Working remotely has become the standard since the epidemic, and for many businesses, this working style is here to stay. Remote roles are becoming more frequent, and flex offices are springing up. Telecommuting introduces new challenges, stressing the significance of good internal communication. Services and technological tools will largely fill gaps left by not working full-time in a physical office by 2021.
Internal communication tools can benefit your company in the following ways when used together:
1. Stay connected: It is vital to keep your employees informed and connected through effective communication and tools. Organize weekly meetings to keep the team on track and focused on the company’s objectives.
2. Encourage your employees to take part: It makes people feel that they’re a part of something bigger than themselves, something to which they’ll give their all. They must, however, first understand the firm’s worth and the fact that the company provides them with a source of motivation that is appropriate with it. They become more efficient and in touch with the overall strategy.
3. Encourage people to interact socially: Every day at work, you have lunch breaks and numerous micro contacts with your coworkers, which may appear insignificant but are quite important for employee well-being. That is why maintaining virtual informal contacts is vital.
4. Show that you are paying attention to your employees. It is vital to understand and recognize your employees’ desires and feelings regarding the company’s actions. Employees are happier and more productive when they believe they are valued and heard.
5. Appreciate the contributions of your employees: Remote workers may not feel like they’re a member of the team, but their peers in the office have more formal and causal connections. It is vital to prioritize employee recognition. Employees feel more engaged, appreciated, and valued when they receive regular appreciation from peers and management.
As per studies, work culture is changing, and both organizations and employees must adapt in order to flourish in the new digital reality. On-site staff become remote overnight, and firms were forced to adapt fast to the challenge of exchanging information with employees.
Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other digital internal communication tools came to the rescue. Let’s have a look at a few internal communication solutions that will benefit your company:
10 Tools for Internal Communication
Some of the tools that companies today require for internal communication include:
1. Employees phones will now have an app
Yes, a mobile app is required these days, especially for companies with front-line staff who may not have access to a corporate email account or computer. A customized mobile app will give employees a sense of belonging, and push notifications will ensure that everyone has access to the information they need. Mobile has effectively replaced intranets as your employees’ major source of information—so make sure you’re there!
2. Internal publication
Employees like to read crucial updates and articles because they do not always have time to read everything that is delivered to them. This is why it is critical to have a highly tailored and targeted email solution with filtering capabilities. Analytics will also help you to track what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to fine-tune your strategy. It is crucial to train employees to expect crucial business news that is personalised to them on a frequent basis.
3. Employee polls
This is most certainly the most effective method for obtaining direct employee feedback and increasing engagement. Your ideal survey instrument should be simple to set up and provide equal access to survey creation to senior management and local managers. A template library can make the process run more smoothly, and it should be anonymous and shareable. It should be GDPR compliant, and even a small amount of interaction (e.g., earning points for engaged) might assist to increase interest.
4. Business chats
A chat component will allow for the kind of casual, one-on-one conversations that used to take place around water coolers, coffee breaks, and across desks. It should give a great user experience, be simple so that users aren’t intimidated by it, and have security and privacy safeguards in place to protect sensitive data.
5. The company’s news feed
A digital newsfeed that allows you to pin important items and categorise audiences by department, office, or region is a must-have tool. A mix of mandatory and subscription material will also improve the relevancy of information provided to each user. The user experience should be clear and simple to use, and the order should not be determined solely by an algorithm.
6. A content aggregation platform
A platform that includes curation tool extensions, RSS feeds, social networking feeds, and user-generated content (UGC).Users and administrators should be able to create, post, vote on, and share materials with a specific audience. Because content is king nowadays, having a central information hub is essential for Internal Communications.
7. Employee recognition, as well as a gamification/rewarding method
This can be any tool or feature that allows you to reward employees for their activities (such as sharing content), engage with other colleagues in a gamified environment, and reward and recognize top achievers. A CSR component, such as charitable contributions, can also add weight to the advantages.
8. Onboarding System for New Employees
Onboarding new employees, introducing them to their coworkers, and giving them with the necessary training can be one of the most challenging tasks to do remotely, so having a solid platform and framework in place is crucial. A connection to an e-learning platform, as well as a collection of training DVDs and seminars to which they can refer as needed, can make a significant difference.
9. Translation into multiple languages is possible
With automatic translation capacity, your IC will become more globally effective, ensuring that message is understood in any office, anywhere. Employees who are not native English speakers will benefit from obtaining updated information in their original language, increasing their sense of belonging inside the firm.
10. The platform for live broadcasting
Because remote working may reduce the importance of face-to-face interactions, a live broadcast option is vital. It offers the potential to close the communication gap created by long-distance communications.
Key Takeaways
- Internal communication has a promising future.
- Invest in the right digital tools.
- Maintain a genuine tone of voice.
- Create a fresh digital strategy.
- Prove your worth to decision-makers.
- As culture is important, give your employees a voice.
Conclusion
We conclude from the content that internal communication leads to more engaged employees and, as a result, better workplaces. Internal communication that has been successful is strategic, easy to access, and user-friendly. A multi-tool approach will work best for most businesses. The key to its success, ultimately, is making communication a natural part of the daily process. After all, you can employ as many internal communication strategies as you like. Even if a tool is rarely utilized, information will not reach its intended audience.
Internal communication, on the other hand, should not be considered as a one-way path. Communication channels should be available in both ways, with a focus on possibilities for connection with top management. Get in touch with Us to learn more!
