Mushrooms or magic?
Let's face it, employees are the company's greatest asset, yet how often do they find themselves working in the dark? No information at critical times, poor feedback and no real map of the corporate direction. Employees and managers respond emotionally, intellectually and have their own agendas, too - a fact much overlooked in the business of internal communications. Typically they are faced with silence during bouts of business upheaval, are unheard when they have constructive criticism, downsized during cutbacks and unrecognised on a day-to-day basis.
Now these may just be employee perceptions, but in the business of communication - that's reality. The truth is that people in all their diversity have a dazzling range of skills, ideas, creativity and disciplines that go unseen and so unharnessed by the corporation. They are left at the door when an employee arrives for work.
It can be different. Improving internal communication channels, thinking differently about how knowledge is shared and aligning people's best efforts with corporate direction can significantly boost employee satisfaction and motivation. Introducing effective listening, without having to wait for the annual survey, helps to identify problems before they escalate and reduces the impact of the grapevine. Good communication values the company's greatest assets. |
