Two-way information flow for better performance

If you read one of our earlier articles, in which we warned you about the dangers of the "Chinese whispers game", then you know exactly how important internal corporate communication is. And to make it even more effective, it is essential that you create an environment that supports two-way information flow. This means not only using an internal communication tool that fits the company's needs, but also working on a human level to build a meaningful and effective dialogue between the company and its employees.

Two-way information flow within the company

Depending on which internal communication tool the company uses, the information flow can be:

1. One-way - when the sender of the message - for example management or HR - simply states something and offers no opportunity for feedback - for example a notice board 
2. Structured two-way - when the sender of the message requests feedback from a well-defined group or person, and responds to that feedback themselves - for example CHEQ
3. Unstructured two-way (multi-directional) - when information flows within the company in a disorganised way. In such cases, whoever initiates contact may receive different messages from different groups and people, which can make the whole communication chaotic. Important information can get lost in the free-for-all chat that every employee can join - for example internal corporate social networks

The positive effects of two-way information flow

Below I present a few reasons why two-way information flow is so extremely important for every company. You are probably aware of most of them already, even if you have not yet formulated them quite so clearly.

1. It engages employees and improves performance

When genuine dialogue develops between the company and its employees, it can also improve productivity. Everyone can be aware of the company's goals, the milestones set, and the workflow that leads to reaching the goal. 

What is more, through two-way communication employees can give feedback on the information shared. This way it quickly becomes clear if something is unclear to some members of the team. It can be discussed immediately, avoiding a situation where someone does unnecessary work or does their job poorly because they misunderstood something. In addition, employees often provide valuable feedback that contributes to reaching results faster or better.
According to research, companies where employees actively engage in the life of the company perform 21% better.

2. It increases employee satisfaction and reduces turnover

Everyone likes to be asked for their opinion, to be listened to, and to have what they say taken into consideration. It makes a person feel more valued. That is exactly why, when you start a conversation with employees, you need to encourage them to give feedback. This does not only mean asking them to share their opinion, but also acting on their answers and giving feedback on their feedback. Only this way will employees learn that you are genuinely interested in their opinion. It lifts them up and makes them more satisfied with their workplace, which in turn reduces staff turnover and increases performance.

3. It strengthens trust and develops the company

If management constantly only states guidelines, decisions and so on, and never involves employees in solving any process, it also sends the message that it is not curious about the employees' opinions. As a result, employees soon learn to keep their ideas, experiences and insights to themselves. They become distrustful of the employer, of management, and sometimes even of their colleagues. The consequence of this is that the company gets stuck at a certain level. It develops more slowly, because no circle of trust has formed within the company that would enable information sharing and discussion. That is why its reaction time to new challenges is also longer than that of companies where everyone shares their ideas freely and boldly. This is hardly surprising, because where there is no free flow of information, leaders do not get sufficient input from employees to be able to respond to new challenges in time.

4. It builds the employer brand

According to a Nielsen survey, 84% of people trust what their friends or family members recommend to them. This means that if your employees speak positively about the company, then a genuinely good image of the company forms in other people's minds too. It becomes attractive in the eyes of jobseekers, which also makes recruitment and selection significantly easier. At the same time, the opposite is also true. If employees complain that the company never asks for their opinion, not even on such "insignificant" matters as what they would like to eat or drink at a company event like a family day, then that has a negative effect on the employer image. After all, who would want to work in an environment where there is no room to express an opinion?

Here is how to improve information flow

As you can see, managed two-way information flow can bring several benefits. That is exactly why it is really worth paying attention to it and continuously improving it. On that note, we have prepared a few tips for you.

1. Choose the right communication channel

There are plenty of internal corporate communication channels that do the job well, provided you only want to involve white-collar colleagues in the communication. However, if the majority of your employees are blue-collar, then your task is a little harder. According to one study, 83% of blue-collar workers do not have a company email address, and 45% of them do not even have access to the company intranet. That is why you need to look for a communication tool that lets you reach all of your colleagues even without an email address, and even when they are not tied to an office desk. In addition, it is also an important consideration that the communication channel should be simple and easy to understand for everyone.

When we designed CHEQ, we paid attention to all of this. It is so simple to use that even a 6-year-old child could easily manage it. And it is not us saying that, but our users. You can watch it here.

Once you have chosen the communication tool that best fits your needs, the next step can come.

2. Personalised messages

There are of course company announcements that affect everyone, so every employee needs to be notified about them. However, you should not forget that there may be people who are not affected by a particular change. For example, colleagues who commute to work in their own vehicle or walk in may not be interested in a change to the company bus timetable. For them this message might be not only unnecessary but even annoying.

Give your employees the option to decide which general, common-interest messages they want to receive. Ask employees in a message whether they want to keep receiving messages about the company bus timetable in the future. If they choose yes, then you share it with them; if they choose no, then they no longer receive these messages.

Another way of sending personalised messages is when team leaders send important information to the members of their own team. This is obviously not relevant for colleagues working in another department or group, so there is no need to burden them with messages that do not concern them.

And if we just think of colleagues who are currently on parental leave, that is a great example too! The information and tasks that are relevant to them are not necessarily relevant to the other employees.

As you can see, a personalised message can also be one that you send to a well-defined group, not only one addressed to a single specific colleague.

3. Be transparent in your communication

Share both the good and the bad news with your employees in such a clear and understandable way that every colleague can grasp the current situation, what may have led to it, and what consequences or steps can be expected in the future.

Honesty builds trust and helps avoid unrest, as well as the anxiety, poor-quality work and possible resignations that stem from it.
A perfect example of maintaining transparent communication is Zoltán Gazsi, managing director of Eisberg, who honestly shared his state of health with his colleagues when it turned out that he had colon cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy. You can read more about it here.

4. Be empathetic

In your communication with employees, try to be empathetic. If you show kindness and understanding towards your colleagues, it supports engagement and strengthens trust. Employees may feel that they can safely share any information with you, and that you

• will not abuse it (if, for example, they make a suggestion about something),
• will not take it as an insult (if they disagree with something and give constructive criticism), and
• will not consider it an empty excuse (if they or their loved ones are diagnosed with a more serious illness that may negatively affect work performance)

Empathetic and open two-way information flow strengthens the work community and helps create and maintain a pleasant company culture.

5. Ask for feedback and act on it

The best way to establish two-way information flow is to ask for feedback on the messages you send out. This lets you involve employees in the conversation and in decision-making too. This is especially true if you act in line with the feedback.

So, for example, if you ask employees whether the team-building event should be held at location X or location Y, and you go to the one most people chose, then you demonstrate that you heard their needs.

But you can ask colleagues for feedback in other ways too!

The CHEQ internal communication channel, for example, also makes it possible for employees to send anonymous questions or reports. This is because people can be a little braver and more honest anonymously, which is extremely important when trust between management and employees has not yet developed.

Encourage employees to share their observations and concerns, or to ask their questions even anonymously, which you then answer in an announcement addressed to everyone. In addition, it is of course worth carrying out pulse surveys too. All of this helps you get a clearer picture of

• what is on employees' minds, 
• what is going on within the company (e.g. some colleagues are emotionally affected by the behaviour of a more narcissistic co-worker), 
• what they want (e.g. an HR administration self-service tool),
• what you need to pay more attention to (e.g. microlearning or the onboarding of blue-collar workers)

If, as a leader or HR professional, you take the tips above to heart, your company too will soon be able to experience the beneficial effect of two-way information flow. Good luck!