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TUNING UP TO PULL IN FULL POWER

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Internal communication

Most experts are in agreement that employees have to understand and embrace the company´s values to be able to work well. Marie Wojciková compares employees to musicians who – having the right sheet of music and being able to play in tune – can play awesome pieces of music. Robert S. Kaplan asserts when the company launches a new strategy they should also make it clear to their employees and make sure they have grasped the same. He uses team sports for illustration: „Rowing is one of the sports it could be compared to. For the rowers, to be effective, have to pull all at once. They are supposed to work with the same frequency, concentrating on one single direction. Otherwise the respective crew members´ efforts are inevitably bound to cross,“ he said to Zdeněk Strnad of the Strategie journal.

Invariably, someone on the staff is aware of the company´s problems

Employees must know what they are supposed to do and what they are going to get in return. Also, they should know what is going on in the company, what changes the management is going to introduce and why. An informed employee tends to be more loyal and more reliable, as they do not fear for their job, and the whole environment within the company is much more pleasant. If a problem occurs, it must not be concealed. For instance, the accountant, at least, knows for sure the company´s profits are in decline and measures will have to be taken to enable the company to survive the troubled period. Will there be lay-offs? This very question is put by the accountant first to themselves, then to their closest workmates. The grapevine works in every company, so what begins as a mere presumption may easily result in concern over jobs in the entire company.

How do you rate?

There are special analyses designed to establish how your company rates regarding the internal communication and the corporate environment. You will ask your employees to fill in anonymous questionnaires from which you will subsequently learn whether they are happy with the management, for instance, whether they feel to be sufficiently renowned for their work, or how they perceive atmosphere in the workplace. The analyses should be carried out by a specialist, i.e. a specialist should design a collection of questions for a particular questionnaire and evaluate the answers. The point is not only to figure out how many people have given a positive answer to a question, but to understand what really is going on in the company.

The Internet and intranet

E-mails and articles posted on intranet represent another effective instrument for internal communication. Here, you have to check people do not get collective e-mails on a daily basis. The need for information should not be overdone. It is likely nobody will be reading your frequent e-mails. All e-mails you send out should first be checked for correctness by the internal communication workers. They are supposed to advise the authors of the e-mails on writing them so that they have information value and everybody can understand them. Intranet is a very good information tool, as long as each department is capable of filling it with their own information and the company´s internal communication workers just supervise intelligibility of messages, uniformity of communication and structure. Unless all the above requirements are met, intranet may become a troublesome burden for the department of communication. In order to make the best use of intranet, it is imperative that most employees have access to a PC.

House journal

Nowadays, most big companies have their house journals. They are published both in the electronic and the printed versions. Their content as well as graphic design should be in tune with the company´s communication strategy. Some companies introduce columns which bring tips for outings, recipes or things of interest on the regional cultural scene. Other companies hold the view their house journals should be focused solely on the company´s internal affairs. No matter what strategy they may chose, most house journals bring information on what is the news in the company, personnel changes, new products, and partnerships established with other corporations.

Face to face

Meeting colleagues in person ranks too among the elementary tools of the internal communication. The company´s top management should regularly meet with their employees on all levels. If the top management only meets with people of the middle management, it may well happen that the information will not get to the lowest rungs of the company´s hierarchy ladder, or it will get there twisted or doctored due to the information buzz. This is why it is of the essence that the general manager meets all the employees and, once or twice a year, makes a speech to explain what is going on in the company. In doing so, he or she will send out a signal the employees are of importance to them. There is no need for an official meeting held in a ceremonious atmosphere. Also, an informal breakfast with coffee and donuts can be arranged, with the general manager mingling with the employees and discussing with individuals.

The article was compiled by specialists and consultants from the PR1 agency

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