The Snitch

A lot has been said about the importance of communicating with employees to keep them engaged during this downturn.  After all, employees aren’t stupid. They know what is happening in the global economy and how their businesses are being affected.

But often,  many companies treat their staff as if they were indeed idiots by keeping silent on company matters. This leaves a gaping void for gossipy snitches to spread company rumours and dissent among the ranks.

So even if you wanted to communicate to your staff, what should you say? What goes into the content of the talk?

According to Culture to Engage, communication during a downturn should revolve around four aspects – the situation and what is happening with the company, actions taken to overcome the downturn, expectations of employees during this period and any other options they may have.

Communicate the situation. Keep your employees up to date on what is happening, both inside and outside your business. The more you ensure they are aware of what occurs and what it might cause, the more you reduce the risk of emotional upheaval. This communication may be as simple as a daily/weekly summary of what’s happening to the economy, the industry and what it means, potentially, to your company.

Communicate the plans and actions. As soon as you know, for sure, actions your company might take, communicate the plans to your employees. These are times when trust in leadership is critical to employee engagement. Keeping secrets is highly erosive.

Communicate the expectations. You probably communicate what’s expected of employees when they’re hired and when their positions change. (You should!). Consider these “changing times.” As your expectations of your employees change–like taking on greater responsibility in the face of downsizing–explicitly communicate the new expectations. Allow the employees time to register the changes, then verify that they understand them. And accept them.

Communicate the options. Another critical supporter of employee engagement is participation in decision-making. Certainly, the employee’s having a say in decisions about job, career, work performed is in this category. Explain in detail the options your employee faces. The options may be taking on additional responsibilities or not, staying with the company or not, accepting a reduction in pay for the same hours or more hours for the same pay. You know what the options are, but your employees may be shell-shocked and lose sight of the options they have.

Which then raises the question:  Is your company transparent on how it is faring during this economic downturn, or did you hear about such news through a grapevine? Also, can there ever such a thing as too much communication?