We are not aware of how truly important the internal communication until we see that the company results they are directly connected to it.
Having an bad management of this element creates a frustrated work environment, less productive and with higher absenteeism. which translates into an increase in the employee turnover, which leads to higher costs for the company and lower profits.
And we are not only referring to large companies, since internal communication has a great impact on the results in any type of company, whether large, small or medium.
Internal communication. What is?
When we speak of internal communication we refer to the communication that is directed to the employee, which in this case would be internal customer.
The healthiest and most correct way to motivate your team is by having transparent communication, and it is the best way in which you will be able to to hold back the best talent in your company.
” Customers do not come first. The first thing is the employees. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers.”
- Richard Branson
As we mentioned before, internal communication does not only work in large companies. What's more, nowadays, the percentage of companies that bet on a good internal communication policy to help achieve the organization's goals.
Oddly enough, many companies tend to ignore that in order to be successful, and above all, face the obstacles set by the business world and the market, they must know how to motivate their employees, know how to retain them, and teach them the corporative culture of the company so that they fully understand its values and philosophy, and begin to feel part of it. And it is there, where internal communication becomes a fundamental point in all the processes that we have named.
Remark on corporate messages, report at all times on the latest company news, establish a effective line of communication between the different positions and departments of the company are some of the objectives that are tried to be achieved with internal communication.
Types of internal communication.
There are three types of internal communication: descending, ascending and horizontal.
DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION.
It consists of the most used type of communication in companies or organizations.
Start by following the hierarchical pyramid of a company, from the managers and descends to the different types of employees and their positions. Its most usual purpose is report employees of objectives, policies or different instructions of the company.
The most used tools for this type of communication are:
- letter to employees
- Informative meetings
- employee handbook
- Newsletter
- Interviews
- Information
- Emails
- internal newsletter
- Bulletin board
- internal events
UPWARD COMMUNICATION
It is the communication that goes from bottom up. It starts from the employees and reaches the company management.
Employees use it to give your point of view about different topics, raise ideas, suggest new topics to be discussed and so on.
This type of communication is fundamental for the development of the company or organization, since it allows the employee to communicate with the different departments and positions of the company.
The most used tools are:
- Interviews
- Quality circles
- Satisfaction surveys
- Meetings
HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION
This type of communication includes the communication that exists between different employees or departments that are at the same hierarchical level.
In most cases, this type of communication is usually informal, a relationship of companionship and friendship. Similarly, collaboration and teamwork are also worked on.
The most used tools in this type of communication are:
- Social Media
- Meetings
- Work groups
- Emails.
- Videoconferences
Benefits of having good internal communication.
- Increase confidence. Transparent communication, of any of the three types that we have mentioned before, will increase the confidence of the employees towards the company, their colleagues as well as their leaders.
- Innovation. Good internal communication fosters interaction and the exchange of information, improving efficiency and quality of work. In the same way, contributing to new ideas, increasing company innovation.
- Reduce conflict. Normally conflicts in the company are due to lack of information, incorrect information or wrong information. In this way, through proper communication, we can avoid misunderstandings, rumors or supposed wrong messages.
- Better work environment. Thanks to good communication between teams, employees will have the necessary information for the proper functioning of their work, understanding each step they must take, and improving the relationship between employees, creating a good work environment.
- Increases satisfaction. Following the line of the previous point, thanks to the good work environment, and the relationship between different departments and hierarchical levels, the employee will work better. Thanks to the internal communicationFeeling that they can express themselves freely and feel heard will increase their job satisfaction and their motivation to continue in the company.
