5 Ways to Improve Communication At Work

By Rafael Magana

An interactive workplace is almost always more productive. Employees who feel heard and feel a sense of belonging are happier and more effective.

Some of the largest companies in the world have a fantastic work culture - Google, Facebook, Microsoft...These companies go to great lengths to ensure that employees are able to communicate with each other more effectively. 

With that in mind, let us take a look at some things you can do to make your workplace environment more conducive to effective communication between employees.

Emphasize the value of good relationships. 

Recently a human resource company published a study where they analyzed employees from more than 500 different companies. A majority of the employees they talked to were of the opinion that a friendly work environment and healthy relationships with their colleagues were a significant factor in determining how effective they were at their jobs.

You should create an environment which fosters understanding and honest communication. Invest in training resources to teach your employees to be more respectful and accommodating. Teach them how to deal with conflicts that will inevitably arise during everyday situations.

Encourage employees to speak up.

Too many times, employees won't say something they should because they are trying to be diplomatic or selfish. When upper management won't praise staff because they don't want them to get complacent and employees won't praise their peers because they fear it will damage their own potential for promotion make sure you speak up. 

Take steps to ensure that you and your employees speak to each other immediately if they want to raise an issue or congratulate someone for good work.

Set up the proper channels for employees in your organization to communicate with each other.  

If you have a large organization, it may not be possible for some employees to speak to each other in person. In such a case, take lead in what these large companies have done which is set up some instant messengers or an internal company website where employees can communicate and encourage each other to connect and communicate with each other. 

I was asked to help a large organization's frontline staff who was experiencing a culture of feeling overworked and undervalued. I implemented a notepad "Thank You" positive feedback system where all employees and management where encouraged to use. After a few short weeks the level of communication and culture began to transform. Employees and management thanked each other for the little things. For example looking up a file or returning promptly an e-mail response to an urgent question. 

In another organization we encouraged employees to share informational power point presentations. The topics could range from travel, languages, yoga, meditation and other how-to's. They were meant to be creative Friday's for one hour a week, each member rotated giving everyone an opportunity to share and learn from each other. 

Introduce more collaborative projects.

Introduce various team-building activities and group projects which require employees from different departments to communicate and understand each other. Creating a highly team-based environment is great for building leaders and gives employees the ability to showcase their unique skills to each other.

Are your 360 performance reviews coming up? then invite 2 staff members from another department to work with Human Resources in the interview and data gathering process. How about employees and managers across the hallway that wouldn't be so obvious working together? When possible allow employees to work together from different departments. 

Working in teams and short term specified projects allow staff to work with each other and to understand the other departments within your organization. Working as a specialist serves it purpose but being completely isolated from all the inner workings can spell disaster. 

Introduce a sense of fun into the office culture.

Employees who experience a lot of stress aren't going to perform as well as they should. To avoid this problem, set up several places around the office where employees can unwind and have fun. Even something as simple as bean-bags and a community board for events coming up outside of work goes a long way towards employee satisfaction. Employees who interact with each other in a non-work related environment will often form friendships which have a positive impact on their performance. 

Your goal as an employee, manager, and leader should be to create a workplace which fosters effective communication and productivity. Make sure you reward honesty and are quick to appreciate someone who performs well. Employees should build each other up, not claw at each other to rise through the corporate ladder.

A recent seminar I attended with the Disney Institute and McKinsey on Customer-Centricity at the Frontline discussed the importance of demonstrating genuine care. Happy employees means happy leaders, however it isn't about being completely excellent, it's about focusing on: Are we getting better or are we getting worse with our communication at work? 

Is there a payoff for your efforts? You bet. One thing Disney knows is that the extent to which you GENUINELY care for the people in your organization is the extent to which they will care for your customers– and each other.

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Copyright May 20 2015 by Rafael Magaña. Contact for copyright license usage. 

About the Author: Rafael Magaña is a leading developer of nonprofits with a specialty in fundraising, instructor, writer, & strategic advisor. Providing consultation services and support for cause awareness initiatives, capital campaigns, foundation research & proposal writing, alumni affairs, annual giving, special gift clubs, social media branding, strategy and communications. Rafael is a donor-centered philanthropy advocate who has worked with international, national and community based nonprofits across the nation. A Bilingual professional who resides in Los Angeles, California.

Follow Rafael on LinkedIn and on Twitter: @RafaOnLinkedIn

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