A panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question: “How can small businesses be more transparent when communicating big news (key hires, funding, etc.) to their employees? What’s one strategy they could use?” Here are some methods they recommend you follow.
Share It Via a Direct Source
Shoot the news straight to them. Give them a link to the article or otherwise give them the actual source. That way, they won’t think that it’s been watered down in some way, shape or form.
Build Communication Into Your Culture
Collaborate with team members on projects while getting feedback during the process
Announce It as Early as Possible
Before you make major announcements to the public, share them with the people in your business first.
- You show that you value them and that you’re transparent. You can ask them to support you by engaging with them via social media and other means.
Use a Centralized Website Hub
Communicate big news via a website hub so everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect
Send It Out in an Email
Be concise and clear about the real changes in the chain of command, job title, or personnel.
Have a dedicated Slack channel
Slack is a team collaboration tool used to share news with employees
- It can take time to pull together a company-wide meeting, particularly if employees work different shifts or are spread across locations (or working remotely). Having a dedicated channel in Slack allows everyone to stay up to date.
Get Employees Involved Before the Decision Is Made
If you have a culture of sharing and inclusion, then you won’t need to blast big news via email; your employees will have been on the ground floor of making such an important decision and will be excited about what this means for the company.
Create a Continuous Information-Sharing Loop
Find a time and place that works for everyone, that allows team members to vent and relax, and use it as an opportunity to also discuss and share the latest announcements.
Tailor the Mode of Communication to the Announcement
Have different modes of communication to effectively communicate with your employees and allow them to respond in an appropriate fashion
Discuss With Key Company Leaders First
Get buy-in before the event happens. After the event, filter the news out during team meetings, email, in-person meetings or a web conference.
Create a monthly newsletter
Communicate with your team via email all the latest updates from your various brands and what you have in store for them next.
Earmark a Recurring Time to Share News
Have a specific day in the week or month that you can use to make announcements, talk about big decisions, share updates and goals, celebrate milestones, and have a general face-to-face conversation with your employees.
Hold a Quick Company-Wide Meeting
This gives you the chance to talk to your employees face-to-face so they can clear any questions or doubts right there if there are any.
- Announce any big news on your own instead of relying on a third-party communication channel.
Invite regular feedback
Whether anonymous or not, feedback can give you vital information about how to improve the company’s transparency and how everyone can be more open with each other
- Hold a meeting to specifically address the issue or send a more casual email to collect employee feedback
Host a Facebook Live
Announce big news via Facebook Live so that employees can ask and answer questions.
