Read our latest blog written by our Senior Communications Executive Gina Francey.

In any usual year, August stands out as a bit of a strange month, or ‘silly season’ as the media coin it, with parliament in recess and many people off on their family holidays ahead of children returning to school.

But with that comes a bit of a down-time where staff, teams and management can reflect and plan. And perhaps that has never been more relevant than this year, with many businesses working to establish a sense of pre-coronavirus ‘normality’ – be that returning to the office, accommodating client meetings in person, or hosting team building exercises.

Whatever the future looks like for you, the first step in any coherent communications plan is updating your teams. 

Below some are tips from our team on how best to manage the process.

Listen first

When looking at implementing new working procedures ask your staff how they feel about potential options. Transparency will reassure team members that you care about them as individuals, and instil a sense of trust across your business. 

As part of this, you should encourage individuals to reach out to you or a relevant team member if they have any input and ideas. 

Address concerns

Inevitably you cant always please all of the people all of the time but it is still important that every member of staff feels listened to. Acknowledge concerns raised and establish how you are working to address these, and if they cannot be addressed outline why. 

If your response is genuine, staff are likely to work with you to find a middle ground. 

Be proactive

Sending an email might not necessarily hit the mark with this one. If you have a large workforce, you may need to take a multi-approach communication strategy to ensure everyone is reached. 

This might include written communication via a letter or verbal communication over the phone, or at a video meeting. 

It might also be worth including a call of action in your communications i.e. ‘please sign this’ or ‘contact HR by the end of the week’.

This will help you identify anyone who has not received the communication and help you can understand why so this can be improved going forward.

Be continuous

Regular open communication is the best way to squash rumour, speculation and false information being circulated.

For example, if restrictions surrounding social distancing change be quick to respond. This doesn’t need to be a fully-fledged plan of action but by acknowledging announcements, this will show staff that you are across the latest updates and are working towards a solution.

Be prepared

When introducing new working procedures outline a continuity plan for any likely changes and communicate this to staff as early as possible. This will show that you have clearly thought through procedures and will likely encourage those most sceptical to your way of thinking. 

If you have any concerns about communicating with your staff the team at MK publications can help. Why not give us a call on 0114 275 6784?