Internal communication in a company: what is it and who creates it?
Effective communication within a company is the key to employee satisfaction and the smooth operation of the organization. Informing about regular fruit deliveries to the office is a great example. It is worth developing a clear message that explains to employees how often and where fruits will be available and how they can benefit from them. This can be done, for example, by sending an email with a delivery schedule and snack usage rules, as well as posting informational posters in areas where fruits will be delivered. Such actions will not only make it easier for employees to take advantage of the new benefit but also show that the company cares about their well-being and health.
Everyone in the company is responsible for internal communication to varying degrees. It is through this communication that employees at all levels are informed about plans and current events. Additionally, other departments like marketing or PR (public relations) are also involved in creating it.
Goals of internal communication
With a clearly defined strategy, employees are better informed about the company's goals, which translates into their engagement and productivity. Choosing the right communication tools allows for building a coherent message and organizational culture. Effective internal communication requires an appropriate strategy, which can be defined based on previously set goals:
- reducing the turnover rate by increasing job satisfaction;
- strengthening employee engagement;
- speeding up the decision-making process;
- reducing unnecessary meetings;
- optimizing customer service processes;
Remember, a well-informed team can effectively collaborate and achieve set goals much faster.
Benefits of efficient internal communication
We often focus on external communication, forgetting its internal aspect. So why should we focus on it? Below is a list of key benefits resulting from efficiently conducted internal communication in a company:
Increased employee engagement
Better understanding of the company's strategy through effective internal communication increases employee engagement in achieving set goals. Additionally, thanks to feedback and appreciation, employees can collaborate more effectively and contribute to the company's growth.
Better management
Open and effective communication at work provides an opportunity for quick problem-solving and challenges, knowledge exchange, and ideas, which can help build strong professional relationships. The consequence of these actions can be smoother goal achievement and greater precision in meeting deadlines.
Implementation of new technologies
Technological solutions and communication tools can provide information about new products and services or industry changes. This helps employees develop their skills and adapt to the latest trends.
Readiness and openness to change
When employees feel heard, they are more willing to openly express their opinions on a given topic, which can lead to better understanding and examining employees' opinions and needs, allowing for more informed decisions and the implementation of necessary changes.
Reduction of conflicts
Effective information exchange between employees, and even departments within the company, helps avoid unnecessary conflicts and potential misunderstandings, facilitating the organization of action plans.
Increased market significance
Companies that offer efficient information exchange within their structure are perceived much better by potential clients. Additionally, proper information management and transparency can retain talented and experienced employees.
Ways to improve internal communication in a company
internal communication in a company
how to improve it?
Do you want your company's communication to be at a high level? Or maybe you care about increasing employee engagement and a good work atmosphere? Optimize communication and use our list of tips:
- implement an electronic communication system;
- invest in training and courses;
- measure ongoing actions;
- introduce an internal communication audit;
- ask and talk;
1. Internal communication tools and techniques
Modern technological solutions can significantly improve internal communication, allowing for quick knowledge sharing and collaboration regardless of distance. Good practices include various project management platforms, standard email, or communicators.
Organizing communication in the company is much faster and simpler with tools for information transmission. Considering individual needs and the company's specificity, they use various channels:
- intranet;
- emails;
- company chat (often using popular internet communicators);
- bulletin boards (also in electronic form);
- team meetings;
- informal management visits;
- notifications on monitor screens and screensavers;
- content on popular social media;
- dedicated applications and communicators;
The variety of tools offers a choice and the possibility to test each of them to select the best one for the company.
2. Training and courses
Investing in employees' interpersonal skills development can build a strong organizational culture. Interpersonal communication training can significantly impact the team's efficiency by teaching assertive communication techniques, active listening, or conflict resolution. Thanks to training, employees can quickly build awareness of the goals and importance of internal communication.
Additionally, you can take advantage of public events in the form of interviews or lectures, which are alternatives to traditional methods. Moreover, such events are often open and free for all interested parties, and detailed information can be easily found on internet forums and social media.
3. How to measure the effectiveness and quality of internal communication?
Both setting and tracking appropriate performance indicators can significantly improve the quality of information and employee engagement - the process cannot be left to chance. Among the methods and tools allowing for accurate company performance assessment, we distinguish:
- employee feedback and surveys - the easiest way to get direct opinions or comments about the company's functioning. Questions can concern both information transmission and the availability and level of employee engagement in the communication process;
- data analysis - analyzing reports on sent emails, the number of meetings or interactions, and response times to important messages provides data allowing for measuring communication activity in the organization. Additionally, we can check if the tool we chose fulfills its task well;
- communication content analysis - analyzing content allows measuring and revealing the degree of understanding and acceptance of transmitted information;
- comparisons with industry companies - it is worth comparing the results of your organization with competitors and having a reference to the current market situation, which will allow identifying areas requiring improvement or transformation;
It is worth noting that communication effectiveness is dynamic, and the situation can change over time. It is important to regularly monitor its status and adjust to the current situation to ensure its continuous improvement in your company.
4. Communication audit
Conducting an audit can reveal the biggest internal communication barriers. For it to be reliable, it should be entrusted to external experts - they may notice issues and areas, as well as possible causes of problems, that even long-term employees were unaware of. Its length depends on the company size and the number of communication channels, so it is worth keeping in mind that it affects the specialists' time as well as your colleagues'. Many companies opt for an audit every few years or annually to ensure that their current strategy is effective and the company continues to grow and build lasting relationships with clients.
5. Dialogue
Good internal communication responds to the challenges and needs of individual employee groups. A commonly practiced solution is regular meetings, enabling dialogue and exchange of opinions, as well as providing feedback related to the company's situation or completed work. Additionally, dialogue encourages idea exchange and creative thinking, and strengthens employee engagement in company life by being part of decision-making processes.
Popularity or quality?
Regardless of the chosen form and tool, we must remember that the most important thing is to ensure the regularity and appropriate content of information transmission, which is why more and more companies decide on external applications, such as Skype, WhatsApp, or Messenger. However, using them may raise concerns about meeting appropriate security conditions, especially regarding data storage. Additionally, it is difficult to separate business communication from private communication, especially when employees use the application for both purposes. Moreover, they do not offer additional features or connections to other applications.
The solution to these problems can be the Proplanum application. It allows for maintaining communication within one system, ensuring detailed control of permissions and accesses. Moreover, separating private and business conversations will enable better organization and archiving of conversations, and creating groups and channels (e.g., according to competencies, positions, or projects) will improve staff and team management. Thanks to the integrated platform, we maintain communication, task management, work schedule, and time registration in one application, allowing for the possibility of resigning from several tools in favor of using one.
Is it worth improving internal communication in the company?
A thoughtful and refined internal communication system translates into business results and market position, which is why we should pay special attention to it. Taking care of the company's internal situation affects the external image, and also supports the company's development. Loyal and long-term employees help increase the organization's potential and build an advantage over the competition.
Effective internal communication in the company enables smooth information flow and supports employees' understanding of the organization's strategy and mission. Thanks to this, each team member can feel like an important and significant part of the company and actively contribute to its development. Investing in employees' communication skills development is an investment not for the moment but for the future - your team can increase its flexibility through faster adaptation and response to changes, and also gain an opportunity to develop and create new, innovative solutions.
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