Communication is part of our everyday life. When we go to the shops, talk to friends, even posting on social media. We all do it!
Communicating your message to someone requires a lot of thought about how to deliver that message effectively. Equally, it requires the same amount to listen and comprehend what someone is telling you. The same applies for communication in the workplace.
By not communicating properly in the workplace this can cause employees to become unmotivated, create animosity, frustration and even affect performance.
To ensure you are communicating effectively here are a few tips:
Provide Feedback: No employee wants to sit in a job and not know how they are progressing. We all want to be recognised and rewarded for the work we have done or even tips on how they can improve our performance. This can be done a number of ways including the traditional appraisal once a year, weekly meetings, or it can even be in a quick email to say “well done on that sales presentation.” Either way you need to make sure your employees understand how well they are doing at their job.
Trust your employees: Employers need to trust their employees when giving them a project or task. Hovering over them is not time efficient, practical and even motivating. When giving employees tasks and projects to complete, give them the task and let them get on with the job. To make it easier give the employee a timeframe so they know how long they have to complete it and provide them with clear instructions so they complete the task to your expectations. If you feel you need to be updated on the project either have a weekly meeting or send them an email asking for an update. Trusting them with the task gives the employee control over the job and creates a sense of belonging and purpose.
There is no place for emotions: We all try to act in a professional manner however sometimes emotion can take over and discussions in the workplace can turn into personal attacks. If the employee is frustrating you take a deep breath and then respond without the emotion in it. Always try to make a negative comment a positive one. For example instead of saying “that’s a terrible presentation,” you can say “Thanks for the presentation however here are a few tips on how you could improve it.” With this approach the employee does not feel like you are attacking them or their work, and shows that you appreciate what they have done but this is how they can improve.
Work should be fun: Let’s face it, sitting at your desk all day can be a little boring or even seem a bit monotonous. You can make the workplace as fun as you want it and it doesn’t have to be anything too big or elaborate. It can be as simple as giving your employees 15 minutes in the afternoon to chat and grab a coffee, listen to music or go for a walk. By giving your employees the break it can make the workplace a more fun and interesting place. This will also make your employees more productive when they do need to get down and work hard.
Lack of communication can have a negative effect on the workplace. If you remember the tips above and apply this to your workplace there is no reason why it should not be a happy, energetic and productive environment.
