How Can we Communicate More Effectively?

Recently there has been some discussion in social media as to how technology has changed the HR profession with respect to communication.  With the changes in how people work, their role vis-à-vis working remotely, along with the competitive business climate, HR departments are learning that poor communication channels are impacting the bottom line.  As HR professionals we can do three things to improve communication.

Communicate Consistently

Communication is often sporadic with conflicting messages.  While organizations attempt to share information with their employees and want their staff to be given the tools to complete their daily tasks, a lack of consistent communication is hindering their ability to be successful.  Effective communication is very important and employers must invest time and energy into building and establishing clear and consistent methods.  One of the most common communication problems in the workplace and solutions are poorly written documents, policies and procedures or announcements. Poorly written communication pieces will cause confusion, inhibit success and foster frustration amongst the employees.  To correct this challenge HR must always proofread the documents before distributing the final product.  It is also important to have the various stakeholders review and agree with content prior to its release.

Improve Internal Communication

Many companies with internal communications challenges have them because internal communication with employees can often be overlooked or seen as being less important than external communications. By keeping your employees informed from the company’s management team versus external sources (i.e., the media) confusion can be reduced and false information disseminated to the employees can be mitigated.  The easy solution is to over-communicate, do not assume that employees understand the business decisions that are made and always keep employees informed when you have a major announcement to make or have to react to bad news. Whenever possible, tell them before you tell an external audience.

Use Technology in Moderation

Organizations are utilizing internal social networks more extensively. These tools enable the sharing of information and best practices.  E-mails, instant messages, and other communications can be easily forwarded; however, messages are often not reframed for the individual or team to whom the message is directed.  This lack of customization can foster confusion and damage the credibility of the author.  Using technology to communicate is very efficient; however, it does not give the same warm feeling as being connected personally. Technology oriented connections are less meaningful and lack the human need to connect.  Organizations must understand that technology can have damaging effects. An over-reliance on technology can lead to people feeling isolated, and this can lead to challenges at work.  To take advantage of all the benefits that technology in communication offers, it is crucial to ensure that organizations implement policies and guidelines for how technology should be used to communicate.

Using the existing communication channels at your company along with conducting an employee survey to evaluate your communication challenges and successes is an easy way to assess and evaluate your strategy for the future.

Working Through a Challenging Economy?

In order to meet the current demands of an uncertain business environment Human Resources professionals are expected to be a key partner in managing change and assisting the leaders of the company by supporting changes to the organization.  As business partners, Human Resources professionals play an important role by assisting leadership in four key areas:

§   Identify, evaluate and assess the risks and rewards associated with organizational change in order to beflexible and adjust to the changes in the market and business.

§   Evaluate the current talent mix and organizational structure to determine if the current skills that the  employees possess will meet the organization’s needs in the future.

§   Communicate with the employees so that they understand what changes are needed along with explaining the timeframe and the potential outcomes.

§    Determine the success of the changes implemented and evaluate the alignment between the business,   culture and the staff. 

This article discusses these four areas of organizational change which can have a positive impact on the organization and its workforce or if not managed properly can be very detrimental to the organization.

Organizational Change

Successful transformation initiatives begin when the leaders examine the marketplace to determine what changes in their business may result in new challenges for their organization.  These challenges include new technology, new products and/or services, changes in social patterns, shifts in tax policy or demographic re-alignments.  The leaders need to evaluate the risks and rewards associated with the proposed changes to the business model and develop a strategy to adapt to the new realities. 

Current Talent Mix

Successful change takes time, which can be disruptive to the organization.   When the business changes often the current talent mix is not in alignment in order to execute this new strategy.  The Human Resources team needs to be in a position to evaluate the employees’ existing skills to determine if their skills and knowledge will meet the future needs of the organization.  Until the existing staff have the necessary skills the organization will remain vulnerable.  It is important to evaluate the staff and create a performance plan to ensure that all employees have a road map to success.  It is also important that HR holds all people accountable to ensure that these milestones for implementation and business improvement are met.  If done properly the current talent mix will be aligned with the new strategy. 

Communicating to the Employee

Frequently the decisions that are made about the organization are made at the c-suite level with the understanding  the middle management will share the changes with the rank-and-file staff.  Oftentimes, this approach while well intended, is not communicated effectively or is unclear.  Poor communication about why the changes are being implemented and the strategy hinders the successful implementation.  To mitigate poor communication, Human Resources needs to play a key role in coaching and educating the employees and middle managers about what is changing and how it will impact their job.

Determine Employee Engagement

Successful change starts with individuals, and failure will often occur because resistance to change is human nature.  Some managers are very skilled at change management; however, unfortunately, many managers are not adept at facilitating change. The lack of change management skills among managers can make change initiatives difficult to achieve.  Human Resources plays a very important role in determining where change is being embraced and where resistance is occurring.  HR can leverage those areas that are successful throughout the organization and where it is being resisted more resources and tools can be allocated to address these area’s needs.

In conclusion, successfully identifying the rewards and risks association with organization change, evaluating the current talent to determine if the organization can meet the new strategy, communicating the rationale for the changes and evaluating challenges where there are pockets of success and/or resistance will help the Human Resources department manage organization change successfully.

To learn more about the survey process please go to our website at: www.innovative-hrsolutions.com.