Which employee communications styles allow millennials to thrive in the workplace?
Microsoft partnered with SurveyMonkey and polled more than 1,000 millennials in the U.S. to find out what helped them ‘thrive in the workplace.’ The results showed that 93 percent of millennials polled cited modern and up-to-date technology as one of the most important aspects of a workplace.” – Cio.com
When your workplace consists of a majority of millennials, the way you execute employee communications is crucial. It is not ‘one size fits all’ and you must adjust it according to the age group of your staff. If they are of the older generations, doing a physical team newsletter or email blast may be your best bet when trying to relay information, but with millennials and younger, you will have to use more updated tools & apps to communicate. As you know, millennials were brought up in this fast, instantaneous social media, technology world and we thrive on instant gratification and short, to the point communication – nothing that is too time consuming.
Internal and employee communications professionals are responsible for sharing the company updates but how can they create content that will produce information retention with millennials? Here are a few new-age methods that will assist in your overall corporate communications.
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing allows many parties to communicate via video from wherever they are in the world. Having this visual option is great for employees who travel often or work from home, allowing them to receive the information needed in real time. We offer customizable whiteboard videos that explain processes and company policies that can be easily be shared between employees. This will allow employees to watch and discuss these videos with their colleagues over videoconferencing. This method is effective because millennials react to visual content and usually can comprehend the task at hand more successfully when explained and broken down. It also allows flexibility and convenience when on the go.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging is a program that allows employees to send quick messages to one another. This is great if you need to ask a quick question or if the email server is down. Sometimes an email isn’t necessary for a simple confirmation or a “yes” or “no” answer – that’s where instant messaging comes in. Digital postcard options also allow you to send personalized video postcards for reminders, greetings and more. These can be sent via email or on instant messenger for a quick communication blurb. With instant messaging being a fast option, you can pair it with the post cards to add a visual component. Millennials grew up using instant messenger, so this will come easy to them and they will enjoy using this over email because of its fast result. You can also integrate it into your employee communications software, so everything is in one place.
Cloud-based Software
Cloud-based software like Dropbox or Google Drive allows you to save and share documents with multiple parties. This is a great way to create tasks, collaborate and share work. Millennials love to work together, and with this method of communication, we will have the opportunity to create, edit and confirm projects as a team. This type of forward thinking will allow creativity to flow while getting work done proficiently.
These various methods won’t only help millennials stay informed and interested, it will help make the corporate culture stronger. Communication is the key to success and when we can combine the company brand message with these effective channels, all employees will be able to work in harmony. We can use video conferencing to create clear and cohesive visual understanding, instant messaging for quick information and responses and cloud-based software for collaboration and teamwork.
“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” – Rollo May