Good internal communication should not be taken for granted – it requires effort on both sides. Investing in a good company culture can have wondrous short- and long-term effects for business. A solid company culture relies on internal communication – and vice versa.
When many professionals start out as a manager, they quickly learn just how important internal communication and collaboration really are. After all, according to CMSWire, almost 100% of employees believe that communication influences all tasks on a daily basis.
However, getting teams to collaborate effectively can be a little trickier than it seems. People from all different backgrounds and experiences don’t automatically work together seamlessly, and it takes some finessing to make teams effective.
Instead of reading more books on communication skills or attempting to squeeze in awkward icebreakers at the beginning of every meeting, consider focusing more on your company culture instead. Here are a few reasons why focusing on culture will naturally create amazing and collaborative communication amongst your employees.
Related: Smarp Expands Past Employee Advocacy to Bring Internal Communications On the Go
Focusing on Good Company Culture Radically Improves Your Business
Outside of looking more enticing to potential employees, a good company culture has tons of benefits for your business, employees’ productivity, and overall profits.
Company culture usually first encompasses benefits and perks, like paid leave or a nap room. It expands to include the overall mission statement and goals of a company, which shapes not only how they treat their customers, but also their employees.
A good company culture also means that employees feel supported and know they have a good Employee Advocacy culture to boost the working atmosphere.
Effects of the Bottom Line
A good company culture affects the bottom line. According to Entrepreneur, companies with happy employees outperform their competitors by about 20% and have a positive correlation with shareholder returns.
What’s more, because happy employees are excited to be at work, they are less likely to call in sick: in fact, Gallup reports that happy teams have 25% lower healthcare costs. Happy employees are also more likely to be engaged in their work and will stay at the company longer. They usually also have better relationships with their colleagues, which leads to better overall communication.
Engaged Employees Are More Open about Communication
If an employee feels satisfied with where they work and is engaged in interesting work that keeps them motivated, they are open to getting to know their colleagues better. When you feel close to your team and your work, you know more about how specific employees perceive information, what their tasks are, and what works best in team meetings.
When employees don’t know their colleagues well, or they are unhappy at work, they tend to shut down and not go out of their way to make communication better. Unhappiness usually leads to worse engagement and a lack of clarity, which can lead to even more frustration and negative experiences at work.
Conversely, a good company culture can foster a sense of safety and openness, which helps any issues be cleared up earlier and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Transparency at Work Results in Better Communication
Transparency and openness has a huge impact on employee communication. If employees feel like their opinions are welcome and needs are being met, they are more likely to speak up when something is wrong.
A company’s transparency policy is part of its culture, and can come in many different forms. For instance, one of social media tool Buffer’s policies is completely open transparency, reflected in entirely public salaries and how much people are making at any given moment. This obviously affects Buffer’s culture, as employees are urged to “default to transparency” whenever possible, both from an internal and external angle.
When employees feel privy to everything that is going on within a company, whether it’s why someone was let go to how much money the company is making, they feel more part of the process. Feeling engaged and part of a “work family” helps CEOs, managers, and their employees communicate better, as they are all working toward a common goal.
The Savings of Better Communication Through Company Culture
According to the Holmes Report, misunderstandings from a lack of communication cost businesses $37 billion annually. This includes mistakes from unclear instructions, omissions on work or security policies, and more. That being said, having a better company culture and communication not only leads to lower turnover and a higher revenue but can also save money per year by decreasing costly mistakes that come from miscommunication.
Poll your employees to learn what they want out of their job and the company they work for and strive to hire and retain happy, engaged employees. Learning what your employees expect from the company is the first step toward more productive and communicative teams. It's not a coincidence that the biggest, best, and most innovative companies have great cultures.
Company culture can also be boosted with a focus on Employee Advocacy, a centered approach that supports employee engagement and transparent communication online and offine. By combining your Employee Advocacy efforts with a focus on building better company mission statements, perks and benefits for employees, and making your workplace a more enjoyable place to be every day, you will increase the levels of cohesiveness amongst your teams.
