The line of communication between your employees and your management team may be the most important aspect of your business. If your staff doesn’t have respect for management, or the other way around, you may find that errors and challenges are more common than successes. How can you create an effective communication system between these two groups of people within your company? Here are some tips to keep in mind.
Keep channels open.
Unhappy employees always cite that they don’t feel as though their concerns have been heard by their management departments. It is critical to let feedback flow both ways in a corporate or small business environment. Keep an open door policy and encourage your staff to provide regular feedback about their experiences in the office and changes they would like to see made.
Minimize miscommunications.
Errors in communication are one of the biggest killers of open discussion. This is most notable online or over email. For this reason, try to facilitate phone or face to face discussion as often as possible to avoid the lack of tone and inflection that can cause even the most innocent email to be perceived in a negative way. If a miscommunication happens, sort it out as quickly as possible before it snowballs into something impossible to fix.
Encourage listening.
Far too many people think that the right way to participate in a conversation is to wait for a good opening to respond. Rather than engaging in a discussion where you keep your next thought in mind, try to facilitate real listening. Learning listening skills can be important skills for any manager. You should also encourage your team to practice their listening skills, especially if they work with the public.
Lead by example.
Lastly, the best way to encourage better communications skills between managers and employees is to practice what you preach. You can lead by example by keeping an open door policy. You can minimize your miscommunications through email as well as in person and over the phone. Apologize when necessary and engage in active listening. All of these things will strengthen your position in management and demonstrate how to have better communications skills.
Interested in improving the communications skills between staff and management?
ProSource Staffing can help today! Contact our team of skilled recruiters today for additional support on ways to better manage your workforce efficiently and effectively.
