Employee management is becoming increasingly challenging in the new normal, especially when you consider the fact that remote work has become the norm and that companies are increasingly having to manage a decentralized workforce. Whether your people are working from home, at different stores, or on the go and in the field, you need to be able to communicate with them efficiently and effectively at all times.
What’s more, all your employees need to be able to communicate with each other to facilitate the proper flow of information and help keep every project moving along. Every team member should have access to the right information at the right time, and that means using a variety of tools. It also means having the right communication structure to adhere to. As for the leaders, they need to have a way to engage with their employees on all the right channels.
Let’s put all of this into perspective today and take a look at the best practices you should implement in order to boost internal communication and employee management.
Combine employee engagement with real-time communication
Engaging with your employees when they are working remotely or at different offices or stores is paramount for productivity and success. As the leader, you need to also manage a seamless backend operation and over time come up with better ways to connect and communicate with your employees. To do that, you need to engage with them but also get honest and valuable feedback.
This is something that the time and attendance software can give you within a centralized system, aside from helping you make better work schedules and shifts that accommodate the needs of every employee. To facilitate productivity and employee satisfaction, you can use the end-of-shift feedback function to gather valuable information and make better managerial decisions every day.
Create a better communication structure
No matter how many amazing tools you use to communicate and no matter how many integrations and cool features they support, there’s only so much technology can do for you if you have a poor communication structure. Also known as the communication hierarchy, this structure is imperative for the proper vertical and horizontal flow of information in your company, and it ensures that the right piece of info reaches the right person, at the right time.
As a leader, it will be up to you to draft this hierarchy and put it into effect. You can start by defining the communication lanes and tools used in your company, and how they’re performing on a cross-departmental level. Identify any department silos as well in an attempt to reconnect them with the rest of the organization. Make sure that everyone gets the new communication hierarchy in an easily digestible manual and help them internalize it by offering personalized guidance and support.
You will immediately notice communication bottlenecks starting to disappear, and that vertical and horizontal communication is becoming more consistent and seamless across the board.
Invest in the right communication tools
Once you have a clear communication structure in place, you can start integrating the right communication tools to execute it properly. Aim for a cloud-based communication system that can accommodate all your needs, and consider the special working conditions you might be in – like when you’re leading an international workforce.
This tool should come with a variety of handy features, but it should also allow you to communicate seamlessly and in real-time without breaking the bank. Typically, a good VoIP system is able to connect stationary and mobile teams, but you also need a tool to better manage your workforce as a whole.
Integrate a robust project management tool
Of course, it’s not just about better communication, it’s about enabling and empowering your teams to collaborate more efficiently and effectively. Collaboration and communication go hand in hand, and together they help your employees push towards company goals, and they make your life as the leader much easier. If you want to better manage your workforce, give them a project management tool they can rely on, in order to keep all projects running smoothly and to allow everyone to work together in a centralized online environment. There are many options. Following real-time communication e. g. in Microsoft tools like Teams, you can upgrade the usage of Outlook with complex CRM software.
Inspire collaboration and productivity through company culture
In the end, the thing that might be holding you and your employees back could be poor company culture. Now more than ever before, it’s important to nurture a positive culture in your organization in order to bring people together and inspire trust and honest communication. As the leader, you should strive to uphold and improve the culture in your teams with the right set of values such as equality, trust, diversity, respect, and accountability.
Over to you
Business leaders and managers are facing many challenges in the new normal, and many are struggling to elevate the quality of internal communication and to manage their remote workforce. With these key practices in your strategy, though, you should have no problem taking your communication to the next level, engaging with your employees, and leading your teams to new heights of success.
