If you have ever been in a relationship, you know a communication crisis doesn’t appear from one day to another. These problems usually build up gradually in relationships and same thing happens in organizations. You need to be solicitous if you want to detect problems at early stages…
Which are the symptoms that we should consider?
- Too many complaints from customers
What does this have to do with “internal” communication? It could be a sign that the members of your company are not in the right rhythm or mood. Happy employees = happy customers. Ask yourself If your Internal Communication strategy is contributing to this purpose.
- Employees are afraid to ask
They should feel free to ask questions. If asking for help or for feedback get them anxious, be careful: they could make assumptions or hide important mistakes
- Unhappy employees
According to Harvard Business Review, one of the factors that feed insatisfaction is to feel “out of the loop”. And this is one of the main jobs of internal communications: keep everybody informed.
- Low participation in business events
How many people attended to the last after office? How many enrolled at the game you launched, or they offered as a volunteers for the RSE area? Low participation on these events could mean: 1) employees don’t receive the message or 2) it doesn’t impact as much as you expect
- More (expensive) mistakes
If employees are making mistakes frequently, it could be a symptom that they miss direction and that expectations from the company are not clear. Mistakes could be reduced with a fluid communication process.
- High turnover of personnel
Because of all the previous reasons, it is quite possible that some people may be willing to quit their job. Employees leave when they feel insignificant, lost with their task or when they feel they are taken for granted. Is time to make an assessment of your internal communication!
Which other symptoms could you add to the list?
