How a transparent culture can improve engagement

Culture and engagement is the most important issue companies face around the world. 87 percent of organizations cite culture and engagement as one of their top challenges, and 50 percent call the problem “very important” - Deloitte Insights

Uniting and engaging a dispersed workforce with a collective mission can seem like a huge challenge and indeed for many it is! With 51% of the US workforce and 13% of global workplace not being engaged, this highlights the extent to which organizations are struggling to improve their culture and employee engagement (Deloitte Insights). The graph below shows the 'capability gap' that different countries are experiencing when trying to engage their employees in the workplace.

Culture and engagement: Capability gap by region

For an organisation to breed an exciting, honest and motivational company atmosphere, it all starts with the people at the top. It is important that all leaderships teams and managers take the time to understand their workforce and communicate effectively with them so their employees are not left in the dark. Here are two considerations to bear in mind when trying to improve your company communications and culture.

Cultural, Regional & Departmental Differences

Setting up an office in another country can be essential to growth but dealing with staff speaking different languages can be a barrier to communicating effectively with your global workforce. Applying a ‘one size fits all’ approach to your internal communication won’t be effective, as your message might not resonate or be understood by all of your employees. Similarly, in all hands or town hall meetings, using ‘jargon’ or corporate acronyms can isolate your employees as well as cause confusion.

If you have offices in different locations, you will most likely know that various countries have their own regional differences and approaches to communication. Therefore, you should keep your messages simple and clear to avoid any misunderstandings. Try to use language that will be universally understood by your organization and bear in mind cultural differences including tone, style and even visual design. Perhaps involve your regional or departmental managers to provide input when preparing your communication or to represent their department or region in person on a live broadcast.

The Importance of Transparency and Honest Feedback

Transparency and trust influences how your employees view the leadership team and if they ultimately feel a sense of belonging and loyalty to the organization. Trust is integral to motivating your workforce to perform to the best of their ability and to increasing employee engagement.

Operating an open-door policy if possible or providing regular and transparent workplace communications increases the likelihood that staff will view the leadership team as more approachable, leading to a better sense of connection with your employees. Your company culture, values, how you represent yourself and the actions that you take ultimately dictates employees’ feelings of trust and respect.

There are a few ways to build and maintain trust, but the quickest way is to follow through with the promises you make and to make an effort to understand the needs of your employees.

Vevox Trustpilot Review - comms meetings
Enable remote employees to have the same opportunities as those that work in the same office, this includes giving them an opportunity to voice their feedback in meetings. Alternatively, or in addition, use digital feedback surveys or other communication platforms to ensure that all employees feel like their contribution matters.

Please note: Prior to 21st March 2019, Vevox was formerly known as Meetoo.

Anonymous feedback tools also allow you to have more honest and reliable data as people feel like they do not have to be biased or swayed to make a different decision because they are identifiable. Trying to find a solution to allow your global workforce to communicate effectively in all-staff meetings? Then sign up to Vevox for free and try it for yourself.