Top 5 Reasons Why Internal Communication is so Important for our Business

Everything we do at Planday is designed to make your day work better. Knowing that communication is integral to the success and longevity of any business, our software provides employers and employees with the tools to communicate instantly–making our promise a reality. 

In today's work environment, people don't work the old fashioned 9-5 sitting at their desk. Employees now work from different departments, in different locations, sometimes at home or in the office. They work different shifts during different times, with different colleagues, on projects that are becoming more complex and fast paced than ever before.

To maintain productivity and meet output, teams need to be connected digitally in order to collaborate and communicate instantly. If there’s weak internal communication, then productivity will falter. Therefore, you need to prioritise internal communications. 

In this article, we'll elaborate on our top 5 reasons why internal communications are so vital for your business.

But first, what exactly is internal communication?

What is internal communication?

Internal communications is not just about sharing your messages with employees. It's the flow of information and ideas between employees and management.

It is a two-way communication process that can be used to build relationships, trust, and engagement between managers and employees. An effective internal communication strategy can even increase employee retention. And while there is no one way to 'do' internal communications, when you nail good internal communication, everything in your business benefits.

Why is effective internal communication vital to a productive, happy workplace?

As well as providing management and team leaders a direct line to employees, giving first hand insights into what is working well in the business, and where there are opportunities for improvement, internal communications comprises the following:

• Helps build trust in the workplace
• Creates a knowledge base that can be used to improve performance and meet goals
• Promotes employee engagement and motivates employees
• Leads to higher productivity and efficiency at work
• Improves both internal communication between management and staff, and external communication with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders

But that's not all.

Here are our 5 top reasons why internal communications can bolster an organisation's success.

1. Creates a culture of transparency and improves the supply of information

Having an effective internal communication plan helps to create a culture of transparency and trust, which can lead to greater efficiency, better decision-making, and improved productivity.

When there is a lack of transparency in your organisation, it’s easy for employees to feel isolated and alone. This can lead to low morale and decreased productivity. And employees who have concerns with how things are being done are far less likely to bring them up if they don’t trust their managers or HR department enough to listen closely and take action on those issues.

By creating an environment where everyone knows what’s going on internally, especially when there is bad news or a change in policy that may affect them negatively, you create an atmosphere where people feel valued as members of your team—and they will be more likely to give their best efforts at work every day.

• Good internal communication helps build inclusion at work by providing opportunities for all employees to contribute ideas on how to improve within the business.
• It enables collaboration amongst teams and across departments when they share knowledge about projects or initiatives that require multiple areas working together towards common goals (e.g., marketing).
• It encourages innovation through sharing new ideas across divisions which may lead people thinking differently about processes/practices within their own departmental boundaries.

2. Helps to build and sustain company culture

The second reason we believe internal communication is important for your business is that it helps to build and sustain company culture. Workplace culture consists of a set of shared values, beliefs and behaviours - it's what makes an organisation unique. But more importantly, your culture affects your business strategy.

A positive company culture increases employee engagement, which then leads to higher productivity, and greater loyalty from employees. It also makes employees feel more valued by your company - which leads to increased retention rates (and less turnover). A strong culture also contributes towards high performing teams as it encourages them to work better together–united in achieving common goals.

When you have good internal communication channels in place, you nourish your company culture, strengthening it from the ground up and the top down - from senior management to junior employees. Plus, it'll allow you to gauge how well certain aspects of the current culture are working (or not). Helping you identify any deficiencies that need addressing right away so that they don't become bigger issues later on down the line.

3. Builds a happier workforce with strong teams

Employee satisfaction is the key to a happy workforce, and internal communications can help you achieve that. When your employees feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, they will be happier and more engaged. They will feel valued, appreciated and recognised for the work that they do. 

When employees are engaged in their work, it is easier to get them to go beyond the call of duty when the going gets tough.They will feel like they have a stake in what you do as an organisation and therefore will want to be a part of the company's success.

4. Improves employee engagement & productivity

Happy employees are productive employees. The happier your employees are, the more they will contribute to your company. An engaged employee is someone who cares about their job and their role in the organisation's mission, vision and values.

Employee engagement is what separates engaged employees from those who are simply going through the motions at work every day. Employees who care what they do spend more time on projects and tasks than unengaged employees do. This translates into higher productivity for your business that goes beyond simple time-saving alone (although time saved can be significant).

Engaged workers tend to be more creative and innovative than their disengaged counterparts. They see problems differently than others might because they have a strong sense of purpose within their role, helping fulfil goals for the business as a whole or departmental objectives within it.

5. Promotes constant feedback among employees

In order to grow as a business, you need an open line of communication between employees where they can provide one another with feedback. That's because feedback helps your employees grow in themselves and their role.

According to the Harvard Business Review: "Employees who receive any kind of feedback have higher levels of engagement compared to those who do not."

Feedback enables employees at every level in your organisation to understand how they're doing and what they could be doing better. As well as making sure there’s an open line of communication between front-line staff members and management teams, you should also encourage intra-employee communications too.

How Planday improves internal communications

Every aspect of Planday strives to help your day work better. And one of the easiest ways to make sure your day and your teams' days go smoothly, is with simple and clear communication.

And that doesn't come through informal communication channels; it requires strong internal communication that is effective and engaging.

Planday's staff communication app allows you to reach relevant employees with the right message, so nothing slips through the cracks. To find out more, about simplifying your workforce management, get in touch for a demo today.