Top 5 most important features of successful communication

Top 5 most important features of successful communication 

Following our digital roundtable in partnership with Retail Week, Pets at Home, Sainsbury’s and Co-op, we’ve looked at some of the ways retailers are managing their employees.

How would you choose to communicate if your business was hit by a global crisis? It is a question most retailers have probably only thought about as part of a theoretical exercise – until now. While battling the challenges that coronavirus has brought to retailers, senior leaders have been forced to take another look at how effective their internal communication strategies are and how well those strategies allow them to be agile in their responses to what is a fast-changing social and political environment. Having effective communications systems and strategies in place may have allowed some retailers to execute more effectively than others, but since no one was able to prepare for this global pandemic, there have been some critical lessons emerging.

Last week, we were part of a conversation about communication surrounding this crisis and sought to understand the tactics that retailers are using to inform and support their colleagues. It was clear that good communication can be boiled down to 5 key requirements:

Timeliness

One of the top priorities for retailers has been the need for daily and weekly communications to reassure employees. Most retailers already had standard practices in place, such as company newsletters, company-wide emails and social media. However, the changing demands of this crisis have required a more personal form of communication in order to be successful. The top channel of communication agreed by Pets at Home, Sainsburys and Co-op was live video conferencing. With the sensitive nature of the events that have unfolded over the last few months, video has allowed leaders in retail to reach out to staff and replicate, as-close-as currently possible, a personal, face-to-face conversation.

For frontline employees, we all know that life in-store has changed dramatically. With the new safety procedures, there has been an overhaul in the communication of tasks and activities that need to take place every day. For both shop floor staff and managers, there has been an enormous need for quick and accurate communications to ensure their stores can remain open in accordance to government guidelines. The requirement for daily consistency across stores, with the right messages reaching the right people quickly has exposed a need for robust communications systems.

Transparency

The most effective communication is always the most transparent and should avoid sugar-coating or catastrophising. Employees want to understand what the current situation is, what is expected of them and what the future could look like. Openness and truthfulness equals respect and this sense of trust will continue far beyond the period of crisis.

Clarity

When conveying difficult and important information, it is critical that the message is not lost within high level language or superfluous wording. Simplicity is key, both in the content and the way it is delivered. This means structuring communications to be easily read and digested, sticking to just one or two topics per piece of communication and using a secure method of delivery that will not be missed and can be easily tracked for compliance.

Relevance

Communications, whether essential, informational or social, should be relevant to what is happening within your store. Leaders from retail have all had to make difficult, but necessary decisions in what is essential practice during this time. Along with the new procedures in-store, retailers have needed to re-prioritise the stock, promotions, opening hours, services and much more. This has required a complete restructure of communications from head office to store staff which have been more important than ever, showing the need for clear and concise information directed to the right employees in the right location.

Empathy

Retailers have gone to enormous efforts to support their staff and ensure their well-being. All three retail leaders explained multiple new ways they are engaging their employees and remaining empathetic to the pressure felt by all. Through structured wellness programs, encouraging fun social activities, peer-to-peer chat, and regular check-ins; retailers are changing the way they work to put their employees first.

Most important during this time has been to show gratitude towards employees who are going out of their way to do their jobs. Recognition and rewards have been a key focus for retail managers to encourage a sense of teamwork and connection. One of the positives that can be taken from the current situation is finding that relationships are getting stronger than ever as retailers work as a team to get through.

A natural evolution of communication has occurred during this crisis and much of that has been due to the practicalities of remote working. However, the retailers we spoke to have understood that these changes in working practices do not need to be short term. Each of them highlighted changes that would become permanent including continued video conferencing, more regular recognition and communication with store staff, and a deeper understanding of the trust and loyalty that has blossomed as a result of this pandemic.

To watch the Communicating with Frontline Colleagues in Times of Crisis webinar, click here