Every organization comes with its own organization style. Some organizations are quite formal, some quite informal, even casual. The tone or style of employee communications is a reflection of organizational style, and the effectiveness of communications is a reflection of overall organizational effectiveness.

Employee communications are not an end in themselves; they are a means of achieving and improving organization results. They may, in fact, be thought of as another “management tool” to aid employees in achieving job and organizational goals.

When used as a management tool to help improve employee effectiveness, employee communication programs have these characteristics:

– Communication efforts are carried out in a decentralized fashion at specific sites and or in organizational units.

– Oral and written media are used on an ad hoc basis-are quick and dirty rather than formal-and are standardized as little as possible.

– Corporate media are aimed more at the supervisory audience than at all employees.

– Corporate media are used as a backdrop to employee communications, which are carried out through the supervisor-employee relationship.

– Supervisors are trained in oral communication techniques and in conducting effective group meetings.

– Strong emphasis is placed on employee communication channels to management.

– Emphasis is on informing rather than persuading. The above characteristics might be translated into the following situations:

– A corporate communications group does not publish any news for the general employee audience. Rather, a periodic news service forwards material, suggestions, and ideas to communicators in various units or at various sites. The local communicators manage their own media, be they bulletin board postings, employee newsletters, or small group meetings and discussions.

1 Certain items in a supervisory newsletter are marked for transmittal to employees.

2 Special communication channels or mechanisms allow employees to bypass the regular reporting system with questions, complaints, or comments, e.g., tear-off coupons in employee news sheets which can direct a question, complaint, or comment to a central management point or in-house telephone call-in numbers, for a central communications point where an employee can record his question or comment. Items of broad interest are reported and or answered in written media or in group meetings. The employee submitting the item can remain anonymous or he can identify himself, in which case he receives a response or acknowledgment.

An organization intending to use the management tool concept must be committed to an open style of management. Supervisors and employees will be involved in a lot of conversation about the job on the job, and controversy will be unavoidable. But even controversy can be fruitful in an open environment based on mutual trust. Candor is the key, even when it causes the supervisor and management some discomfort. An open management style is workable only if there is the will to follow through and to take action which is appropriate.

If supervisors are expected to carry the major burden of employee communications, their jobs must be structured to allow time for the task and specific goals in the area of employee communications must be included among their job objectives. Moreover management must fully support the supervisors in their tasks. Going to employees to explain a layoff, to announce a tightening of work rules or to discuss a major change in work procedure is not easy. However if the organization is committed to informing its employees fully on those things which affect their jobs, whatever the news-good, bad, or merely news-the discussion of a specific situation is generally less traumatic to both the supervisor and the employee.

It is important to note a distinction between nuts and bolts employee communication and attitudinal employee communication. The former is clearly the province of the immediate supervisor. The latter, while still a responsibility of the supervisor, is an area in which the supervisor needs and should have help from above.

Informing all employees of organization goals, progress toward those goals and the reasons behind successes and failures is the proper role of management. Management should, first, inform supervision of its goals, etc., and, second. Build a communication backdrop – by use of decentralized oral and / or written media-against which an employee’s immediate supervisor can present a specific communication.

A general announcement by management in advance of a major event helps the supervisor do his job. Oral and written statements which put out advance signals give both the employee and supervisor a chance to adjust to possible or pending events. By letting this general “backdrop” communication do its job first, the supervisor can get a head start on handling ensuing developments and potential problems.

The following are some examples of good backdrop communications:

– Routinely reporting a unit general business conditions makes good sense. An upswing requiring overtime or work hours change should be forecast as early as possible. It is even more critical to report a downswing requiring a drop in overtime or a potential layoff. Employees can sense a business swing as well as anyone-inventories, orders pressure on deliveries, etc…. Communicating the facts as facts early, keeps the supervisor from having to respond with and I do not know, or from having to be evasive.

– Promulgating a rule making safety glasses mandatory is the kind of thing which can test any supervisor-employee relationship. If the supervisor begins enforcing the rule without prior notice, something just short of a revolution may occur. Explanation by management, perhaps months in advance is in order. This is the communication backdrop in which factual reasons can be given the safety value to employees highlighted and the schedule of forthcoming events announced. Supervision can be asked to solicit employee questions and to hold small discussion groups – after being prepared with information and anticipated questions. By the day the requirement goes into effect employees should have talked out their concerns to the point that the event itself may be anticlimactic.

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Category: Business Management
Keywords: Business,investing,company,organizing,organization,administrator,manager,leader,Motivation,Attitude