act carefully to meet the need for internal communication. When employee surveys repeatedly come back with results that plead for "more communication", how do you know what that means and how to respond? First, a carefully crafted follow-up survey should be administered to drill down to how employees think communication is lacking. Get help from a professional, ideally an industrial psychologist, who knows what questions to ask and how to ask them to get the information needed. If the right questions are asked, the statistics from the answers should give you some clear direction on how to proceed. Next, pick your battles. You may not be able to (or want to) attempt to address all the issues at once. From the analysis of your statistics, pick two or three items as your top priorities for immediate action. Now, the fun part. How will you provide "more communication" in a way targeted for results? Who will be responsible for this task? How will you know what efforts have been successful? It's time to construct a plan. Communication must be multi-faceted in approach. Not everyone responds to the same type of input the same way. Some people prefer meetings; others would rather read a newsletter at their leisure. Reaching out once a week may be just right for part of the employee population, while others think more than once a month is overkill. The trick is in identifying a combination of outlets, activities, events - opportunities - from which your employees can choose how they want to engage. There are so many possibilities that only begin with meetings and newsletters. Consider brown bag lunches with guest speakers, casual gatherings after hours with management, podcasts, videos, subscription emails, formal letters, Twitter, Facebook, eLearning, intranet postings, skip level sessions...the possibilities are only limited by imagination (and/or your budget). Employees who are getting open, honest, consistent communication from senior management will be more loyal to their employer, and less likely to be angry in their uncertainty. Times are challenging, and those employed are fortunate to have jobs - but that doesn't mean they should be kept in the dark to assume the worst. Good communication, based on a comprehensive plan, pays huge dividends when it comes to employee morale and productivity.