Imagine: you're embarking on a journey, but you have no map, no clear directions, and no idea where you're headed. Sounds stressful, right? That's the experience of many frontline, deskless workers. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s explore the powerful impact of communication with frontline employees and why it's essential for their success.
The Impact of Communication: Your Roadmap to Success
Think of communication as your roadmap – not your final destination.
When businesses lack clear communication, employees feel like they don’t know where they’re going or when to make the next turn. Is it right or left? Is it just around the corner or a mile down the road? The result is stress, confusion, and inefficiency.
But, when company communication is effective, it becomes your employees’ guide, helping lead organizations to their final destination faster, more safely, and with less stress along the way.
Here are a few suggestions to consider as you design and execute an effective employee communications strategy.
The Requirements: Design your communication right
Effective communication must tick several boxes:
- Specific: Messages need to be crystal clear, leaving no room for confusion.
- Engaging: Employees should feel motivated and interested in what's being communicated.
- Native: It should be delivered in a way that's natural and relatable to the workforce.
- Two-way: Encourage feedback and open dialogue, ensuring that employees' voices are heard.
- Consistent: Consistency in messaging is key to avoid mixed signals.
Pro Tip: The Power of Visual Communication. Did you know that after 72 hours, the average person retains 95% of what they saw in a video while they retain only 10% of what they have read?1 Visual communication is a game-changer, and it's just one piece of the puzzle.
The Challenge: Ensure frontline workers can access the information
The research paints a concerning picture. A staggering 84% of frontline workers feel that they're not kept properly informed by management. And half of them - 50% - feel that they don't understand the overall strategy of the company.2
- Use multiple channels to ensure your deskless workers have access to the right information, at the right time. Company email isn’t always effective and tends to be out of reach for portions of your workforce.
- Seek to understand where your employees get their information today. Use those outlets and build upon them.
- Create a consistent cadence of announcements and messages so employees know when to expect information. Build a communication machine!
A lack of communication leaves employees feeling lost and disconnected from the organization's mission. It's a problem that needs to be addressed urgently.
Pro Tip: Use multiple communication channels, such as text, email, and floor displays, to deliver consistent messaging on a regular, predictable schedule.
The Opportunity: Embrace the positive impact on your frontline teams
Effective communication empowers your teams in many ways. Keep these front and center as you continue to refine your strategy and plans.
- Engagement and Context: It helps your teams feel more engaged and gives them context on the impact they can make. When they understand the bigger picture, they're more motivated and invested in their work.
- Quality and Efficiency: Clear communication improves the quality and efficiency of their work. When everyone is on the same page, there's less room for errors, and tasks get done more quickly.
- Productivity: Communication powers their productivity and helps them do their very best work. When employees have all the information they need at their fingertips, they can focus on what matters most.
Pro-Tip: Ask for feedback. Once you’ve established clear, consistent communication channels, make the information two-way. The opportunity to provide feedback and input are powerful motivators for any employee. Trust us!
The impact of communication with a frontline, deskless workforce cannot be overstated. It's the key to their success and, by extension, the success of your organization. When you provide clear, engaging, and consistent communication, you empower your teams, improve the quality of their work, and drive productivity.
It's time to bridge the gap for your frontline and ensure every employee has the map they need to navigate their journey effectively.
With Denim, businesses can leverage multiple channels to improve communication with their frontline. Learn more here.
1www.insivia.com/2023-saas-marketing-report
2MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research
