Sadly, too many leaders only communicate with employees when they have something to announce, like that new senior VP they just hired. How much do most employees know about their company, their co-workers, and the industry they work in? Do you think it matters? How do you motivate your employees – with information and empowerment or with control and fear? Do you have a well-designed program for communicating with your employees? Do you believe that you should?

A systematic program for communicating with your employees is essential. You are all on the same team, supposedly working toward the same goal.

For any employee communication program to be complete, it needs to address all of these questions. The five key objectives of an effective employee communication program are to:

1. Enlighten employees about important new developments at your company
2. Encourage employees by celebrate and reward their successes and accomplishments
3. Create a community of employees by sharing best practices, ideas, and experiences
4. Teach employees on topics that will make them more effective in their jobs
5. Listen to and learn from employees so that their ideas make a difference

Let’s explore each one of these “channels” in more detail.

First: enlighten employees about important new developments at your company and strategy. Informed employees will be empowered to make decisions and actions to conform. This channel includes information, news, updates about your strategy, business goals and objectives, company mission and values, major project or task force updates, regular business status and operations updates, organizations changes, and – yes – announcements about executive changes.

How often? The newsy aspect of this channel means the sooner the better. It is not a great idea for your employees to learn outside what is going on inside their own company.

What form should this take? How urgent is the news and what will be the extent of the impact on employees? Send out simple news updates using email. Dramatic changes in strategy or organization will affect everyone’s job. Those will need to have as much face-to-face communication as possible. There a variety of options including: town hall meetings, brown bag lunches, groups meetings in a park, employee newsletters, or video or web-broadcasts. The key is to make a direct personal connection with your employees to help them understand the change. Hearing directly from you will go a long way to enabling them to make it succeed.

Second: encourage employees by celebrating and rewarding their successes and accomplishments. Recognize individuals or teams by personally cheering and applauding them for their work in a very public way. This one act will add more fuel to one of the most powerful motivating tools at your disposal than almost anything you else.

Make a direct connection with the employee to let them know that you appreciate their contribution. Their work is important to you, and their efforts viewed by everybody in the company as an example to aspire. Make your recognition very specific and personal to the individual and their efforts. Overall company successes and achievements should also be recognized publicly.

How often? A lot - whenever you have an opportunity to address large groups of employees in open forums such as monthly broadcasts or town hall meetings and newsletters.

Third: create a community of employees by sharing best practices, ideas, and experiences. When team members turn to each other for ideas and share best practices they will develop trust, improve problem solving, and increase their commitment and dedication to the success of your business as a whole.

Support employees in sharing with each other but also promote the idea of doing so in group sessions. Have a department or work group share some new discovery or process with the rest of the organization. Encourage them to share information about themselves and their personal interests or hobbies outside of work. They will find they have more in common than just their jobs, and that will strengthen the ties between them.

How often? Regular and frequent communications mechanisms like town hall meetings, newsletters, and intranet web sites that can include electronic bulletin boards and internal web blogs.

Fourth: teach employees on topics that will make them more effective in their jobs. Keep your employees abreast of the latest developments in your industry, new government regulations, new technology developments, competitive developments, and economic developments. They will be empowered to do better work and provide better service to your customers. Well-informed employees can make better informed decisions with the confidence that they are making the right decision. They’ll be more productive and more motivated as well.

How often? Non-stop. Use online web seminars, white papers, and both computerized self-paced training and classroom style sessions where appropriate.

Fifth: but not least, listen to and learn from employees so that their ideas can make a difference. When employee suggestions make a direct positive contribution to the business, they engage in their work and in the interests of making your company more productive. This works regardless of who’s idea is acted on.

How often? Frequently, and at every chance you get.

What form should this take? Establish reward a system for employees who bring ideas forward that are implemented and result in significant benefits to your business. Reward people for submitting ideas by handing out a gift certificate randomly. Encourage contests between departments. Use suggestion boxes, web based surveys, brown bag lunches, focus group meetings, and one-on-one face to face meetings – just listen to them.

Keep some simple guiding principles in mind as you create and implement your employee communications plan:

1. Include direct and immediate feedback and measurement into all communication – listening is as important as talking when you’re trying to build a team.
2. Connect and interact with employees so they are playing a part in the communication. Include their accomplishments, news, best practices, and in their own words.
3. Be candid and open and timely with all company news.
4. Play. Lighten up with humor and games. Employees will trust you more, bring forward more creative ideas, work together better, work harder and keep your customers happier. They will serve as the lifeblood of your business. After all, isn’t that what they really are?

Patrick Smyth is a leadership navigator and advisor to leaders of high growth and emerging businesses. He creates compelling visions and comprehensive strategic plans, and coaches on effective leadership and management practices. He is a recognized speaker, trainer, coach, and international business strategist and author of the book Elephant Walk: Balancing Business Performance and Brand Strategy for the Long Haul.
http://www.innovationhabitude.com