Building Employee Confidence

Strategic Communications, LLC

Communicating with employees and building a culture with the right balance of employee satisfaction and strong work ethic isn’t easy. And there’s no single formula or trick for this. But there is one strategy that continues to be preached and implemented successfully: include your employees in conversations about your business.

This doesn’t mean telling your employees what’s happening with your business once decisions have been made. This only works if you engage them before, during and after decisions and news about your organization (and then repeat that cycle).

Include them in planning for new products or services. Every one of your employees has a different view of your business. Their perspectives and insights could mean the difference between a new product or service that succeeds, and one that fails. This is also why you should include them in evaluating what’s working and what’s not.

Remember, we must strike a balance here in order to achieve that culture of satisfaction + work ethic. So, there needs to be a formal structure for gathering insights from employees, clear expectations set for if/how the information they share will be used, and an understanding that they may not get to weigh in on every decision or aspect of the business.

To help keep the two-way dialogue flowing in between the times when you ask for their insights, be sure to constantly share good news and positive feedback with your team, as well as any recognition that your organization receives.

And probably one of the easiest things to do – which so many organizations overlook – is talk to employees first, before they hear news about your organization from anyone else.

Even if it’s only 5 minutes before a news story is published, an e-blast is sent to external audiences, or any other announcement is made. This accomplishes several things. First, it demonstrates your commitment to communicating with them. Second, it shows them that you are being transparent about what’s happening with the organization. And, it equips them with YOUR message, so that they can answer questions and provide accurate information if/when the subject comes up in conversations with them – either at work or in a social setting.

These are just a few tips to help build employee confidence. If implemented properly, you will quickly glean even more insights into how to build your employees’ confidence and their support for your organization.