Why Communication to Employees is Necessary in Business

The corporate world has spent a lot of time focusing on improving business methods for external communication. While focusing on what companies say to their consumers is important, it is just as important for organizations to foster a healthy sense of communication with their staff.

Improving Internal Communication

Internal communication in the workplace goes far beyond exchanging emails and having regular meetings. Companies need to make good communication practices a priority in their workplace. Since employees are always at the front lines of any organization, it is important that the channels of communications are open and working well.

While many employers are used to keeping the important conversations amongst executives in closed-door meetings, today's working world calls for a change. Employees need to be included in the daily and ongoing conversations in their organizations. This includes conversations about the current state of the company, the direction the organization is going in, changes that need to be made, etc.

While leaders may feel employees don't need to know about the inner-workings of their company, they couldn't be more wrong. The reality is that in a company where there is a gap of information among employees, this missing link will be filled with untruths and misinformation. This failure to keep employees in the loop can affect their productivity. Moreover, employees that are told things on a need-to-know basis will feel undervalued and disrespected.

In order to stop the cycle of leaving out information in the workplace, employers can try the following tips:

• Keep internal communication to in-person meetings, phone calls, or video chats.
• Encourage employees' comments through surveys and blogs.
• Use written notes from the CEO to keep staff regularly updated.
• Send the same message through multiple channels to ensure the point is understood.

While there is a time and a place for employers to keep company secrets to themselves, finding new ways to be open with their employees is essential for the growth of their company. Employers that work to improve their internal communication with their employees will find that informed workers perform better. Moreover, when employees are in the loop on all the goings on in an organization, they are better able to work with each other to meet the needs of consumers.