All this month, we're focusing on the need to foster great workplace cultures. If you haven't already done so, we encourage you to register for our free webinar on this topic. We also have a great Company Culture HR Toolkit that you can download to learn strategies and tactics for improving - or getting started on - the culture in your workplace.
One of the common mistakes cited in the toolkit is failing to communicate company news of any kind to your employees. As the guide points out, neglecting to communicate with your workforce in a timely manner can damage their level of trust in the organization and those who run it. This can foster a sense of suspicion and general discontent throughout the organization. That, in turn, makes it harder to retain great achievers and recruit new talent.
When events happen that negatively impact the company, communicating with employees instills a sense of community and a "we're all in this together" sentiment. It can encourage individuals to unite around an incident and work towards improvements or resolutions as a team, cultivating a spirit of collective effort within the company. Furthermore, it allows the organization to control the message. Bad news that leaks through any organization's rumor mill has a tendency to worsen as it travels, making perception of the situation far more dire than it may actually be.
Conversely, when positive things occur, why not crow about them? Perhaps you've just instituted a new policy aimed at improving employee autonomy. Or maybe there are some "soft" benefits on offer that not very many employees are taking advantage of because they don't know about them. Shouldn't everyone know about that off-hours company event as soon as possible so that they can plan to attend, making the get together incredibly successful?
Ultimately, you can be doing everything right for your company's culture. Yet if people don't know about it because it's not communicated effectively, all of that effort may as well not be happening.
One way to keep your employees completely informed is to use the advanced communication tools in your HCM system. This method will allow you to get your messages in front of people when they are doing something as routine as punching in for the day. For example, it's simple in People Savvy HCM to add an announcement on screens - mobile or otherwise - about a gym club benefit as employees go about their daily business.
That proactive approach makes it as simple as it gets for employees to receive the information without going out of their way or spending extra time looking for it. Your employees will be happier when you communicate well, and your entire workplace culture will be better off for it!