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Internal Communications Within Your Business

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StrategyDriven Business Communications Article |Internal Communications|Internal Communications Within Your BusinessHow your team communicates could be the difference between a project going smoothly, and some serious miscommunication that blows the budget. There isn’t a single communications style that is applicable to all industries.

For example, those who work within an office will be able to communicate via video calls, instant messaging, and emails. For those who work in construction, or in fieldwork a two-way radio can often be a better option. For more information about that communication type, read here for more.

Internal communication for your business can always be improved and modified to make sense for your company and team. Here are some of the ways that you can improve your business comms within the team.

Be the example

All of the management and team leaders should be in a position to show what great communication looks like. Since we aren’t all blessed with natural communication skills, it might be best to have training.

Work with certified communications experts to improve the skills of your leadership team. You can do it with formal training, having assessments, open feedback sessions, and more.

The better of an example that your leadership and management sets, the more likely it is that your other staff will follow suit.

Online

Face to face meetings, although they can be useful, take up a lot of time. 2020 has leaned heavily on online video calls and meetings. Taking communications online saves time and money. Although there is a balance to find within the online world, it is usually faster to communicate this way.

As leadership, it is important that you research and understand what video call fatigue is, and how you can best support your team.

Value

If there is no value for the people attending the meeting, then ask yourself do they need to be there? Requiring attendance at multiple meetings should serve a purpose for all involved. Make meetings impactful, so they always have a reason.

If there is a value for the project updates or they play a vital role it will be of value to them.

Attending meetings for the sake of it takes up time, resources, and costs money.

Open goals

There will be team specific goals and company-wide goals. Making these public will mean that everyone will always be held accountable for themselves, and within their team too. We know that setting goals are the best way to achieve progress, making the goals transparent to your team will encourage them to achieve more

Tools

When your team is working remotely, you need to make sure they have the tools to communicate well. It might include some of the following tools:

  • Slack
  • Zoom/Teams
  • Asana/Monday/Trello
  • Company email account access
  • VPN or otherwise managed security to keep communications secure
  • Hardware like a laptop, mobile phone, and other items to be able to do their job

Internal communication is one of the keys to ensuring that your projects, services, and products meet the high standards you set for your company. The right communication system can save money and increase productivity – but it starts with management.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Employees

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article|Get the Best out of Your Employees|How To Get The Most Out Of Your EmployeesYour employees are an important asset to the company, and in order for your business to continue thriving, you want to utilize your employees to the maximum. However, there are certain things you need to do in order to make this happen. So here are some tips to get the most out of your employees.

Keep Them Happy

Your staff happiness levels should always be bursting at the seams, and that is the secret to keeping your work productivity levels high. If you’re not trying your utmost to make your employees happy, then you’re going to see a dip in your company’s success. See each and every employee as a valued member of staff, whether they’re maintaining the building in the operations department or striking deals for the company with new clients. Their worth is how hard they work at their job, and if you’re not valuing this for everyone, then you’re going to have some unhappy staff members. And the last thing that you want that will be taking up your precious time is recruitment. So aim to keep your staff turnover low by doing your best to keep everyone happy in their work environment and when it comes down to their role too.

Good Communication Is Key

Having good communication is important within the workplace, and so it’s good to ensure you’re talking to your staff and checking they’re ok. Not only that but you need to check that communication between departments is effective and if it isn’t, then you need to work out why. It could be a case of people being on the wrong page, and then you’ve got two or three people doing the same tasks and not realizing until it’s too late. A good task management platform might be needed or regular meetings between departments to catch up on where they’re at in their day to day runnings. The more communication that is happening between departments and colleagues, the better everyone will be in their efficiency to get work done.

Give Them Regular Training

Regular training is not only beneficial for you as a company, but it also gives your staff some variety during their time within your company. Yes, any employee would enjoy a day off from the usual grind of work in order to learn about things that would benefit their job and career. So try to consider some job training courses and other workshops that your staff and your company can benefit from. Ask your staff for recommendations on what they’d like to explore and do within the work company’s budget. You may have some great suggestions that you hadn’t really given much thought to.

Create A Conflict-Free Atmosphere

A peaceful and happy atmosphere is one that should be something you strive for when it comes to the workplace. Granted, sometimes work tensions can run high, but it’s important how you manage these that will make the difference. Colleagues may not always get on, but it’s worth putting in incentives to help them get along in a professional capacity. You could do this by getting them to collaborate together more and to do work events where your staff can socialize outside of the work confines. When there’s conflict in the workplace, it’s important to quash this as soon as possible. Don’t ignore it and let it continue to affect the two or three involved. That’s only going to spread and make it a more uncomfortable environment for everyone. Pull them aside and sort out the issues at hand, make the changes needed where necessary and find a resolution that works for everyone.

Offer Flexibility And Company Perks

And finally, when you’re a good boss, it’s because you’re putting the welfare and happiness of your staff first and above all else. When your company is doing well, it’s only nice to spread that wealth around to other staff members. Offer as many company perks as you can and look to improve and increase them when possible. You might also want to be able to offer a bit more flexibility if possible, to those who have families or would like the option to work from home on certain days in the week or over the course of the month and year.

When you start focusing on your employees, you will certainly find a distinct improvement in their work productivity and the attitude they have towards their jobs. Use these tips to make these changes where possible and to try to get the most out of your staff.

Ways to Boost Employee Morale

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Employee Morale|Ways to Boost Employee MoraleIn a world where we are constantly working hard and striving to be the best versions of ourselves, it’s integral to keep the atmosphere of a workplace in its most positive state and morale at its highest level possible. A lot of employers struggle with this, especially as there is no one solution to please everyone. All employees are different and respond to different things so while it’s ideal to try and tailor morale boosters to each specific employee, this becomes near impossible when the number of employees in one workplace reaches double, triple, or even quadruple figures. Small businesses may find this easier as there are usually a smaller amount of employees to look after; but even then, choosing the right method to boost morale can be tricky.

Naturally, employees who are happy are more likely to perform better. This will only benefit the business so surely it’s a given to make an effort to keep employees happy, right? In order to do this, below are a few ways to help boost morale in the workplace and hopefully keep the large majority of your employees happy.

Praise

It’s a proven fact that children who are personally praised by an authoritative figure for doing well, perform better in school, in extracurricular activities or at home. So, why should this be any different for adults? Receiving praise for doing well is always a good feeling and makes one feel like they’re excelling. A more personalised method of praise like an in person interaction, works wonders and is easier for small business and large businesses. It only takes a few words, a smile and a gentle pat on the back on a regular basis to boost morale.

Team Building Activities

Whether it’s a team building retreat or an activity one day that involves getting all employees together and encouraging space for a friendly competitive spirit to come out can prove to be both fun and beneficial for your employees’ ability to work together. The fun side of it is also likely to boost morale and improve chances of employees genuinely enjoying their jobs.

Bonuses

Not all businesses are able to give every employee a bonus at the end of the year, but it is a great incentive to perform well on the job. It can also make employees feel like they are appreciated, which is incredibly important.

Showing Gratitude

Being thankful for someone’s hard work and actually showing genuine gratitude for it is so simple but works wonders for an employee’s motivation and morale in the workplace. Whether it’s being grateful for the extra work they agreed to do or for not making a fuss about having to do some employee drug testing, showing gratitude for your employees can go a long way.

How to Ensure You Have Happy and Productive Employees

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As a manager of a team, your primary responsibility is to make sure the people working for you are doing the best work they can be and are inspired to come to work every day to do so. If you’re doing your job well, your team will, in turn, do theirs well and will be more productive, efficient, and overall happier with their jobs. Happy employees mean less turnover, which can save the company money in the long-term — it’s a win-win for everyone.

The challenge is to balance managing and leading a team while still being able to find time to get your own daily task list completed. Maybe you were thrust into a management position without prior experience or much knowledge, or had to lead a team before and are still looking for new ways to be efficient, but regardless, there are some easy ways to ensure your employees are happy at work without spending too much of your time.

Be authentic

Nobody wants to be around someone they can tell is acting fake, nor would they trust that person and turn to them with work-related issues or to help solve a problem. Don’t come to work with a “work persona” or with a face on, but rather be yourself and be genuine – people can certainly tell the difference.

Lead the team how you’re comfortable doing so, not based on how others lead or by trying to copy a leadership style that doesn’t work for you. Find your groove instead of trying to mimic someone else’s, and your employees will value that, as well as feel they can be themselves at work too.

Appreciate good work

When someone feels as though they put in a good effort and don’t get recognized for it, they can quickly feel undervalued and start looking elsewhere for work. Colleagues are often caught up in their own workload that they don’t take the time to offer recognition to each other, so step up and be the one who appreciates and congratulates an employee on doing well at their job. It will ensure motivation levels are high, and also set the bar and encourage other employees to do the same, which fosters a positive and empowering environment for everyone. Even a simple “good job” can make a big difference.

Have a good break area

Taking a break from work helps relax your mind, detach from the stresses of the day or problem at hand, and then come back at it with a refreshed brain, ready to tackle it again. It can also help people take a look at a problem from a new angle they wouldn’t have thought of if they had sat there racking their brain for hours on end.

Having a space to encourage breaks, like a family-style kitchen eating area with a big table and chairs, or a “fun room” with activities like a foosball table, books, board or card games, or a fully stocked mini-fridge. Also, having water coolers around the office encourages employees to get up every once in a while to stretch their legs and grab a drink, and maybe socialize for a bit with a colleague.

If you have the boss’s ear, advocate for a good and fun employee break area. Or, you are the one who runs the show at work, maybe it’s time to rearrange some furniture or even get to remodeling the office space. It may seem like a big upfront cost, but happy employees are more productive, efficient, and you’ll have less turnover to account for.

Ensure Your Team Works Well Together

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Working as a Team|Ensure Your Team Works Well TogetherIf you are leading any kind of business, you need to be fully aware of the ways in which teams work, and make sure that those you are looking after are working together as best as they can. There are a lot of issues that might get in the way of a team working harmoniously, and it’s something that you are going to need to be aware of if you want your business to succeed in general. As long as the team is working as a unit, the work will be done much more effectively, and your business will benefit greatly from that. Let’s take a look at some of the things you might want to do to ensure that your teams are all working as well as they could be.

Lead Them Strongly

A good team requires a strong leader, so this is the first thing to make sure of if you are looking for your teams to work as well as possible together. If you feel that you have what it takes to be a strong leader, then you just need to work on the specific skills that will make you one. That will mean that you need to develop a general sense of confidence and magnetism, so that people will tend to follow you and appreciate what you say. You also have to have the required knowledge for the kind of work that you are expecting your team to carry out, so you can actually help them to do so with a great deal of understanding. A good leader is not afraid to get down and dirty in the work, but also knows how and when to delegate. It’s also vital that you can approach a basic reward and punishment scheme so that your employees know what you expect of them. As long as you can lead your teams strongly, you will know that you are probably getting the most out of them.

Share The Work

Nobody should feel as though they are carrying the weight of the team on their own shoulders. If anyone does feel this way, it certainly means that something has gone wrong somewhere, and as such you will need to find a way to make it fairer again. You need to make sure that you are sharing the work out amongst the people in the team as fairly as possible, paying special attention to anyone who might have particular skills and so on along the way. By sharing the work in this way, everyone will feel that they are treated equally, and you will be able to ensure that your team is working as well as it should. But how can you make sure that you are actually getting this right?

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Working as a Team|Ensure Your Team Works Well TogetherTo begin with, you should look into finding a way to plan shifts out easily and fairly. If you are struggling to plan out shifts, then it can easily mean that you are going to struggle to keep it fair, as it is hard to keep track of what is going on. That’s why something like Deputy’s shift planning app can be a great boost to a team, because it means that you can easily allocate shifts in a way which is fair and open to all, and that you can even allow team members to simply switch shifts amongst themselves if they need to. Not only does that make life easier for them in general, but it ensures that the work is being shared.

It’s not just about shifts, of course. You also need to make sure that the actual workload is being shared equally. The only way to really make sure of that is to find some way to quantify the work, and then you can just look at the basic arithmetic of it. Then if anyone has a complaint, you can go through it together mathematically and see what is going on with the workload. This is important for people to feel that they are being treated fairly.

Be Personable

Teams always work together much better if they are actually friends with each other, or at least can be civil in a basic way that you would expect in an adult workplace. For this reason, it’s good for you to set the example by always be sociable and personable with the people in your teams. That will set the trend, and hopefully people will get to know each other and then be able to work together much better for it. You might even help this process along by trying to organize a few social events with your work colleagues. That can make a huge difference to how well the teams work together.