How to Encourage Employee Engagement by Becoming a Connected Company

Connecting Your Workforce with Better Internal Communications

Did you know, according to a statistics collated by Team Stage, that 86% of employees cite poor communications for company failures? It’s probably not a surprising fact that lack lustre internal communications results in a disengaged workforce. Why would a team engage with a business if they felt that their voice wasn’t heard and that they weren’t kept informed of key announcements and information? Companies who have clear communication strategies will benefit from more engaged employees, improved productivity and a better company culture – 69% of employees said that they would be more productive with effective communication in place. So, how can ensure that you are supporting effective communication and encourage your employees to be engaged with your business? Becoming a connected company provides the answer and we’re going to explain how you can leverage technology and put processes in place to become a connected company with an effective company culture and an engaged workforce.

Encourage Your Team to Use Their Voice and Share Ideas

They say sharing is caring – but when it comes to business, allowing your workforce to have a space to share ideas and knowledge benefits both your business and your employees. Your business can take advantage of fresh ideas to drive better decision making and help you to improve your processes, service or product offerings and your customer’s experience. In addition, your team feeling that their voice is heard and that their opinions, ideas and knowledge is valuable can increase their engagement and their buy-in to your business.

From a technological perspective, you can utilise an employee engagement platform to provide a dedicated space for your team’s ideas. Post questions, run polls and invite your team to contribute their ideas all in one space. Alternatively, you can utilise the communication solutions you already have to provide a voice for your team. For example, if your business uses Microsoft Teams, why not schedule an open forum video call session every month to pose questions to your team and encourage feedback? Whether your team are working from home, in the office or are out on the road, they can dial into the session and contribute from anywhere. Another idea would be to utilise internal emails and a forms app, such as Google forms, to ask your team questions and encourage your team to share their ideas. Bottom line, if your team feels that they are part of your business’s decision-making process and that their voice matters, this will encourage their engagement with your business going forward.

Better Communication Fuels Better Collaboration

With the rise of remote and hybrid working, your team can be spread out across multiple locations. Leveraging mobile technology within your business can help to bridge the gap between teams who are working in different offices, from home and those who are working on the go. Combining the power of a unified communications system and business mobile solutions, enables your team to have access to a multi-channel platform that they can access from anywhere.

For example, using a solution such as the 8×8 X Series, which provides a wealth of different powerful features, from instant message to productivity apps, all within one platform across a range of devices, will allow your team to collaborate and connect, as they would in the office, from anywhere. Investing in effective mobile solutions will help you to level up this solution, by allowing your team to access this platform from their business mobile, to improve interactions with both your team and your customers.

Create Meaningful Connections for an Improved Company Culture

A company culture that has been built on meaningful connections, is key for employee engagement and retention. A positive workspace, where employees feel they can rely on each other can improve employee wellbeing and mental health. Employees will feel more comfortable opening up about their workload, as well as their physical and mental wellbeing, which can help managers to ensure their team are looked after, are not overworked and that their team members feel cared for.

Using communication technology to establish and maintain meaningful connections within your business is easy and incredibly beneficial. Hold virtual coffee mornings within your communications platform, that anybody can dial into. Encourage managers to schedule regular one-to-one check-ins and team check-ins to provide support for those who need it and provide an opportunity for team members to voice issues that they may be facing, both in and away from the office. Making time to touch base with your employees and encouraging them to talk and rely on each other using the communication technology you’ve implemented within your business is key for a positive, caring and strong company culture that encourages employees to stay with your business.

Transparent Communication that Builds Trust

One of the biggest challenges facing business leaders, is ensuring that all employees are kept up to date, especially for businesses with remote and hybrid workers and employees spread across multiple office locations. If a business’s internal communication strategy isn’t up to par, employees may feel like they are being kept in the dark or that management doesn’t care enough to keep them up to date. From a business perspective, if communication within a business isn’t transparent and employees aren’t kept up to date, this can have a negative impact on business processes. Poor communication can lead to decreased productivity, as employees don’t have access to the information that they need. It can also cause demotivation as employees feel disconnected from the business. All of this can lead to mistakes being made, poor customer service and increased employee churn.

Utilise your communication solutions to ensure your employees, wherever they are based, are always up to date. Whether it’s sending out regular email notifications, curating newsletters and update documents to be circulated amongst staff or organising a regular business update video meeting that everyone within your business can dial into, promoting transparent communication is key for a business culture that is built on trust and fuels engagement and productivity.

Ready to Transform Your Business into a Connected Company?

When it comes to communication, it’s safe to say that mobile has taken over. From accessing communication platforms to sharing documents and information, the gateway to successful business communication that connects employees in multiple locations, is the right mobile solution. With a business mobile package that’s right for your team, they have the ability to connect and engage with your business, create meaningful connections and stay up to date with business announcements from anywhere.

Our team of expert specialists combined with our prestigious partnerships with some of the biggest names in the industry, including EE, O2 and Vodafone, means we are perfectly positioned to help you find the best business mobile solutions for you. From tariffs to IoT solutions and mobile device management, let’s work together to find the best tools to transform your business into a connected company with a strong workplace culture that encourages team work, ensures employee satisfaction and improves employee engagement. Contact us today.