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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
Discuss workforce management, performance management, retention, communication, motivation, contributing to business results and other topics.
WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION DO GREAT TO KEEP EMPLOYEES INFORMED AND INVOLVED?
My organization is looking for ways to improve employee perceptions of:
*Management sets clear expectations
*You can
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Forums » Topic Forums » General Forum » EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/18/2005 2:16 AM EST
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Posts: 29
First: 5/6/2003 Last: 4/7/2011 |
WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION DO GREAT TO KEEP EMPLOYEES INFORMED AND INVOLVED?
My organization is looking for ways to improve employee perceptions of: *Management sets clear expectations *You can ask any reasonable question and get a straight answer *Management is approachable and easy to talk with Through an employee survey we identified these as the largest gaps from a top employer benchmark. We have done employee focus groups to further identify opportunities. Most if not all of the feedback is related to communication. Challenges are the rapid pace of change leading to dynamic expectations, leading to "I don't know" responses from managers, to busy managers involved with tasks and projects and not available to staff. I am trying to build a bank of ideas and strategies to improve employee communication. Things like manager rounding, posted office hours, department systems for ideas and suggestions, employee forums, etc. I would be interested in hearing "best practices" in other organizations to address these challenges as well as any printed resources. |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/19/2005 11:46 AM EST
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Posts: 464
First: 6/30/2004 Last: 11/22/2010 |
We do a number of things in our shop to promote EE communication. First, we have an open door policy and even though we encourage following chain of command, we allow any EE to approach any manager for information.
We are small enough to have monthly staff meetings. We have regularly scheduled parts of this meeting to do program updates and share other new information. This also has a Q & A portion where the Exec Dir or other manager(s) can field various questions. We have individual department meetings where we share pertinent information from our management meetings. Also can use this as a forum to bring questions back to the management group. We have a monthly Wellness newsletter that includes a section where "What's New" will present information. Finally, our internal network has a bulletin board (moderated) containing Four EE driven information. Those sections include (1)Water Cooler - share general information or just gossip. (2) Q & A - ask any question and a member of management will provide an answer; (3) Kudos and Thanks - self explanatory; and (4) Program Updates - describes changes and new programs at our company. I don't know if any of this falls under best practices, but we bend over backwards to let our staff know what is going on in the company. |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/21/2005 7:04 AM EST
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Posts: 26
First: 1/28/2003 Last: 11/30/2010 |
We have a newsletter that goes out every Monday. That talks about Company News, Employee Service & Benefits, & Events & Activities. Any articles are linked back to our Intranet, which is pretty robust in information, ie forms, policies, resources, etc |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/22/2005 7:35 AM EST
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
You stated in your post "Through an employee survey we identified these as the largest gaps from a top employer benchmark. We have done employee focus groups to further identify opportunities. Most if not all of the feedback is related to communication. Challenges are the rapid pace of change leading to dynamic expectations, leading to "I don't know" responses from managers, to busy managers involved with tasks and projects and not available to staff. I am trying to build a bank of ideas and strategies to improve employee communication. Things like manager rounding, posted office hours, department systems for ideas and suggestions, employee forums, etc.
Are you actually describing problems/issues in your company or are you talking about your clients' companies? I am a little concerned about your post since you are in the business of employee surveys. We do not want any marketing/prospecting to occur on this web site. Your understanding is appreciated. |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/23/2005 12:10 AM EST
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Posts: 68
First: 1/23/2005 Last: 3/27/2007 |
Approaches I have seen include:
*MBWA (visibility & approachability) *Open Door Policy Communicated *Question & Answer Meetings (usually quarterly) *Confidential hotline to report problems/concerns *Employee surveys |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/24/2005 11:37 PM EST
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Posts: 1
First: 1/24/2005 Last: 1/24/2005 |
Employees desire to be involved and to know what is going on in an organization is personal??? Yes!
"Everything happens or doesn't happen based on relationship." Relationships are built on trust and the most powerful way to build trust within an organization is one person at a time. It won't happen in a general staff/team meeting. Managers have to care enough to get to know each team member individually. Managers have to care enough to integrate the needs of the organization with the needs of employees. Since employees perform the work of the organization, employees must be first priority. "Caring is a powerful business advantage." Whatever you do, demonstrate you care through your actions and the rest will happen naturally. How can this be done? Just remember that each individual is different and management has to have the interpersonal skills to recognize, respect and interact with each person based on who they are not who the organization wants them to be. The primary business of every organization is its people. |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/24/2005 11:58 PM EST
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Posts: 11
First: 10/19/2004 Last: 2/12/2007 |
At our organization (healthcare) something that has been very succesful for us is our monthly "Breakfast with the President" and "Lunch with the President".
Employee names are chosen monthly at random by our IT department based on those celebrating birthdays or date of hire for that month. One group is invited to a Breakfast and one group is invited to a Lunch. We provide them with a great meal and the President is there to field their questions. He takes their issues back to VPs, Directors/Managers without compromising the employee's identity. If an employee needs personal follow-up, he gets permission to share their name. When employees don't have a lot of questions, the president is prepared with notes and information on current projects, etc. that he can share with the group. The employees really like this. |
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
posted at 1/25/2005 12:30 AM EST
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Posts: 3
First: 1/30/2004 Last: 10/18/2005 |
In any given situation, the particular mechanisms for communication can vary widely and still be effective - or not. In my view (as neither an HR person or a manager), the real test comes when employees, individually or as a group, see that their input has some real impact and meaning. It has to be apparent that managers are dedicated to follow-through and not just going through the motions. How do you all check on whether or not your strategies are working? |
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