Five signs your Internal Communications are failing
You may have an internal communication plan in place, but how effective is it? Is there a strategy behind what you are doing and are you talking about the things that are important to your people? Here are five signs your internal communications might need a rethink:
1) “Nobody tells us anything around here”
Alarm bells should be ringing if you are hearing this catchphrase catapult around your workplace. Feeling uninformed means that it is likely that employees feel under-valued; yikes, they may even think that they’re just not important enough to be kept informed! So, why do your colleagues feel out of the loop? Are you avoiding a topic that matters to people? Do they know where to find information? Are they no-shows to team updates because they don’t see them as worthwhile? Or did you tell them: but you only told them once and they’ve forgotten?
2) “I can’t be bothered”
As leading anthropologist, Jane Goodall, has said: “The greatest danger to our future is apathy”. Poor communication leads to de-motivation and distraction. Why would people work hard when they are not frequently, and genuinely, reminded that they are valued? What ways do leaders in your business show their teams that they are valued for the work they do? A simple thank you goes a long way.
3) “What do you mean I’m a poor performer?!”
If failing to meet targets is common in your organisation, maybe the target wasn’t communicated properly; maybe it was unachievable, but colleagues weren’t consulted to establish a realistic one. Maybe the team doesn’t feel supported to reach its full potential. Or – simply - maybe people didn’t understand why the target was important in the first place.
4) “I quit”
Maybe it’s something you said, or rather, something you didn’t say. Study after study shows that money isn’t everything when it comes to a job: people want to feel a sense of belonging. How are your communications helping to foster a culture where employees feel a part of something?
5) “My 121s always get cancelled”
Face-to-face time with a manager is one of the most important channels for communication. Managers play a crucial role in helping you to link business strategy to what people do on a day-to-day basis. 121s should focus on feedback and if you aren’t sure how to give good feedback, check out our post on avoiding the outdated s*it sandwich technique.
For expert guidance on strategic internal communication and engagement, please get in touch with us: hello@enthuse-comms.co.uk