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- August 24, 2019
How to Effectively Improve Team Communication in an Office Setting
Leading a team in an office setting can be difficult. You need each team member to work individually but you also need them to come together as a team whenever required. This will take some work, but when you know the steps you need to take, you will soon find that you can really benefit.
Create a Communication Space
It’s your role as a leader to try and make sure that there is always an open flow of communication. Speak up about the feelings you have or even share ideas. This will help to set an example and it will also encourage your team to do the same. It also helps to prompt employees to go to the canteen to eat during lunch instead of just sitting at their desk, or even just have a chat to see how they are doing. If you want to boost your efforts even more then having an open-door policy is ideal. This will help your employees to know that you are always there if they need you and that you are there to deal with any issues that they might be having.
Keep Your Communication Constant
Don’t rely on annual reviews to talk with your team. Instead, schedule a monthly one-to-one. This will help you to keep up to date with where your team are at and it will also help them to communicate with you about what they need. You would be surprised at how much your team have to say during these meetings, and it will also help you to deal with any work-related issues before they start to cause major problems.
Focus on Anonymous Feedback
If you want to ensure a positive working environment, then anonymity is crucial. Employees won’t often share feedback with you because they don’t want to seem as though they are complaining. On top of this, they may feel bad for criticising your leadership. One way for you to get around this would be for you to send out an anonymous survey, or to even have a comment box. It doesn’t take much effort to set something like this up, but you would be surprised at what a difference it can make to your team in general. It will also help you to implement the right solutions too. For example, if your team don’t feel safe then you might want to look into CCTV installation. If they feel as though the hours they’re working are too much, consider offering a flexible day once a week.
Don’t Overcommunicate
When your employees leave for work, you need to avoid emailing them or texting them. If you do, they may feel as though they can never get away from the office and this might hurt their working mentality. If you want to help yourself and your team then wait to discuss any issues. If you feel as though the issues just can’t wait, then you may need to look into your working system so you can find out if there are any changes that need to be made across the company.