Employee communications is the “keystone” to employee engagement.  Just like the keystone is the critical component and the centerpiece in architecture, communication is the vital component that provides structure, strength, and stability to any organization.

So how solid are your employee communications? Is your communications strategy central to your employee engagement efforts? Would your employees say that overall communications are a key strength as an organization? Is the communication and messaging consistent and does it support every part of the organization? Does the communication provide clarity and stability in times of uncertainty, change, and crisis?

In most organizations, there is significant opportunity to enhance and sustain your employee engagement with employee communications as the keystone and hallmark of your people strategy.

However, there are a number of factors that impact outstanding employee communications efforts:

• Who owns the overall strategy, coordination, and effective execution of employee communications in your organization?

• Are employee communications a planned strategy or a reactive, ad-hoc task sent as needed?

• Employee’s communication needs, expectations and requirements have and will continue to change.

• Communication is both an art and science that continually evolves and requires a dedicated focus to stay abreast of best practices and changes in technology and tools.

So how do organizations overcome the challenges to effective employee communications?

1. “Be Intentional” about elevating employee communications to your #1 employee engagement strategy and make it a competitive advantage for your organization.

2. “Get Real” about the perception and real impact of your current state employee communications efforts.

3. “Reimagine It” based on your identified current state. Leverage your strengths and reimagine your gaps and weaknesses. Make changes quick and visible so the organization can see the importance and reap the rewards.

4. “Own It” Who will ultimately own and have accountability for the sustained success of your reimagined employee communication strategy and ongoing efforts?

5. “Evaluate It” Continual measurement of impact and effectiveness of your employee communications efforts will ensure the investment of time and resources are delivering results with every interaction.

So is employee communication the keystone in your employee engagement or it is the weak link that needs to be enhanced?

As we have noted here, and found through our work with clients, communication is the most important step to begin increasing employee engagement and easily generates to biggest “bang for you buck”. Contact us today at info@cornerstonelearning.com and let us partner with you to strategically enhance your employee communications.