4 Quick Ways to Improve HR Communications

Human resources departments exist to make life easier for the people working within a company. That's why HR communications are so vitally important when it comes to engaging with employees, making sure everyone is happy at work, understanding what workers want in their office environment and relaying information about new initiatives and benefits. Discover four quick ways to improve communication in your workplace.

1. Listen First

Although you want to tell everyone about the new gym memberships or any other benefit your company offers, effective HR communication starts with listening to employees. Did you determine gym memberships are what your workers want in terms of a new benefit? If not, find out what matters most to workers.

Hold regular question and answer sessions with employees to find out what's most important to them. These sessions do more than just let workers tell you what they want. They also demonstrate to your entire staff that your company culture includes an open environment and that your firm values the input of employees.

2. Make Information Accessible

HR communications are only effective if everyone can access the information. Consider creating a dedicated page on your company's intranet website that shows updates to policies and initiatives. Send out alerts through email, text message or social media post letting workers know that there is something new to read. Think about creating an easy-to-read FAQ page or even a short series of videos that explain what's happening throughout the organization.

3. Avoid Technical Jargon

Clear HR communication is vital to making sure everyone understands what's going on. Therefore, it's best to avoid using acronyms, legal phrases or technical jargon that workers might not be familiar with. Make policies and forms simple to comprehend so there is as little confusion as possible. Break lengthy policy statements into shorter statements that are easier to digest. Give employees time to access this new information, and get ready to listen to their feedback and questions. Although you want to make your communication is easy to understand, you also want to be approachable when workers have questions about benefits, health insurance and forms that may use complicated language.

4. Utilize Technology

Technology improves HR communications in several ways. Mobile technology lets you use videoconferencing software and other self-service tools to regularly review employee performance and provide feedback. You can also share experiences and maintain open lines of communication. These tools also make it simpler to reach out to workers when someone in your department notices something of concern.

These four quick ways to improve HR communication don't require a lot of time or effort to implement. Once you put these practices into place, it's much simpler to maintain the lines of communication and add to them, thereby saving your firm money over the long run.

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