As our world adapts to challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, communication becomes a vital part of organizational life. With the workforce connecting from various places, messages must be consistent, clear, and inspiring. 

Craft messages that work for all audiences. When executives share information or send a mass message to employees, be sure to have a skilled communications team proofread and search the content for bias. Without meaning to, we may communicate stereotypes and unintended messages. Always get a second and third set of eyes on your content if it goes to a large group or the press.  

Make sure your messages are clear, accurate, and relevant. It can be frustrating when company leaders speak but don’t communicate clearly. Offer communications coaching for team members who will speak publicly and represent the company in the media. Hire an executive coach to work with top-level leaders who may need a public speaking refresher. 

Ask for feedback regularly. Communication is not meant to be a one-way practice. Strategize ways to solicit input from employees about company communication, culture, and more. Quarterly surveys or focus groups may be helpful and add insight. 

In addition to how you communicate, focus on what you are sharing. High-quality content will create a positive impact on your company. 

What content should you communicate to the workforce? 

Safety Precautions

It is important to remind employees about safety guidelines during and post-pandemic, including mask-wearing, social distancing, and sanitization guidelines. Communicate about procedures for virtual and in-person meetings as well as company travel and event attendance. 

Messages of Belonging

Inclusion and acceptance are critical messages to communicate to employees. Be sure your culture reinforces these messages with action and policies that serve everyone equally.  

Core Values

Get creative with communicating company values. Use visuals and brand assets to create an inspiring workplace. 

Mission and Vision Statements

Yes, they are on your website, but you can also use them to remind your teams why they do what they do. Find new ways to keep the company purpose top of mind and develop an award system or reward process for overachievers. 

Company News and Reminders

Just because something is mentioned at a company meeting doesn’t mean the date and time are added to an employee’s calendar. Communicate often about news and events happening online and in-person. Make sure to clarify if attendance is mandatory, suggested, or completely optional. 

Benefits

Companies offer a host of benefits to employees. Still, all too often, they go unused because of a lack of awareness. Create messages about your company’s unique benefits and use this content when informing managers and asking them to remind team members. 

Care and Wellness

COVID-19 has reminded us how important it is to communicate compassion and empathy to the workforce. Cultivate relationships between people at all levels of your company and often share how they value each person. 

Upcoming Meeting Details

Communicate agendas, meeting notes, and links by sending personal calendar invites. Normalize a process so everyone knows what information should be included when setting up a meeting and approaching a project. 

Meeting Room Reservations

Communicate messages to employees about who has reserved what meeting room or what virtual tools to use when setting up a hybrid meeting with many people. 

Schedules and Agendas

No matter where employees work from, they should be able to see their team’s tasks and projects for that day and the week. Communicate with managers and empower them to be sure teams are aware of what others are working on. 

Inspiring Quotes and Sayings

Every company has a handful of sayings that draw teammates back to the meaning of what we do and why we do it. Always remind people about their why. 

Stories of Impact

Consider sharing messages of impact, hope, profit, appreciation, or success. People remember stories and connect emotionally with them. Frequently share customer stories, positive feedback from clients, and more. Focus on the elements of human connection and our fierce ability to overcome challenges in life. 

Companies often communicate their mission and vision statements to employees and miss a host of other messages that need to be expressed. Appspace allows you to take your comprehensive communications plan for your organization and share with the correct audiences to make sure the right people are getting the information they need. Using in-office screens, workplace displays, and personal devices, Appspace allows you to connect with your employees no matter where they work — ensuring that they see the content you’re sharing. Learn more about Appspace’s employee communications solutions here.