Introduction

In fact, communicating with employees is one of the most

important things you do as a leader or a manager

Poor communication is one of the most common criticisms

employees have about the businesses they work for.
Employees complain that they are given poor instructions;
they feel uninformed about what is happening within the
company and often feel that their views are unheard,
unacknowledged, or even ignored.This can lead to
misunderstandings, poor performance, low morale and wasted
time. Poor communication could mean you breach employees'
rights and break the law.

Research shows that people derive greater satisfaction from

their jobs and perform to a higher standard when they are
engaged in their workplace.

Effective communications is an essential feature of

engagement. If the manger communicates effectively he will
have a more committed and more productive workforce.

Internal communications is essential to the organization's

overall effectiveness.Internal communications is a
responsibility of management; not its communications
section.

Internal communications is meant to help inform decision

making and influence employee behaviour in ways that
benefit the organization and employees themselves

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Internal communications consists of accurate, consistent, and

timely information to be communicated to the employees

Internal communications is always two-way communications.

Employee feedback helps managers decide if the
communication has been received and understood. As well,
employees have important operational information that can
help to make the organization more successful in achieving its
goals.

Why Communicate?

Communication helps to build relationships, promotes mutual

understanding, and enables employees to contribute to
organizational success.

Effective managers and supervisors also know that

communicating with employees is their responsibility

Research shows that employees prefer to receive information

from their supervisors. They like to get the big picture
information from the organizations leaders, but they want to
hear the effect on their workgroup directly from the people to
whom they report.

For many types of information, employees also prefer to

receive news face to face. This allows for interaction, the
supervisor sends out the message, the staff receives it, and
their reaction or response shows if they understand and
accept the information.

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Managers should give employees the factual information they

need, People cannot comply with policies and procedures they
are unaware of.

Managers should provide the information that helps

employees do their job.
1. Provide training and technical information that explains
how tasks must be carried out, such as operating manuals.
2. Give staff details of product specifications, availability and
price lists.
3. Managers should set and communicate clear objectives and
provide job descriptions to let people know what is
expected of them.

Managers should explain and monitor the key performance

indicators for each individual. Tackle under achievement by
providing feedback, support and further training, if necessary.

Managers should give people information about special

situations that will affect them, managers should tell
employees when change is coming, what form it will take and
how it will impact on them and their jobs.

Managers should give people motivational information.

1. Managers should publicly recognize individual, team and
company achievements. For example, thank employees
during team meetings.
2. Use

regular

performance

appraisals

to

recognize

achievements and discuss areas for improvement.

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Characteristics of effective communication

1. Clarity of purpose

Successful organizations focus on a few key messages.

Leaders in successful organizations are consistent in
their messages and ensure that everyone involved
understands the goals and how to achieve them.

2. Using effective communication methods

The level of trust and openness in various key activities

is also critical for success. Employees at all levels can
ask for information and receive honest, useful answers.

3. Effective sharing of information

Information sharing is effective when systems and

networks enable managers and employees to have the
right information at the right time to do their jobs, to
share opinions and discuss ideas

4. Walking the talk

Leaders must also be good communicators themselves,

so they can send their ideas and convince the receivers.

Their behaviour must be consistent with what they are

saying, both formally and informally.

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How and When to communicate?

The challenge for managers and supervisors is to find the time

and the most effective methods for communicating
information in a timely and open way to their staff.

Managers must decide which internal communications tools

will be most effective.

The manager should consider the following :

1. The nature of the message: How important is it? How
complex is it? What impact will this information have on
operations? What impact will this information have on
employees? Will it have any impact on employees?
2. The messenger: Who is the most appropriate source of
this information
3. The timing of the message: When should the message
be delivered? The rule on timing is that employees
should always know about something that affects them
before anybody else knows. Employees feel more valued
if they become aware of information before it is public
knowledge.

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Outcomes of effective Internal Communication with

employees

In particular, effective communication in the workplace can:

1. Lead to better management style

In work places that are decentralized organizational members

are both required and allowed to participate in strategic
decision making to allow the achievement of organizational
goals. Employees share organizational responsibility and give
their opinion for. In doing so, not only they commit to the
organization, but they also keep their morale high, feeling
that they positively contribute to organizational performance.

In Centralized leadership, active listening is not allowed. By

discouraging open communication leaders disapprove creative
collaboration. Organizational members cannot interact openly
with their leader. Accordingly, they cannot improve their
understanding of the reasons behind business practices and
decisions.

2. Encourage teamwork

In today's competitive market, teams are preferred to

enhance organizational performance. By empowering
employees to take responsibility, teamwork increases
employee involvement

Team members share common mission, common vision, clear

roles and equal responsibility

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3. Improve employee morale

Managers look for ways to improve employee morale through

the creation of a supportive working environment that
encourages stress relief and effective decision-making.

By improving the work environment, employee performance is

improved because employees feel free to deliver their opinion
and more productive.

Employees they feel more important because they are

informed about corporate developments, organizational
policies, corporate goals, but most importantly how all these
changes possibly affect them and their future in the
organization.

4. Help cost reduction

As employees know how to perform their tasks, productivity is

enhanced and organizational efficiency is improved.

In organization where channels of communication are open,

knowledge is share and ideas are exchanged on improving
procedures and methods of operation. Therefore, operations
management is effective, maximizing both quality and
productivity.

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5. Relationships

A workplace operates on the effective relationships built

between employees, managers, departments and all levels of
the company. The clear and honest communication helps to
encourage and strengthen the relationships, which can assist
employees in reaching maximum productivity. The managers
in the company maintain a productive relationship with staff
members by holding regular departmental meetings, assisting
and guiding employees in their work and progress and
recommending them for career development programs.

Methods of Communication

The number of communication channels available to a

manager has increased over the last 20 odd years. Video
conferencing, mobile technology, electronic bulletin boards
and fax machines are some of the new possibilities.

As organizations grow in size, managers cannot rely on face

to face communication alone to get their message across.

A challenge the managers face today is to determine what

type of communication channel should they opt for in order to
carryout effective communication.

In order to make a manager's task easier, the types of

communication channels are grouped into three main groups:
formal, informal and unofficial.

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A. Formal Communication Channels

A formal communication channel transmits information such

as the goals, policies, and procedures of an organization.
Messages in this type of communication channel follow regular
chain of command. This means information flows from a
manager to supervisors and they in turn pass on the
information to the next level of staff.

An example of a formal communication channel is a

company's newsletter which gives employees as well as the
clients a clear idea of a company's goals and vision. It also
includes the transfer of information with regard to
memoranda, reports, directions, and scheduled meetings in
the chain of command.

A business plan, customer satisfaction survey, annual reports,

employer's manual, review meetings are all formal
communication channels.

B. Informal Communication Channels

In a formal working environment, there always exists an

informal communication network. The hierarchy of
communication cannot function efficiently alone and there is a
communication channel outside of this hierarchy. A good
manager needs to find the fine balance between the formal
and informal communication channel.

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An example of an informal communication channel is

lunchtime at the organization's cafeteria/canteen. Here, in a
relaxed atmosphere, discussions among employees are
encouraged. Also managers walking around, adopting a
hands-on approach to handling employee inquiries is an
example of an informal communication channel.

Quality circles, team work, different training programs also

fall under the category of informal communication channels.

C. Unofficial Communication Channels

Good managers will recognize the fact that sometimes,

communication that takes place within an organization is
interpersonal. An example of an unofficial communication
channel is social gatherings among employees.

The unofficial communication channel in an organization is the

organization's path through which the rumors circulate. While
such path may have positive effects on employees'
relationships, some false information or rumors may be
transferred causing disruption. A good manager should be
aware of the information circulating in this unofficial
communication channel and should take positive actions to
prevent the flow of false information.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, effective communication establishes good

interpersonal and working relationships and facilitates
cooperation. Ineffective communication can have a negative
impact on business relationships, employee performance and
organizational efficiency"

In any organization, three types of communication channels

exist: formal, informal and unofficial.

While the ideal communication web is a formal structure in

which informal communication can take place, unofficial
communication channels also exist in an organization.

Through these various channels, it is important for a manager

to get his/her ideas across and then listen, absorb, glean and
further communicate to employees.

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