Do you want to improve workplace productivity?
There are around 32.5 million small businesses in the country. Putting your company ahead of these businesses means increasing productivity to become prominent in your field. One such way to improve productivity is by improving something else entirely.
Improving workplace communication should be one of your recurring goals as an employer. Clear communications help build a firm foundation for a successful business. Not only that, but it also helps create a productive workplace culture for everyone involved.
How do you go about improving communication in the workplace, though? Learn how to build a communication-rich environment by reading what’s below today!
Contents
Get to Know Your Employees
The first thing to do when improving workplace communication is to bridge the gap between employee and employer. Most find it intimidating to approach their employers for anything if it’s not crucial to work. Doing so can create a workplace where employees feel stifled or have their voices unheard.
To prevent this, get to know your employees. Set up one-on-one meetings to give them a safe space to let them be themselves while you talk. Doing this allows you to know more about them, making them feel more comfortable around you.
It’s also a good way to get a handle on what’s going on in the workplace. Employees often use these times to voice their opinions on their co-workers. You can use this to make a difference by addressing workplace affairs subtly.
Remember to avoid making things too personal when talking to employees. It can appear inappropriate to some people. Keep it light with a few jokes and always turn the topic back to work.
Create a Good Onboarding Strategy for Newcomers
New employees can have a lot of trouble adjusting to the workplace. Most have trouble approaching people to ask if they’re the ones to ask about certain things. You can easily avoid this by creating a good onboarding strategy.
A great way to create one is by effectively using internal communications software. Make a guide that’s always accessible for new employees to use. It should contain internal knowledge on how the workplace flows.
Training videos and FAQs will be useful for anyone trying to learn the ropes in the workplace. Add an employee directory, too, and keep it up-to-date. It helps guide new employees to the people to approach for specific situations.
Remember to Listen
Communication isn’t always about getting your point across. It’s also about listening to what others have to say. Few possess the skill to listen, and it often causes workplaces to become breeding grounds for misunderstood notions.
Listening means paying attention to what your employees say. Paraphrase what they said in your mind, then convey it back to them. Doing this allows them to verify whether what you understood is correct.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions to make sure you understand everything correctly. Most avoid doing so out of ego, and it’s always a terrible quality in an employer. Asking shows you care about their thoughts and you listened the entire time.
Doing so also reduces the likelihood of any miscommunication and conflict in the workplace. It’s especially useful when communicating about projects. You don’t want the work of others to fail because of a simple miscommunication error.
Listening also helps identify what employees think of working conditions. You can then create a way to give employees a way to provide feedback. This way, you can improve things to their liking for the better.
Set Clear Expectations
When talking about work, setting clear expectations is essential. Doing this shows what you expect coming from your employees. It also is a great way to recognize the skills of your workers.
By knowing your employees, you know who would be a better fit for certain tasks. This means you must plan to make sure all things work out.
While doing so, it’s also good to plan what you’re going to say. Hastily-written instructions told on the spot will always confuse others.
It’s also best to tell these in person during regular team meetings. Can’t reach your employees in person? Host remote team meetings, then. Emails aren’t the best way to convey urgency when setting expectations.
Also read: What Are The Best Accounting Software For Small Businesses?
Follow Up With Your Employees
After setting expectations, check in on your employees. It’s a great way to further improve communication in the workplace. Doing so is also a good way to help an employee improve in the workplace.
If an employee is on par with the expectations you’ve set, reward them with some positive feedback. Doing so encourages them subconsciously to continue doing well at their job. It’s a surefire way to improve productivity while at an all-time high in the workplace.
If an employee isn’t doing as well, though, talk with them. Find out what’s going on and how you can help them improve. If all else, assign them to something you think they’ll be a better fit in.
No matter what, never give negative feedback to your employees. Negative feedback has a bad influence on workers. It impacts their work attitude, making them perform worse.
Maintain Professionalism and Diplomacy
Above all else, be professional when communicating with your workers. There will come a time when you’ll hear gossip around the workplace. If it reaches you, do nothing but smile and nod.
Gossip can get out of hand only when acted on. If it’s harmful to another employee’s reputation, confront the employee in private and clear up the air. Do the same with the others once the subject of gossip isn’t around.
If the gossip revolves around you, don’t react violently. You can set up a way for people to reach you to address the topic in private if need be. Remember that resolving things through diplomacy avoids conflict of interest in the workplace.
Learn How Improving Workplace Communication Helps Your Business Succeed
Improving workplace communication creates the best experience for you and your employees. Create a rich workplace with the help of our guide today! Watch your company succeed, and your employees thrive at work now!
Do you want to learn more about workplace management? We have more tips and guides that help you build the ideal workplace. Check them out and learn a thing or two today!
