Encourage Open Communication to Create a Humanized organization
Effective communication is what will help you establish strong relationships with co-workers. It is what will get things done. Although businesses need a managerial structure, traditional hierarchies often impede innovative thoughts. So, open up communication channels and encourage employees to take part in important conversations and provide feedback.
Step 1: Start by establishing rapport with your employees. You can take new hires, for instance, out to lunch. But instead of talking about business, you should take it as an opportunity to break the ice and get to know each other.
Step 2: Actively listen to employees and encourage them to do the same towards their colleagues. Statistics show that nearly a quarter of employees don’t trust their own employers, as indicated by the American Psychological Association.
Step 3: Don’t be condescending, even unintentionally. To avoid coming off as offensive, be more aware of how you communicate. Avoid saying things like: “Is that the best you can do?”
Instead, show people how they can improve in the future. Before you set assignments, you must make your expectations absolutely clear.
Step 4: Don’t make quick assumptions. For example, when employees are lagging behind in areas where you thought they would excel, don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t assume they failed because they slacked off.
Establish a non-confrontational setting where employees can tell you how they have been doing. They might be going through the death of a loved one, a break-up, or they might be overwhelmed by juggling several projects at once.
Step 5: Schedule weekly or monthly one-on-one meetings. Your employees might often be apprehensive to approach you and share their recent concerns or triumphs but by establishing recurring meetings, you can keep an open line of communication with your employees.
Meetings don’t always have to be at the office. You can do this by getting coffee together or you can go for a stroll.
Effective communication in the workplace is an ingredient to success. Hence, strive to keep the team’s lines of communication open.
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