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The importance of an inclusive workplace and the role of communication in fostering high employee engagement.
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According to Gallup, organizations that boast high employee engagement rates experience a 23% increase in profit. And, a great way to substantially increase employee engagement is through effective internal communications.
In simpler terms, internal communication is the backbone of a thriving organizational culture.
Imagine you’ve just recruited top industry talents with an idea of what they need to do to generate income, but there’s a gap in their brand knowledge and culture.
How do you bridge the gap? Effective internal communication.
For your organization to reap the rewards of the employee investment, the new hires will need a work environment where they understand the brand goals and feel valued. And the best way to achieve this is through a culture of open, transparent communication.
In this article, we’ll explain the role of internal communication in facilitating employee engagement and provide insights into the relevant communication tools and strategies.
Internal communication and employee engagement are closely related terms that go hand in hand.
Internal communication refers to how employees of an organization interact and the different media employed by an organization in disseminating and exchanging information.
On the other hand, employee engagement is a creative communication strategy employed by an organization to create an inclusive, collaborative work environment. It’s a measure of employees’ commitment and ties to an organization.
Internal communication enhances employee engagement in the following ways:
Effective internal communication helps to instill a sense of belonging and togetherness, creating a healthy work relationship that fosters a positive work experience. It also helps to clarify the goals and objectives of an organization, ensuring that employees understand the organization's goals and how their work contributes to them.
Employees with vital company information can contribute their insights, opinions, and concerns to decision-making processes. And, enabling employee participation strengthens their connection to the organization, helping them stay updated.
Open communication entails ethically disseminating information promptly and guaranteeing no employee is out of the loop. According to the recent Edelman Trust Barometer, 31% of employees surveyed do not trust their employers. Thankfully, communication is pivotal to building trust and transparency in the workplace.
Clear and timely communication is especially essential when there are changes in an organization’s leadership, structure, or standards of practice. Effective communication during these transition periods lessens uncertainty and apprehension by keeping employees informed.
This helps to sustain employee engagement and trust. It also maintains a favorable work environment since employees who trust their colleagues and managers exchange information freely.
It is more efficient to work together when people understand each other, and what’s a better way to build understanding than through allowing clear communication of opinions and perspectives?
An open and honest communication culture ensures smooth information flow between different teams, promoting teamwork and collaboration. This helps employees work together, share resources, and achieve their full collaborative potential.
A collaborative work environment fosters a sense of collective achievement within an organization's workforce. When employees feel like they are part of a team and working towards a shared goal, they are more motivated to succeed.
According to a recent report, 94% of employees will remain in a company if it offers learning and development opportunities. Also, 41% of employees consider career advancement opportunities as a key determinant of their job satisfaction.
So, communication about the different training and development programs available in an organization encourages employees to invest in their career growth. It also assures employees of their importance, motivating them to be more engaged. Also, it promotes continuous improvement.
Internal communication best practices entail that communication is bi-directional and not the traditional top-down approach. This way, everyone is involved, and feedback is quicker.
Regular and constructive feedback helps to assess employees' performance, identify skill gaps, and estimate the impact of their contributions on workplace productivity. Additionally, requesting employee input on key administrative policies demonstrates that an organization is accountable and values employee opinions. Two-way communication helps to keep employees engaged and fully immersed in an organization's workflow.
According to a report by Wellable, 89% of HR managers noted that providing ongoing feedback was instrumental in increasing employee engagement. So, employee recognition significantly boosts employee confidence, whether given publicly or privately.
However, informing the rest of the team about the substantial efforts put in by top-performing employees enhances employee engagement. Not only does it acknowledge their endeavors, but it also encourages the rest of the team to put in more effort.
A study by Grammarly and Harris found that poor workplace communications cost organizations approximately $1.2 trillion annually. So, the most effective employee engagement strategies are those centered around maximizing internal communication.
Internal communication is an effective means of improving employee enthusiasm and boosting company-wide productivity.
Essential communication techniques that can promote employee engagement include:
One way to maximize communication is to make it more personalized, enabling you to form deeper ties with employees.
Showing genuine interest in your employees' lives and remembering details in subsequent conversations tells them how much you care. Also, one-on-one meetings provide an avenue for team managers to offer adequate attention to the individual concerns of employees. It enables managers to actively listen and give appropriate feedback while gaining valuable insights.
Town hall meetings, commonly known as employee forums, are formal employee gatherings where crucial company issues such as workplace policies, business strategies, and goals are discussed.
Driving employee engagement using town hall meetings requires frequency and ensuring participation. Employees can convey their reservations, clarify their worries, and engage in productive dialogues in these forums.
Similar to one-on-one meetings, town hall meetings are also effective in increasing engagement among employees working remotely.
Constructive feedback is essential for improving employee performance.
It is important to create dedicated channels for employees to provide feedback and suggestions to ensure that employee performance reviews are not the only source of feedback but are a 2-way street. These channels can take various forms, such as discussion forums, online feedback forms, communities of practice, and brainstorming sessions. They help to gather valuable insights from employees.
Occasionally, when feedback is negative, there is the risk of employees seeing a personal attack. So, the response to feedback must be professional and empathetic.
Establishing well-defined objectives for employees provides them with purpose and guidance. It gives them a clear picture of how their tasks contribute to realizing company goals.
Likewise, whenever there are any changes to duties, you should communicate these changes to the employees concerned, including details about the reasons for these modifications.
Not providing adequate explanations for these responsibility transitions can affect employee morale, primarily if it occurs frequently. Frequent check-ins enable you to do this seamlessly.
To sustain a positive work atmosphere, it's good practice to set expectations on how employees interact with one another in the workplace. Doing so results in a responsible and accountable workforce.
Internal communication tools facilitate real-time information exchange, regardless of the location. Communication tools like web conferencing, video calls, voice chats, and online meeting platforms improve workplace connections by making information flow seamless. This reduces the possibility of employees becoming detached from work.
It's good practice to select a communication platform that works for all. Also, it is essential to ensure that the mode of communication is suitable for the intended purpose. For example, terminating an employee via email is inappropriate - in person or via a video call is better. This approach allows employees to process the news and seek necessary clarifications adequately.
In a recent survey by project. co, 74% of companies have begun prioritizing internal communication by using innovative employee engagement tools, which
include:
The good old emails and newsletters are still very effective in fostering employee engagement. According to Contactmonkey, email is the most typical platform for internal communications. It’s the primary communication channel for all organization sizes, both small-scale and large-scale businesses.
Newsletters are also an excellent means of engaging employees. They help inform employees of upcoming company events, policy changes, existing welfare packages, available skills acquisition opportunities, etc.
A video conference platform such as Google Meet or Zoom enables teams to conduct virtual meetings. They provide means by which employees can effectively work together offsite using collaborative features of screen sharing, whiteboard displays, and automated notices.
Video conference software is also instrumental to the learning drive of an organization as it can host live webinars.
Team collaboration platforms such as Slack support real-time messaging among employees. These employee engagement platforms enable quick information exchange in teams through instant messaging, web conferencing, and file sharing.
Organizations can also use them to set up virtual communities of practice, driving employee engagement even further.
Projects can be demanding, and an excellent way to lessen the burden is to make team communication smooth through task management tools.
These tools, such as Asana and Trello, allow teams to delegate tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress. Most project management tools also enable team members to share progress updates and any challenges they face. They not only keep employees engaged but also make them accountable.
Intranets are secure internal communication tools designed to serve the unique communication needs of an organization. They are best suited to instill a sense of community in a company.
An intranet platform like Assembly provides organizations with a centralized communication hub for instant information exchange, even when working remotely. It has the following features:
It is an ideal employee engagement software for creating an involved and collaborative workforce. Try it Today.
While we’ve established that an effective internal communication system is a great way to improve employee engagement, there are other things you can also do to enhance that culture.
You can improve employee engagement through the following means:
A work environment where employees can freely communicate their opinions and concerns to team managers is worth striving for.
Communication serves as the adhesive that holds the workplace together. Think of it as the secret sauce that adds flavor to a bland routine of work. The vital role of internal communication in improving employee engagement cannot be overstated. From building trust and transparency to promoting collaboration to providing constructive feedback.
Implementing proper communication strategies not only leads to sustained employee engagement but also an increased workplace performance, especially when using an employee engagement platform.
Assembly is an ideal employee engagement platform for prioritizing workplace communication. It's an invaluable tool for empowering, motivating, and retaining an organization’s workforce. Book a free demo today!
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Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.
There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.
Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.
The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.
We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.
At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.
The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.
We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.
Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!
While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.
Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.
Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.
That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.
They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.
No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.
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