Communication is one of the most vital aspects of running a business. This shouldn’t be new news to any business owner or manager. However, establishing two-way communication can pose a real challenge. Some employees are reluctant to voice their opinions simply because they are uncomfortable, or perhaps, they feel like their opinions won’t be heard, or they may even worry about being penalised. If this is something that affects your business, it likely speaks to the company culture, which is easily remedied. Read on to find out more.
Assess Your Current Company Culture
You will need to start by assessing your company culture as it stands currently. In order to understand how your company culture needs to change, you need to think about what you can do to provide the best working environment for your staff. Again, your staff might not feel particularly forthcoming, so an anonymous survey or poll might be a great way to find out their honest feedback. Vevox is the number 1 rated live polling service online, and it is incredibly easy to use too.
Develop Communication Channels
Obviously, downward communication is already established for most businesses, and therefore this won’t necessarily be something that you need to work on. However, you need to think about whether or not the channels used could go both ways. If not, you will need to start developing more two-way communication channels within your business. They could be formal or informal. It could mean establishing an open-door policy or using informal channels like webchats or a grievance box for those who want to remain anonymous. You need to consider which methods would work best for you.
Encourage & Prioritise Feedback
In order to establish two-way communication for your business, you need to work to show your employees that you encourage and value feedback. This shows that you are willing to listen to what the employees have to say and that, wherever possible, you will take action on their feedback. Demonstrating a willingness to listen to your employees is going to go a long way in establishing the right company culture. Obviously, you are unlikely to be able to action every single piece of feedback that you receive. You will still need to listen and understand the feedback and do your best to use it correctly for the business.
To Sum Up
Employees are obviously incredibly important for any business, and one of the best ways to ensure that your employees feel heard and valued is to work on the culture around communication within your business. Your staff will need to feel that communication is a two-way street. You will need to work on your business’s culture. You will then need to think about the communication channels currently used in your business and what you could do to promote them more. Lastly, remember that feedback is incredibly valuable to try to look for ways to prioritise it.