Good communication between management and employees is the hallmark of a well run
company. Poor communication between management and employees can be a source of concern
and lost productivity. You may see each of your employees daily, but if you don’t
have regular, ongoing communication with employees as a group, those relationships will
not live up to their potential. You want to make all employees feel that they have
something important to offer the business. The feeling of team participation can be
increased through employee meetings.
At employee meetings, you provide the big picture. Employees may deal with you daily
regarding specific tasks. However, they may not be exposed to the larger goals for the
company and progress toward those goals. An employee meeting provides a forum for sharing
this information. Give employees an opportunity to ask questions or make suggestions. Gain
employee buy-in by including employees as participants, not just as an employee meeting
audience.
Encourage your employees to come up with new ways to operate or to improve current
systems. Recognize and reward success publicly. Recognition in front of fellow employees
at an all-employee meeting have value. Never underestimate the value of praise, thanks and
public recognition. People want to feel valued and appreciated. Even though employees do
get paid for their labor, it’s up to you to make sure they feel that their efforts
are meaningful and appreciated. Take time to say thank you.
Upon occasion, you may wish to discuss or share news about challenges within the
business. This open, honest discussion can help mobilize employees to take action. Be
careful not to criticize anyone directly. You always want to end an employee meeting on a
positive note, even if serious business issues were discussed during the meeting. You set
the tone and course of the meeting from start to finish.
As the business owner, you should have definite policies about meetings. Meetings
should always be on company time and an employee who comes in especially for an employee
meeting should be paid for that time. A firm schedule should be established for employee
meetings. Decide how often you want to conduct companywide meetings and prepare an advance
schedule and agenda for those meetings.
If you would like to discuss employee meetings, employee communication or motivation,
contact the SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives). More than 12,000
volunteer, business counselors donate their time and expertise to assist entrepreneurs.
SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides business counseling as a free and
confidential resource to entrepreneurs. For a referral to the SCORE chapter nearest you,
call 1 (800) 634-0245.
