For the 13+ million Australians currently in lockdown, 9-5, Monday to Friday, can feel like Groundhog Day. Meetings, messages and communications all start to sound and look the same. 

Maintaining momentum is tough, which is why it’s important to invest in your internal communications to keep staff engaged and help your messages make their mark. 

According to research from leading advisory company (and IMPACT’s client), Gartner, more than 60 per cent of employees want their organisation to understand them on a deeper level.  

Organisations need to cultivate a personal approach to internal communications to forge better connections. Those that do will reap the rewards of higher employee satisfaction, increased employee productivity and enhanced company connection. 

Here are five ways you can enhance your communications when connecting with your team: 

Listen 

Effective listening is critical. Organisations that can lead with empathy, truly listen and digest the learnings from two-way conversations will be able to enhance employee satisfaction and understand what’s truly important on an individual level.

 Mix it up! 

Maintaining consistent communication is crucial, but it’s important to keep the lines of communication fresh and engaging. Go beyond static written content by using images, videos and podcasts to share your messages. You can also boost engagement by providing employees with a variety of perspectives and experiences from within your organisation through profiles and Q&As. 

Set and acknowledge milestones 

Having a shared vision or path ahead can help both employers and employees. It enables the leaders of the organisation to set strategic goals while energising the team for the journey ahead. 

In uncertain times, set shorter goals or milestones and celebrate when they are achieved. This will help employees feel a sense of success and momentum without overwhelming them with long lead times. 

Explain 

Well-informed employees make for more productive workers. Invest the time to make sure they understand the purpose of new projects and help them to see how they are contributing to the success of your organisation. 

Remember the why 

When updating your internal communications strategy, it’s important to have a why – why are you doing this? What is its purpose? This should underpin the messages you want to share internally amongst your team, deliver the right information to the right people and ensure employees don’t suffer from an overload of information.  

If your organisation is unsure of the path ahead and needs guidance on your internal communications strategy, get in touch with the IMPACT team here.