Communication is Crucial

Running a business is no easy feat. When your team is made up of individuals with distinct personalities and multi-faceted professional experience, you stand to learn a lot as a business owner and as a person. Something I’ve learnt that has helped me manage my team better is taking the time to speak to each employee about things that matter – be it the last report they submitted or what they got up to over the weekend.

Whether you’re a family-run operation like NM Group or a huge, international corporation, fostering strong verbal and non-verbal communication is a key part of what it takes to run a successful company that can conquer the test of time. But what makes communication so important? Here are four valuable benefits of good workplace communication that I’ve discovered over the years:

1. It builds better teams

Encouraging clear, consistent communication in the office helps employees and managers alike to foster happier, more efficient teams. When coworkers feel comfortable expressing their professional opinions, it makes it that much easier to share ideas, brainstorm, and collaborate on projects that could boost the company’s profile in a big way. Encouraging communication creates a better atmosphere for offering and receiving constructive criticism which, in turn, leads to further professional development.

2. It improves employee morale

When colleagues and managers communicate more effectively, they feel happier as a result of the simple fact that they feel understood and more in-sync with the rest of the team. A positive atmosphere is a truly invaluable resource, and has a major role in crafting the kind of company culture that attracts and retains talent. Making this happen might mean tackling issues that may seem inconsequential on a large scale, but actually affect your employees’ moods on a day-to-day basis. Don’t forget – happy employees mean happier, more satisfied clients and customers!

3. It increases transparency

Opening the gates of communication is the key to strengthening trust between employees, departments, and across different levels of management. One way of building that trust is to be as transparent as possible when it comes to letting employees know how the company is faring, and what’s going on in the industry as a whole. Transparency means being proud of ‘the good’, while being able to acknowledge and evaluate ‘the bad and the ugly’ too; talking to employees about the company’s weaknesses – as well as its strengths –  is a great way to make every member of the team feel included, while providing a benchmark against which progress can be measured and enjoyed.

4. It helps new recruits feel welcome

Encouraging clear communication ultimately creates the kind of company culture that professionals look for and enjoy working in. An office that communicates well is one that helps employees – new and old – to feel at ease collaborating, asking for help, and offering assistance to their coworkers.

We’re always on the lookout for new talent – if you think you’d be a good fit at NM Group, we’d love to hear from you!