Many companies have different methods of communication, some are great others are not so. The key is to keep all parties in “the loop”, often management knows what is happening and almost forget that their staff weren’t in the meeting these things were discussed in. A good form of communication is email distribution lists, management can start a pattern of communication and set a level of expectation on their staff.
I have been in companies where management doesn’t know things as a whole because something was reported to only one member. The communication can be as simple as someone reporting in sick for the day, or something bigger than that. You find there becomes a greater improvement on transparency when all staff members are aware of what is happening. If staff members are waiting on a colleague to arrive to follow up on something, an office-wide email stating they are running late or will be away sick can help others to plan and prepare for their day.
Communication can cut down the delays and missing links in the company; they can improve on morale also. There will always be certain discussions that are for management only and that are what is not always to be communicated to all staff. However, there will come a time that this information will need to be relayed and communicated and it is how that is done which is important.
It’s not what is said, but how it is said
Communicating on a regular basis will always improve the efficiency of the company; it will also make for more discussion which allows people to dispute on a small scale their opinion which is a healthy thing to allow. Often many managers wonder why all of a sudden a staff member is really annoyed about something, often it can be built up because of a number of things that have just surfaced and they weren’t given opportunity to discuss on a regular basis to vent.
Managers often get put off with certain topics which need to be addressed, however if they had regular communication and were perceived as approachable their staff would not cause this awkward state. It is often because there is no relationship (not implying that managers need to be best friends with their staff) but having open lines of communication. When staff feel they can approach and discuss something with their manager both feel anything can be discussed. It is more often than not when a manager sits in their office and gives staff a feeling of being unapproachable that both parties start to suffer.
Social skills are very critical for a manager; learn the things that each staff member likes to do. At the end of the day nobody wants to be at work, but when the environment is less stale you will find more productivity occurs. People often respect a leader, a caring and considerate person who seeks a level of friendship and offers encouragement. When a manager demands respect it is often not given because of the expectation and often leaves companies cycling through new staff all the time, people don’t like arrogance and at the end of the day it is often the staff under the manager who do the hard work for the company, the manager is a facilitator someone who should be cheering the team and ensuring they achieve their best as individuals and as a whole team.
There are many different styles of managers, but the important part is deciding at a grass root whether it’s a leader or a boss. So which one are you?