At Ace, we know that employee retention and workplace culture is very important to Americans today. While outfitting your team with matching high-quality uniforms from Ace ImageWear will provide your employees with a morale boost and a sense of belonging, we know there is more to it than that, especially in the industrial and manufacturing industry. With loud, dark, and sometimes dangerous work environments, clear and consistent communication is key to ensuring a safe, healthy, and happy team.
Why Proper Communication in the Manufacturing Industry is Important
Effective communication in any industry is going to improve many aspects of the job. When it comes to the manufacturing and industrial world, proper communication not only keeps employees safe and reduces the risk of workplace injury, it also can result in faster and more efficient production. Clear and consistent communication from everyone on the team allows for quick problem solving from every employee, as well as improved employee engagement and satisfaction. When every employee from every level of the company is communicating in the same way, there is higher worker retention and overall productivity.
Common Communication Issues
It’s no secret that in almost every industry, one of the keys to a successful business is leaders communicating with their employees. However, nobody is perfect. Here are a few common communication issues that exist with some companies:
- Overload of information - Sometimes, over-communicating can lead to an overload of information, making good intentions lead to confusion and a lack of direction.
- Information that does not provide a clear picture - Information that provides everything but a pathway forward can lead to an employee’s lack of purpose and a lack of direction.
- Leaders who don’t walk the walk - There are leaders out there that will talk about change and improvement, but will neglect to take the necessary steps to implement that change.
Thankfully, with any fixable problem comes a multitude of solutions you can use to resolve the issue of communication. At Ace ImageWear, we value each and every one of our employees, and we want to set an example of how to “Ace” your internal communication. Here are a few tips that can help establish and maintain good communication in the industrial and manufacturing industry.
Tips for effective and Strategic Communication
#1: Define what effective communication looks like for your company
A useful tool for successful communication is an internal communications plan. However, before one can be created and put in place, you have to define what great communication looks like for your business. This can involve research, and it is recommended that you look at your competitors to see how they are communicating with their employees. This is a good time to set goals and establish a vision for what you want to accomplish and what great communication will look like inside your organization. Once you have done your research and set company communication goals, you need to determine how you will accomplish these goals. A weekly meeting? A weekly company-wide newsletter? Knowing your employees and how news gets communicated is key to fully developing your communications plan.
#2: Make sure your employees have what they need to succeed
Especially in the manufacturing industry, managers and floor supervisors need to have incredible technical skills and a good deal of experience, but they may lack the communication skills they need to be effective leaders. This is when tools like internal communication plans become especially useful, in addition to leadership training and proper support from the upper management.
#3: Have a thorough and comprehensive new employee training
It’s important for all employee safety that when new employees are hired, they are properly trained in every relevant aspect of the job. When the required skills and expectations are clearly and consistently communicated very early in the new-hire training process, there are less mistakes. Of course, nobody is expected to remember every little detail or process about a new job, which is why it is important to have well-trained and experienced managers or designated trainers available to answer questions at all times.
#4 Have regular team meetings
Consistent team meetings are a great way to bring every employee together and open up the floor for getting feedback and bringing up potential issues. Having the right workplace culture that encourages honesty and open communication among all team members is important, and making sure that the management team makes the employees feel safe to talk about any possible work issues is a good step. Involve every employee in the company's decision-making process, this makes them feel valued by their company and improves morale.
Are you ready to “Ace” your internal communications? Want to see how we get it done? Contact us today!