When Digital Employee Communications is No Longer a “Nice-to-Have”

If a tree falls in a forest and nobody’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If a company-wide email gets delivered and nobody reads it, did you even press “send?”

People groan when describing how communications falls on deaf ears at their organization. There’s enthusiasm for fixing it but ultimately, competing priorities relegates this to a “nice-to-have” wish list.

But the truth is, clear communications on the right channels isn’t a “nice-to-have” – it’s a “must-have.”

Employees are more productive when they feel informed and engaged with their organization’s values. The research supporting this connection is undeniable, yet many organizations are struggling to prioritize the overhaul of their communications channels.

Now the question is, how can you take your organization from A to B? How can you get management and executives to pay attention to the painful challenges you are experiencing as an employee?

The path to an engaged workforce will be unique for every organization, but here at PostBeyond, we have identified three universal indicators that your organization is ready for an employee communications overhaul:

1. Your employees are experiencing FOMO

There are now over five generations in your workforce, which makes matching their preferences for communication a challenge. You might have employees on-site seeing bulletin boards and you might have employees who work remotely – and everyone in between. How do you make sure that they all receive the same message and feel included?

Negative feelings that employees manifest when they feel like they are being kept in the dark can impact productivity, culture, alignment. This is a completely avoidable issue, and the solution starts with making it easier to access information. Why not use a system that makes it easier to engage employees through a variety of digital channels. Employees will gravitate towards the one they prefer.

To learn more about how you can use technology to improve workplace communications, check out our guide “How to Overcome Employee Communications Challenges at the Enterprise.

2. The customer is at the center of your organization

Great customer experiences start with your employees. Why not reinforce these values? Offering a digital channel to keep employees united around your promise to customers is an easy way for them to speak about your organization’s values.

Think of digital communications channel as empowering your frontline with the right information. Without this, there’s a risk of employees misunderstanding and filling in the gap with misinformation. Help employees live and breathe them with awesome content.

3. Pockets of your employees are already following and sharing content from corporate social channels

If you’re noticing that your employees are sharing company content on social media, why not make this easier for them? Give them a more streamlined way to access and share this content with their networks. This not only encourages socially active employees to share content but encourages those employees who aren’t as familiar with social media to get on board.

The value here is amplified brand awareness. Your company content will travel farther and have the added bonus of coming from a trusted voice.

 


If you can relate to any of these, it could be time to shift gears.

Most companies put customer experience first, but unfortunately, that typically means employee experience takes a back seat. The threat of not offering a carefully thought out communications experience for your employees results in disengagement, and can cost your organization serious money.

So if you think your employee communications strategy could be improved, but maybe it just isn’t the right time, I encourage you to take a close look at what’s already happening inside your company. You might be surprised at how ready you are!

Has your organization made digital employee communications a priority? Why or why not?

Send me your thoughts on Twitter or LinkedIn!

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