With the current economic crisis facing us, much of the active workforce is under the greatest financial strain of their lives. Oil, gas, and even rice (who would’ve thought?) prices are on the rise, deeply impacting families across America. As we have recently witnessed in the news, the financial crisis has had a damaging effect on many companies, causing the doors to close on some of those we least expected. And now, the troubled stock market’s looming impact is spreading to concern across the globe…
With this economic downturn, fear is in the hearts (and wallets) of employees and employers alike, threatening attitudes and morale in the workplace. Morale has commonly been linked to performance on the job. It is therefore essential that considerable time and effort be invested to keep company morale high and employee attitudes positive, despite the stress on leadership and management. One way to encourage positive morale across the team is to keep employees as fully informed as is feasible. Allowing folks to be “in the loop” is a great way to minimize the presence and harmful influence of the ol’ water cooler communication (a.k.a. gossip) grapevine. Notify them of big changes that are coming before they hear it from erroneous sources to prevent such inaccuracies from spreading like wildfire through the organization. A transparent environment in which individuals feel they are well informed also helps to build and strengthen feelings of trust.
Of course being transparent and open with employees is “easier said than done” when the news is not pleasant. Companies faced with minimizing extra expenses, cutting staff numbers, or, at the very worst, closing their doors are tasked with communicating information that is potentially devastating to their employees. In these messages, it is even more crucial that information is stated clearly and with sufficient detail to ensure that employees feel informed and up-to-date. While employees are concerned over the state of the organization they work for, regardless of the change they are facing, employees want to know “what does this mean for me?”. Communicating the impact on the individual employees should be a top priority. Once the information has been presented, it is also important to have a system in place to respond to employees’ questions of the situation. Appropriate resources such as a “Frequent Asked Questions” guide or a point person to field questions, provide employees with the opportunity to review the information in more detail and can also serve to engender a sense of confidence in the company’s efforts to keep the employees informed.
Although it is important to be transparent with your employees and to ensure that they feel informed, it is just as critical to determine the “right amount of information” to share. At times, it can be a very fine line between sharing too much information versus not sharing enough and the outcome of either of these situations can be equally troublesome. “Just the right amount of information” clearly varies by the situation and company. But, regardless of the nuances of the circumstances, it is essential that organizational leadership establish a standard for what information will be shared, when it will be shared, and the potential outcomes of sharing the information. Developing a clear communication plan, outlining these details, can enhance an organization’s ability to communicate even difficult news effectively.
Filed under: Business | Tagged: communicating difficult messages, economic crisis, economic downturn, effective communication, morale
