by Justin Reynolds
Today’s employees care a great deal about working for transparent organizations. Yet according to our 2017 Employee Engagement Report, only 25% of employees believe that management is transparent.
Perhaps not surprisingly, 42% of managers feel as though they’re open books regardless of what a majority of their employees think.
Why is it that managers are more likely to think they are transparent while employees are more likely to think management is more opaque? Two words: communication problems.
It’s impossible to be a transparent organization if your company lacks the ability to communicate effectively. That being the case, let’s take a look at eight tips you can consider that should help your company, and managers in particular, sharpen their communication skills:
1. Share important news and developments
Your employees work hard for you every day. Don’t blindside them with major announcements and other important pieces of news. Share important information with your employees in a timely manner. You don’t have to share every single tidbit of information that management has, but don’t keep any major news a secret.
2. Have 1:1 meetings
If you want your team to be as productive as it can be, eliminate as many unnecessary meetings as you can from your agenda. That said, you still need to meet with your workers one on one from time to time in order to make sure they’re on the right track and are supported in their efforts.
3. Solicit feedback from your employees
Transparent organizations care about what their employees think. Solicit feedback from your employees on a regular basis to see whether they agree with the direction your company is heading in. Find out whether they’re overworked or unhappy — and if they are, take steps to remedy the situation. In order to increase the chances your employees share honest feedback, use anonymous pulse surveys.
4. Use collaboration software
Make it as easy as possible for your employees to communicate with both you and their colleagues by using collaboration software and business messaging services. This technology gives your employees the ability to communicate with one another digitally in real time from any connected device.
5. Keep your office door open
Encourage your employees to stop by and chat whenever they have any questions or concerns. Keep your office door open to show you’re interested in hearing what they have to say.
6. Create an honest and open culture
According to our Engagement Report, culture is one of the biggest factors affecting employee happiness. Build a culture that emphasizes honesty and transparency. You’ll attract workers who value those characteristics — which should help your organization communicate more effectively moving forward.
7. Invest in team-building activities
You can’t expect your employees to communicate effectively if they don’t really know each other that well. As our Engagement Report points out, only 24% of employees feel connected to their coworkers. That’s an 11% drop from last year. Invest in team-building activities to strengthen camaraderie. Once stronger relationships are formed, workers will be encouraged to communicate with each other openly.
8. Give stay interviews and exit interviews
Conduct both sit-down stay interviews and exit interviews with your employees to see what they are thinking about your company currently as well as what ultimately made them decide to leave for another job. This enables you to keep your fingers on the pulse of your organization while quickly correcting any problems that may arise — thereby improving the overall employee experience for everyone.
This article by Justin Reynolds originally appeared in TINYpulse.
