2020 brought a number of surprises to organizations and as we ease our way into 2021 it feels as though the rough seas have been weathered. Many businesses are looking forward to a return to more traditional office-based practices, recalling staff from remote work and turning to internal communications challenges. Taking this opportunity to reset communications strategy and check in with staff will lead to greater success in the coming year. Let’s take a look at 5 key insights for the return to internal communications.
1) Welcome Your Staff - With Training
After battling the communications challenges of remote work, your staff will be undoubtedly eager to return to the office, to check in face to face with their colleagues and get down to work. However, for many staff there will be a sense of anxiety mixed in with their eagerness to return. Incorporating a refresher session will welcome your staff back to your internal communications system and smooth that transition back to work.
With this in mind, setting up a welcome back hub on your internal network can facilitate updating your staff’s understanding of the internal communications system. For some staff they may have been working from home for a year or more at this stage, so it’s likely there will have been some policy changes and systems updates in that time. Get your staff up to speed with a welcome hub.
2) Redefine Your Internal Communications Guidelines
The challenges wrought on the business world in 2020 were unexpected, and some businesses struggled to keep up. Others, however, thrived in this environment, reframing challenges as opportunities. Transitioning from remote work to an office based workforce represents another opportunity for your organization to capitalize on so seize the moment to redefine your objectives with internal communications.
Realign your communications objectives with your organization's mission and strategy. By optimizing these guidelines you’ll enable your workforce to work together towards your final business goals.
3) Communications Works Both Ways - So Listen
Embracing the feedback of your workforce is essential in optimizing your business outcomes. A top down approach to internal communications often ends up imposing unwieldy expectations on those who are using the system day today, and as your staff return to work they’ll provide a fresh set of eyes on your systems and a valuable perspective on what works.
As a leader of your internal communications, you’re uniquely positioned to support workers at every step of the way on their return to work. Team up with HR to survey your staff, ensuring that questions provide avenues for actionable feedback and don’t initiate problems that your organization can’t control.
4) Finding The Right Channels
The journey back into the workplace will require effective communication on the right channels and to support your employees effectively in their return. It's important that you have a variety of ways of communicating messages to your employees. For many staff, this return will be staggered, so shifting all communications to the intranet system right away is likely to leave knowledge gaps for staff that haven’t transitioned to fully office-based work.
Internal comms can work with external communications to provide an informative and complete account of the necessary contact for your staff. It’s vital that executives collaborate with local partners to find suitable processes that depend on regional fluctuations in guidelines for a COVID-safe workplace.
5) Implement A Long Term Comms Strategy
Setting your workplace up for long term success will require effective collaboration with HR. As the phased return of workers continues, communications will have to be regularly reassessed to ensure that all information is passing through the appropriate channels. For example, as staff shift from a mix of remote work and office based work to a fully office-based practice, the workplace will become increasingly reliant on internal systems and they need to be robust enough to sustain increased traffic.
Lastly, don’t forget the lessons learned over the last year. Business practices should be open to adaptation and the upheaval of a global pandemic has provided an instructive account of how organizations can flourish. If a balance of remote work and office based staff boosts productivity, or if maintaining a broader communications infrastructure channels supports collaboration, find ways to implement these changes in the day to day business practice.
Wrapping Up
The return to office based work represents a challenge for changing internal communications structures. It’s also an opportunity to optimize your processes, listen to your staff and implement successful communications strategies. Lead this transition with confidence.
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- 5 Internal Communications Insights For The Return To Work - July 9, 2023
