Why and how communication gives us security
We have a close relationship with our job. Logical, really – after all, nobody wants to spend more than two thirds of the week, month or life (!) in a bad relationship. This is also confirmed by the Edelman Trust Barometer 2019, which reports a surprisingly deep relationship between employee and employer. And we are quite prepared to give a lot for this relationship – especially good work and commitment. The relationship is put to the test when major or continuous changes are imminent. Then we need security, we want to be able to understand and comprehend what is happening and why. For most people, changes initially cause chaos in the prefrontal cortex, i.e. where the center of our abilities lies. We are paralyzed by fear, flee or attack.
What helps? Communication. It is the new security, gives us stability in turbulent times when structure and strategy are volatile contemporaries. This is when internal communication comes into its own in companies. It plays an important role when employees’ fears need to be allayed and solidarity needs to be conveyed. “People have a deep-seated basic need for connection,” confirms brain researcher and neuropsychiatrist Dr. Volker Busch. When the feeling of being connected is lost, the same centers in our brain that make us feel pain become active.
In addition to connectedness, understanding, purpose and opportunities for creativity are essential conditions that must be met if employees are to be healthy and happy at work. Then they are able to work as creatively and agilely as necessary. They can learn new skills, think in new ways and are open to changing tasks.
How can I, as an internal communicator, support the managers in the company?
- Management communication is a crucial lever for optimizing working conditions. In practice, there is often a problem because everyone implements the guidelines differently: One manager communicates intensively, openly and comprehensively, while another doesn’t think much of it and only passes on the subjectively important information. This is why supporting documents in which decisions and developments are well prepared are so invaluable. Internal communication can and should be the place where these are created.
- As colleagues, you get to hear a lot. This gives you the opportunity to pick up on smouldering issues or even anticipate fears. In coordination with managers, you can develop and establish open formats that give employees the opportunity to ask questions, address rumors or even critical topics.
- In addition to these measures, with which you tend to “pick up” and “catch up”, there should also be motivating and encouraging formats that, for example, mobilize the ability to innovate within the company. These can be creative formats such as bar camps or working out loud sessions, in which questions and tasks are worked on in teams, or ideas competitions that are aligned with the company’s goals. Thinking outside the box at work can be enormously energizing.
- Opportunities for togetherness, i.e. collaboration and exchange, also create a sense of connection. A social intranet, in which colleagues become a community, creates this opportunity. It is important to use the right tool for each type of information. If background information is required, for example, other formats are often needed in addition to digital ones. Get into conversation with your target groups and ask them which channels are good.
When open communication becomes the corporate language, security can take hold. Managers will definitely win with this approach. Support employees in change situations by giving them the information and support they need to (continue to) work with pleasure and commitment.
More on this topic in our MPC podcasts with Sebastian Purps-Pardigol and Dr. med. habil. Volker Busch
Copyright lead image: Bernard Hermant / Unsplash