In the second phase of an internal communication strategy, we explore: two-way communication.
In today's competitive job market, attracting and retaining top-tier talent requires more than just offering a competitive salary and benefits package. It's essential to create an environment of open dialogue in the workplace where employees feel valued, satisfied, and motivated. This can be achieved through effective internal communications facilitating two-way communication and collaboration.
What to Include in Your Two-Way Communication
Isolation is a significant reason why employees leave companies. That's why it's essential to provide employees with tools that enable them to connect easily with each other, even if they work remotely or in a different office.
By evolving internal communication strategies into a two-way communication phase, companies can create a culture of engagement and collaboration that enhances employee morale and productivity.
Effective leadership requires listening to employees' questions, addressing their concerns, providing feedback, and implementing their suggestions. Line managers, people professionals, and leaders must actively bring out, listen to, and respond to employees' voices.
Voice of the Employee (VoE)
Establishing effective two-way communication channels is essential for organizations to maintain a strong employer-employee relationship. One powerful tool that facilitates this process is the Voice of the Employee (VoE) approach. By implementing a systematic process like VoE, organizations can proactively uncover and assess employee concerns or problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The VoE process enables organizations to gather feedback, opinions, and suggestions directly from employees. It goes beyond traditional one-way communication methods by actively seeking input from employees and valuing their perspectives. This approach creates a culture of open dialogue, where employees feel heard and their opinions matter.
Through VoE, organizations can identify and address issues that may impact the employer-employee relationship. By actively listening to employees' concerns, management can gain valuable insights into potential areas of improvement within the organization. It allows for early detection of any gaps or challenges that may be hindering productivity, engagement, or job satisfaction.
"By opening these channels where you communicate with your employees, especially when you're outreaching field workers, you're giving them a place to have a voice."
Tobi Anderson, Head of Customer Experience at Speakap
Polls and Feedback From Employees
Getting feedback from frontline workers can be difficult, especially with multiple platform logins. With a quick poll on your employee app, employees can give feedback quickly and often, creating constant engagement and real-time insights on your employee's needs and overall satisfaction as it evolves.
An interactive space on an employee app is also useful for ideation. You can easily create a dynamic space for activating and pooling creative forces rather than wasting time on traditional brainstorming sessions or company suggestion systems.
Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, the maturity cycle for employee responsiveness is also not instant. At first, employees just observe to see the company's and leadership's responses.
After they experience truly receptive and open engagement, they will dip their toes in with 'likes' and eventually 'comments' or even create 'posts.'
Why an Employee App
A modern employee app can help measure your two-way communication with employees. It can track responsiveness as well as various internal communication metrics. For instance, companies can track:
- Open and click-through rates
- Employee engagement rates
- Communication frequency
- Adoption rates for new channels and technologies
- Time spent finding information
- Costs vs. Benefit
- New hire engagement
- Employee net promoter score
- Trends and timing
Modeling the type of engagement you want to see in your employees is crucial for effective leadership. Sometimes, leaders may need to "fake it till they make it" by displaying the type of engagement they want in their employees, even if they are not feeling it themselves.
With the right employee app, leaders can receive individual support to help them better engage their direct reports and promote a culture of engagement within their organization.
In a Nutshell
Creating effective two-way communication channels and embracing the Voice of the Employee (VoE) approach are vital steps in creating a workplace culture that fosters employee engagement and collaboration. By actively seeking and valuing employees' feedback, organizations can identify and address concerns that may impact the employer-employee relationship. Utilizing tools such as polls and feedback mechanisms on an employee app enables constant engagement and real-time insights. Also, leaders must lead by example and display the desired level of engagement to inspire their teams. Measuring communication metrics through an employee app allows organizations to track progress and make data-driven improvements. It's obvious by now that by prioritizing two-way communication, organizations can enhance employee morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction, creating a thriving and engaged workforce.