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7 Simple Tips That Will Improve Your Workplace Communication

Published on December 11, 2020March 22, 2021

Successful businesses are a direct result of good collaboration inside the company. It applies to both small family businesses and mega-corporations. If there are any communicational issues present at the workplace, your business is likely to be stagnant for a while.

Of course, identifying the problem is only the beginning. You’ll need to work hard to find adequate ways to improve workplace communication at your company.

As this can be a difficult task, in this article, we’ve decided to help you out by sharing some simple improvement tips!

So, without further ado, let’s get to the bottom of it!

1. Talk to your employees

There’s nobody better to help you resolve issues at your company than your average employee. They’re the ones who experience the faults of the communication system every single day. They’ve certainly noticed these issues way before anyone else did, so it’s only natural to seek their assistance when trying to resolve these problems.

So, make sure to talk to them and try brainstorming some solutions together. They’ll be happy to oblige, as their jobs will become easier once the issue is fixed, and you’ll get the increase in productivity, so it’s a win-win situation.

2. Team-building exercises

Sometimes, the issue isn’t in the system itself, but it rather lies in the collaborative capabilities of your team. Not everyone is a born team-player, but anyone can become one if pushed in the right direction. That’s why many companies practice holding a variety of team-building exercises, helping their employees in learning how to collaborate better. Knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses is what’s crucial for better teamwork and higher productivity levels.

So, think of some fun and practical exercises that could help your employees work as a team. It may seem like a waste of time in the beginning, but you’ll soon notice the results.

3. Give feedback and clear information

As the company’s leader, you’re the person who sets the most important goals and objectives. So, you’ll have to convey these strategies to everyone at your company. There’s nothing more frustrating than being confused about what you’re supposed to do on your job. This is why you have to be as clear as possible when giving out tasks. Everyone should understand what their tasks for the day are.

Other than that, make sure you provide your employees with a lot of feedback. Make sure to share these observations in a constructive way, and never berate the employees for their mistakes. If they’re too afraid to ask for your advice, they won’t be able to perform well. You shouldn’t micromanage, but you have to be involved in the daily operations of your business.

So, break those communication barriers, and make your office a place where your employees feel free to share their thoughts and ideas.

4. Go digital

Investing in digital tools might be the best way to deal with communication issues in the workplace. For example, instead of holding meetings non-stop and keeping long e-mail correspondences just to get a task done, you should invest in digital signage software such as Indigo Workplace.

With this type of software, you’ll be able to make small and big announcements to all of your employees without having to hold a single meeting! Also, you’ll be able to provide your employees with constant training and educational materials.

The best part of it is that you’ll be able to do it all remotely and in no time whatsoever!

Alternatively, you can also get a VoIP system in your business for cloud-based communication. Let’s say your business is based in Vancouver. Find a local provider around Vancouver like B1 Communications to install a VoIP system into your workplace. With VoIP, you can reach out to clients and coworkers from far away countries. Pretty convenient for companies that have plenty of remote employees.

Of course, other than just digital signage, you can use many other types of software to your advantage: employee management apps, communicational platforms, and task management software!

5. Improve the HR department

Your HR department is there to resolve conflict and keep everyone comfortable in the workspace. If your employees aren’t able to trust your HR, you’ll certainly have a lot of communication problems.

Make sure to check on your HR from time to time, and keep them updated on the company policies. If you fail to do this, your employees will probably feel unsatisfied at their job. Employee morale is one of the most crucial things when it comes to company productivity. So, ensure your HR is a place where they’ll be comfortable sharing their issues and resolving internal conflicts. Your HR representatives have to be trustworthy, patient, and well-trained on the relevant corporate policies.

6. Reach out to your shy employees

Some people are simply too shy to share their ideas during company meetings. You can’t improve your company’s communication if you don’t include everyone, so keep an eye on those introverted employees.

You should engage them in a 1-1 conversation when they feel comfortable. Every single employee is a valuable asset to your company, so remember to approach everyone differently.

Your ultimate goal should be to create a comfortable, engaging work environment where everyone is able to showcase their talents and communicate their needs and goals. Once everyone’s on the same page, your entire company will begin to flourish.

7. Attend conferences together

If only the CEO and the upper management attend important business conferences, you’ll be missing an opportunity to improve your workplace communication! The more your employees know, the more they’ll be able to utilize for their daily tasks. In addition, attending conferences as a team can be a great way to open up communication and get to know each other. Learning more about the industry you’re all in creates space for new ideas and business development.

The bottom line

Internal communication is a crucial factor in running a successful business. Improving communication in the workplace is a lasting process: it can’t be done overnight, and there’s always room for progress.

Still, implementing digital solutions and creating a comfortable working environment for everyone is a good place to start. Your goal is to make everyone work as a team, so make sure to listen to their suggestions and ideas. A strong HR department and frequent team-building exercises can be your best assets in achieving productive business surroundings.

Team Building for Corporate Workspaces to Reduce Stress

Published on May 10, 2019

Business

Stress in the workplace keeps rising.

Yep, you read that right.

Even after so many years of de-formalizing the workplace and hiring design gurus to create workspaces that are brighter and less severe.

A survey conducted by the Korn Ferry Institute in November 2018 revealed that 2/3rds of respondents said that stress at the workplace is higher than it was 5 years ago. A poll conducted by CareerCast saw almost 4 in 5 respondents select a ‘stress score’ of 7 or higher when asked about their job.

And stress at work has real consequences.

For one, stress kills creativity. Literally, if Dr. Wendy Suzuki, NYU Neuroscientist, professor, and author of Healthy Brain Happy Life, is to be believed. Forbes reported, and according to Dr. Suzuki, stress slowly destroys an area of the brain called the hippocampus which has recently been linked with creativity.

Two, stress can lead to all kinds of unfortunate consequences – a generally unhappy life, broken marriages and relationships, health problems…and in at least one case even death (the 2013 death of Moritz Erhardt, an intern at Merril Lynch was partly due to stress at work).

Now that you know workplace stress is rising which may have serious consequences, what can you do about it?

Many workplaces try out the ‘open workplace’ concept, which refers to a workplace without too many cubicles or private offices. Some supplement that with bright colors, origami, innovative meeting rooms (such as a disused VW bus) and so on.

Now, this might seem to be the perfect solution…except there’s strong evidence it isn’t.

There are a number of experts who opine that an open workplace may actually be making the workplace toxic. Secondly, all an open workplace, bright colors and all the rest of that does is promote genteel conversation and harmony, at best. While that may be great for barbecue parties, it’s not what’s suitable for a business. As it turns out, just like stress can kill creativity, too much harmony can also kill creativity. I didn’t make that up. That’s what the Harvard Business Review said.

The best way to combat toxic stress while maintaining creativity would be by throwing people into situations where there is wholesome, non-toxic stress to innovate and conflict is natural but teamwork is essential.

Team building exercises at escape rooms fit the bill rather neatly. In case you don’t know, an escape room is a game that involves the players getting locked in a room and they have to find their way out by playing games which require innovative thinking and a range of skills.

First of all, since the escape games are a simulation of a dramatic situation (stave off an epidemic, defuse a time bomb and so on), they clearly offer an enjoyable experience and generate what may be called eustress, a form of stress that’s beneficial for people. This can easily promote creativity to resolve the dramatic situation and accomplish the escape mission…as opposed to workplace stress that destroys creativity. Secondly, many escape rooms design their games carefully to hone qualities like respect for the rules, mutual respect among players and critical insight into issues.

These are qualities that are greatly beneficial for workplaces.

And, once again, it’s not just me who thinks this way. According to foxinabox.us, a whole host of businesses choose to hire escape rooms to organize team building programs and office day outs.

So, what do you think? Do escape rooms provide the solution to workplace stress? Can they kill toxic stress while imbibing qualities that keep workers productive?
Be sure to let us know!