By Sue Stott, Director, Branding & PR
As companies have had to shift to full remote work during COVID-19, leaders are facing increasing challenges communicating with employees. Without the ease of quick, in-person check ins around the office, it is hard to stay connected. Although there is no way to replace in-person communicating, there are tools and approaches leaders can take to effectively communicate with their employees while working from home.
1. Messages from Leadership
It is vital that leaders stay in touch with employees especially during uncertain times. Messages directly from leadership will help employees feel “in the know” and avoid misinformation being spread among employees. It also shows that their leaders care about them. These messages can range from important business information to supportive check ins. As long as employees are hearing from their leaders, they’ll feel more connected and supported during these times.
2. Consistent Communications
Erratic messaging from companies will not be effective in reaching their employees. Depending on what is happening at your company and the degree that employees are impacted, you can send daily (if actually necessary) or weekly messages with important or even just a positive message from leadership. Having company leaders consistently push messaging to employees will keep people engaged while remote.
3. Transparency
While the news surrounding COVID-19 changes daily, it is important to be transparent with your employees on what is happening at the company. Even if you do not have concrete answers, address the uncertainty and concerns your employees are having. Keeping employees in the dark will only increase anxiety and the misinformation spread among them.
4. Communication Tools
There are many tools for keeping employees in communication while remote. If your company isn’t already using a chat tool, now is the time to start. These tools (Slack, Skype, Gchat, Teams, etc.) will help replace quick office check ins and allow employees to get fast answers to questions without wasting time setting up a call. Video calls/meetings (Zoom, Google Video, Skype, etc.) are another good way to keep people connected. These tools will help keep employees engaged in the company and reinforce coworker relationships while everyone’s apart.
5. Internal Newsletter
Implementing (or improving) an employee newsletter is an informative and fun way to keep employees engaged. Employee newsletters can help inform employees on company news and updates as well as highlight fun areas of the company from employee spotlights, team happy hours, philanthropy, and more.
While your employees may be remote for a while, it doesn’t mean you can’t keep them engaged. Implementing an effective communications plan for employees will help boost morale and keep your company in touch.
To learn how Verasolve can help your company with its internal communications strategy, contact Katie Jordan at katie@verasolve.com.
