24 Effective Communication Initiatives to Improve Engagement
It’s easy to identify effective communication as one of the things to look into when planning to improve engagement in the workplace or organization. But while this is the simplest way to increase engagement – aside from reward schemes, new programs, and meetings – it is also one of the most overlooked aspects on the list.
So, here we identify effective communication initiatives that you can implement so as to improve engagement and thereby work more effectively on the services that your company or organization is working into.
1. Make sure that you are on the same page.
While the concept of employee engagement might be clear to you – and those working on programs for the development of employees in the company – the truth is, you can’t expect everyone to have the same level of understanding. Therefore, it is essential to have a clear definition of what employee engagement is and why it is essential in the organization.
2. Evaluate employee engagement through engagement surveys.
Before implementing new engagement initiatives, it’s highly recommended to find out how things are currently going. At what level is the organization right now in terms of employee engagement? Knowing where you stand to better guide you in reaching the organization’s desired goal. You can implement an initial survey to do this – and do this on an ongoing basis to track progress.
3. Reevaluate company values.
It is also best to revisit your company values and make them more understandable to your employees. When they know what are values that the company is striving towards, it’s easier for them to gauge and be engaged.
4. Encourage employees to create their own values too.
Aside from informing employees of the values that the company is striving towards, allowing people to set their own values that resonate with the company will provide them a sense of direction and belonging. This will make people feel that they are also valued and included in the major decisions done by the company.
5. Align goals with values.
Now that you have set your values, the next thing to do is to identify your KPI (Key Performance Indicators). Simply put, these will set the standards of how well the company and employees are performing. Setting goals that align with the company’s values makes it more realistic and relevant for the employees to strive and work into.
6. Establish company culture.
Given that you have set already goals for the company, the next thing you need to look into is how the culture of the company is structured and if it matches the values and goals of the company.
7. Be an exemplar of what you want to achieve.
Employees feel more engaged when they are proud of what they do and if they see that the people managing the company know what they are doing. As the old adage goes: lead by example.
8. Be transparent.
Sharing insider information to the people in the company during regular meetings and Q&A sessions makes employees feel more engaged on how they can be of better help to the company. Knowing the status and problems faced by the group will not only encourage them to work for the better of the company, this will also prompt them to help come up with better ideas as to how to work things out.
9. Know what the employees are passionate about.
To get the engagement that you’d like to achieve, you have to know more about your people. Spend more time with them. Get to know them. This does not only make them feel more valued, but will also give you an idea of what kind of motivation you can provide them and the roles that they can actually do in the company.
10. Celebrate small wins.
Don’t be stingy with praises. Establish a culture of praising for a job well done among colleagues, whether small or big they may be. Constantly let people know that they are doing well. This does not only affirm the work done by the employee, this also makes them feel that the work they have done is valued by the company.
11. Start an internal newsletter.
Another way to effectively communicate with employees is by regularly giving out newsletters. This can include financial updates, employees of the month, and probably some shoutouts or featured employees that will inspire people to be more engaged with the programs of the company.
12. Utilize company reviews.
Sure, it can get a little intimidating to read through reviews done by employees – but this does not mean that these should be ignored. We all know that not everyone is great with speaking out with what’s on their mind – so a different kind of assessment may be done (see how you can better make use of Officer Survey here).
13. Host sessions that would encourage ideas to flow.
Every now and then, it would be great to host open meetings and programs that would unleash creative ideas among employees. Doing this will encourage people to discuss overarching subjects – that may possibly lead to a number of new ideas that may help the company or organization do better.
14. Allow employees to access resources for learning, referencing, and wellbeing.
Communicating to employees that there are several resources in the company that is available for learning, referencing, and wellbeing can help employees get to know more about the company and how they can be of better help.
15. Create programs that will engage new hires and seasoned employees.
Encourage engagement between new and old employees by providing programs that would help them continuously contribute to the development of the company. Help newly hires to have a positive onboarding experience to keep them stay engaged for the years to come. Also, look into the seasoned members of the company and make sure that they don’t stop engaging and contributing to the development of the company.
16. Clear off paths for promotion.
To avoid resentments and misunderstanding among employees and management, it is best to explain well the path to promotion so that employees may see where they are headed and what are the steps that they can take to achieve their goals for and in the company.
17. Provide personal feedbacks regularly.
Aside from annual performance reviews, you can also consider giving personal feedback to employees by sending out handwritten notes, doing phone calls, and communicating with them on a regular basis.
18. Give opportunities for anonymous feedback.
Allow people to vent their thoughts – not elsewhere – but directly to whom should the message be relayed. This does not only lessen conflict but also make the company take immediate actions to issues that may grow into serious matters. Allow employees to provide anonymous feedback through comment boxes, anonymous emails, or applications that would keep their identities unknown.
19. Take action.
In most cases, people will stop providing their insights if they don’t see any actions done towards the comments that they provided. Make sure that you acknowledge the feedback and show that you are doing something to answer the concern reported.
20. Keep an eye on ‘uncelebrated’ efforts.
With so many people working towards the betterment of the company, sometimes, some efforts are left unseen. During events, those that are recognized are usually the ‘big’ contributions done by some people in the company. But this does not mean that the others are working less. That’s why it’s important to celebrate as well the achievements of those people whose works are often left ‘unseen’ by many.
21. Encourage employees to take risks within reason.
Taking risks is not only limited to business ventures. This goes as well to employees in the company. Don’t hessite to encourage employees to actively take risks within reasons. Inspire them to be more willing to work harder; and that even if things may go wrong, you will always be there to continually support them.
22. Make organization decisions clear to employees.
When big decisions or changes are done in the organization, make sure to make employees understand why these things should happen – and don’t just limit on explaining what will change or happen. Explaining the reasons will make them understand the changes that they have to go through and keep them engaged despite the adjustments.
23. Discuss your employee’s schedules.
Employees become less engaged when they get too overwhelmed with the tasks that need to be done. So, before you hand in new tasks to work on, help employees rearrange their schedules and how they can better work on them with eases. Constantly piling of tasks will not only hinder their growth, but this will also make them too exhausted to be more engaged with the company.
24.Know that long-term active engagement is a continuous process.
All effective communication initiatives won’t work overnight. It would take time to establish it and you have to be consistent and patient as you go through the whole process. It is important to keep track of how things progress – that’s why it’s important to have surveys and feedback from time to time.
