Matt reflects on his piece, “What will you do differently? Communicating in 2021,” and how working from home has redefined what the workplace means and how internal communications is more important than ever to engage your employees.
Here we are in 2022. A third calendar year into an “unprecedented” time in which we all crave normalcy. We’re seeing the shift nationally with the workforce embracing remote and hybrid options and locally with in-migration to New Hampshire and urban office spaces transforming into apartments.
The fact is that employees are more productive when they feel connected to one another and the mission of your organization, but it can be hard to recreate an in-person environment over video, e-mail, Slack or project management software. An internal communications strategy is a critical factor that must be built into how businesses effectively communicate and connect with their employees (and customers/clients) in a remote versus face-to-face environment.
Here are a few suggestions for getting internal communications right when working from home:
- Keep informed. Employees shouldn’t hear important news of your organization from social media or the grapevine, which is why you need technology, systems and strategies in place so that they don’t feel out in the dark.
- Stay in touch. Ensure that all employees are getting regular personal check-in calls from their supervisors; for employees who are newer to the workplace, consider a mentor program.
- Build-in breaks. Don’t overschedule meetings — do 20 minutes instead of 30 or 45 minutes instead of an hour to build in breaks and a little downtime. In general, we’re Zoomed out, and back-to-back meetings are not sustainable or healthy.
Read Matt Cookson’s full article, “Getting Communications Right,” as featured in New Hampshire Business Review.
