How Did You Navigate the Cultural Stressors For 2022?
2022 was the year of teams working beyond capacity as the demands of your clients increased, and the talent pool shrank. Add to that the growing complexity of the virtual workforce, and this year was likely the most challenging for your company culture. It’s time to get back to focusing on your core tenets of cultural success to create a reengaged house of talent that buys into their role in your bigger picture.
Figuring out how to merge culture with growing your bottom line requires greater attention on how and what you communicate. The investment pays off as engaged employees have been proven to have a direct impact on customer engagement and brand loyalty.
Let’s review how communications can build your business by powering up your culture of communications to keep your employees informed, motivated and focused on what’s important.
Where Do You Start?
Start with the power of a unified message amplified by organizational authenticity. Taking the time to review if your message is truly connecting will be essential to knowing what’s next in your communication strategy. If your company is not monitoring employee engagement through internal Net Promoter Score (NPS) or some form of information gathering based on the size of your company, it should be at the top of your to-do list for next year’s planning.
Creating a regular communications cadence combined with establishing feedback loops will help you pinpoint areas of opportunity and importance.
Crafting Effective Messages
Cultural messages that are inclusive of mission, vision, core values and even focused campaigns should be crafted through the lens of your employee’s mindset AND the company’s goals and objectives.
Many executive teams forget to create emotional relevancy in their messaging, often creating a tone and persona that sounds just like everyone else. Often referred to as executive speak or manufactured messaging, employees have been known to reject team cultures that sound out of touch to their needs and daily roles.
Consider how language affects message acceptance. A few quick tips will help:
- Keep it simple (and short)
- Give a gut feeling
- Make it memorable
Be sure to focus on how your message is received through every interaction.
Teams who take into account the fact that 85% of communication is visual are able to break through the clutter by delivering messages that are relevant and visually stimulating.
Consider using unique visuals to represent your important points of culture. This may include created imagery, bold use of key messages, showcasing team and company activities and providing team mantras that come to have an engrained meaning as a rallying cry.
Do You Have the Right Message?
Don’t Wait, Start Early
In an era where your employees are demanding greater flexibility and centralized workplaces are fading because of corporate acquisitions and organizational realignments, it’s getting harder to unite everyone and maintain a consistent brand message.
Utilizing strong internal communications, early and often, is important to get everyone on the same page.
Early buy-in and planned promotion of ambassadorship within all departments ensures that each group is working toward the same goal in unison.
Start with your new hires having a formal brand introduction that shares the complete brand experience. Take the time to create an emotional point of relevancy that creates a strong bond. These memorable moments stick with employees while becoming important reference points for how they view, describe and share the brand. This may include intimate introductions, tours, history lessons and review of brand values and expectations.
Communications Cadence
Implementing monthly, quarterly or annual experiences for employees to have a little fun but also engage in conversations about what’s working and what needs to be adjusted can also help improve employee engagement.
Consider sharing information that reduces team anxiety, reinforces a sense of purpose and direction and provides an opportunity to engage with leadership.
Depending on the size of your company, these events could look very different and should be scaled to fit the desired experience of your organization.
Cleaning up and Expanding the House
By improving your internal communications process, your company or organization should have happier employees that are more willing and able to adapt to change. They are also more likely to recommend the company to others, allowing you to retain and expand your team, which in turn builds positive momentum to support your growth.
Do your employees understand how they fit into the bigger picture? Are you struggling to engage and motivate in a sustainable manner?
Contact us today to learn how you can improve your internal communications strategy to foster a strong workplace culture and get better results.
