Engaging With Employee Perspectives

Most workplaces talk a lot about communication. But they forget one crucial direction: upward. That’s the kind where employees speak, and leaders truly listen. And in today’s world of remote work, rapid change, and mental fatigue, upward communication isn’t optional anymore. It’s essential. Here’s why it matters: 🟡 It builds trust 🟡 It boosts engagement 🟡 It improves decision-making 🟡 And it fuels innovation But upward communication doesn’t just happen on its own. It must be encouraged, designed, and practiced—every single day. So here are 10 ways to foster it: 1. Get managers on board ↳ Change starts with leadership buy-in. If your managers aren’t open to feedback, no one will speak up. 2. Build a culture of openness ↳ Create safe spaces for employees to share ideas without fear or judgment. 3. Personalize your communication ↳ One-size-fits-all messages rarely land. Understand your team's culture, role, and context. 4. Use the right channels ↳ Don’t hide behind formal emails. Use tools that invite feedback—from Slack to polls to anonymous forms. 5. Design feedback loops ↳ Let employees question, comment, and engage—not just consume. 6. Celebrate employee voices ↳ Showcase employee stories and encourage them to create content. It shows that their voice matters. 7. Equip managers with tools and training ↳ Not everyone is a natural communicator. Help your managers grow. 8. Lead with authenticity ↳ When leaders are real, employees feel safe being real too. 9. Make communication engaging ↳ Ditch the dry newsletters. Use storytelling, visuals, and relevance to draw people in. 10. Track what’s working ↳ Measure engagement, gather insights, and improve based on feedback. One last thing: If your employees don’t feel heard… they’ll stop speaking. And when communication dies, so does innovation. P.S. How does your company encourage employees to speak up? ♻️ Repost this to help build workplaces where everyone has a voice. —- 📌 Want to become the best LEADERSHIP version of yourself in the next 30 days? 🧑💻Book 1:1 Growth Strategy call with me: https://lnkd.in/gVjPzbcU #SpeakUp #LeadWell #TrustMatters #TeamVoice #GrowTogether

Unlocking Organizational Success Through Employee Psychology: Organizations thrive when they understand and nurture the psychology of their employees. Here are some key principles that can transform workplace dynamics and drive exceptional outcomes: 1. Appreciation Boosts Productivity: Recognizing and valuing employees’ contributions directly impacts their motivation and performance. 2. Freedom Fuels Innovation: Restrictive environments stifle creativity. Empower employees to think independently and innovate. 3. Ownership Drives Accountability: Instead of assigning tasks, make employees owners of projects. This fosters a sense of responsibility and ensures tasks are completed with quality and passion. 4. Employee-Friendly Policies: Policies should go beyond compliance and focus on making employees comfortable. When employees feel connected to their work, they pursue it with passion, not just for a paycheck. 5. Passion Over Skillset: Employees excel when they love what they do. While skills are important, passion ignites true success. 6. Culture Matters: A positive, inclusive culture drives motivation and engagement. Key aspects include: - Unbiased and Fair Treatment - Work-Life Balance - Recognition and Respect - Zero Tolerance for Office Politics and Integrity Issues - No Favoritism 7. White-Collar vs. Blue-Collar Roles: Organizations must understand the fundamental differences between these roles: - Blue-collar employees work precise hours (typically 8-hour shifts), where every minute contributes directly to productivity. They generally disconnect from work after their shift. - White-collar employees, while working similar hours, often engage with work mentally beyond office hours. Their responsibilities and contributions may extend into planning, strategy, and problem-solving outside traditional work hours. Recognizing and addressing these differences ensures fair treatment and effective engagement strategies for both groups. 8. Continuous Learning and Growth: Providing opportunities for professional development and upskilling not only benefits employees but also enhances organizational performance. 9. Transparent Communication: Open and honest communication builds trust and ensures everyone is aligned with organizational goals. 10. Mental Well-being: Supporting employees' mental health through wellness programs and flexible policies ensures a happier, more productive workforce. Conclusion: Employees are the backbone of any organization. By aligning organizational practices with the psychological needs of employees, we create a workplace where they feel valued, inspired, and motivated to achieve their best. What strategies have you implemented to boost employee engagement and productivity in your organization? Share your thoughts below! #EmployeePsychology #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeEngagement #HRLeadership #OrganizationalSuccess

Communication is not about saying what we think. Communication is about ensuring others hear what we mean. Internal communications is about making employees feel good, engaged, informed, & connected. 🚙 It’s the engine behind culture, alignment, & business success. 🔗 It’s the bond that holds the teams together. 🩵 It’s about influence, not control. 📘 It turns corporate strategy into something real for the people. 💪 Internal communications is imperative. However, if everything is hyped to the max, then what is truly important? If all things are A+#1, then which one is truly first among equals? Thanks to technology, we can reach pretty much all employees all the time with everything that ever needs to be communicated. ❌ Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. ✔ We should limit broadcasting & embrace narrowcasting. Segment messages based on employee roles & locations. Defining clear segments & working groups for communication allows you to quickly send a message to the right individuals at any time. ✔ Make communication asynchronous. One example would be a post made on an employee App that others can respond to at any time. Asynchronous communication can be particularly effective for remote teams & those working across multiple time zones or languages (‘inline translations’ is a must). ✔ Move from broadcasting to conversation (interactive channels, Q&As, polls, surveys, feedback loops). ✔ Include your frontline workers. They hardly complain about too much communication. They miss it & too often miss out. ✔ Put in meaningful efforts to truly understand what your employees want. There is no bottom-up communication fatigue … as long as people don’t feel that their voices fall on deaf ears. ✔ Adopt an internal communications platform to connect with your employees at the right time, with the right information, & where they want to receive it. A platform that allows employees to opt in or out of certain information & updates.  ➡️ What has worked for you to reduce internal comms fatigue? Share your tips 👇👇👇 🍯

Stop broadcasting AT your employees. Start speaking WITH them. And ditch the jargon. New data from Gartner shows you why 👇 "More informed employees outperform peers by 77%" 👀 The even better news? McKinsey shows that informed employees connect better: "Orgs with connected employees see 25% higher productivity" Which leads to a 50% greater chance to retaining talent. BUT... There are challenges today: - Employees waste 2.5 hours daily searching for information - 72% of employees don't understand company strategy - 60% of companies lack a long-term comms strategy So. What should you do? 📌 Try the "Rule of Thirds" for your comms 1️⃣ INFORM (33%) - Company updates - Strategic vision - Performance metrics - Industry insights 2️⃣ CELEBRATE (33%) - Team wins - Personal milestones - Cultural moments - Innovation spotlights 3️⃣ CONNECT (33%) - Employee stories - Open forums - Peer recognition - Community building The research proves it works: - Teams with effective communication are 3.5x more likely to outperform peers - 89% are more likely to recommend their company when they feel connected - Employees who feel heard are 4.6x more empowered TLDR; ❌ Old way: top-down comms ✅ New way: two-way comms Give your employees a voice. The future of internal comms is two-way. Not a broadcast. But a conversation. -- 👋 P.S. Which third of communications do you think most companies get wrong?

Do you remember the conversation that convinced you to accept your current role? Your hiring manager likely described expectations, why they wanted to hire you specifically, and the vision for your growth and development. You learned how they believed in you and what they felt you would bring to the role. The conversation left you feeling valued, supported, understood, and seen. Your acceptance was a direct result of buying into this vision described for you. Now imagine that your year-end performance management conversation had the same tone. Instead of 5 minutes discussing strengths and 45 minutes focused on development areas, what if your leader set out to rehire you in the conversation? Not just looking backward, but describing your opportunities for growth and development, laying out the path forward, and what you would bring to the work. Your year-end conversations should focus on three things: 1️⃣ Reflect on the past year 2️⃣ Help the employee understand their value and impact 3️⃣ Rehire the employee Rehiring your employees is one of the strongest retention tools leaders have. It requires a different type of conversation: ➡️ Ask the employee to share what they are most proud of, and how they are interested in growing and developing. ➡️ Highlight key successes and ask them their approach that resulted in the success. ➡️ Ask, "What was your best day at work this year and how can we create more of them?" ➡️ Detail what the employee does well, what you value about them, and what they should continue doing. ➡️ Inquire how the employee can grow and contribute their strengths more. ➡️ Review development (previously discussed in check-in conversations), discuss progress, and what help they need. ➡️ Discuss opportunities for growth in the current role, through projects, or in future roles. ➡️ Rehire the employee. Make the case for why the employee has continued growth, opportunity, and value in this role and/or with the company and why you need them. Don't check the box on these conversations. Setting your intention and preparing to rehire your employee can turn a bad conversation into a great one.

Internal communications are the heartbeat of distributed workforces 💓 As the boundaries of traditional workplaces blur, the importance of effective internal communication has become far more important. Remote and hybrid workforces, while offering flexibility, can often lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection. Strong, intentional internal communications are the glue that binds teams together, ensuring everyone is aligned with company goals and fostering a sense of community. There's an ongoing discussion about the ideal placement of internal communications within an organization. Should it fall under the purview of the people team, or is it more closely aligned with marketing? My take on why internal communications belongs with the people team: 💓 Employee-Centric Focus: The people team's primary responsibility is to support employees. Internal communications, as a crucial tool for employee engagement and well-being, naturally aligns with their mission. 💓 Sensitive Topic Expertise: Many internal communications revolve around sensitive issues like compensation, benefits, and DEI. The people team, with their deep understanding of these topics, can navigate these conversations with empathy and tact, plus get ahead of employee reactions and questions. 💓 Building Trust and Community: By fostering open communication channels, the people team can help build trust between employees and management, fostering a sense of belonging and community within the organization. In today's remote-first world, effective internal communications are not just a luxury but a necessity. By placing this function within the people team, organizations can ensure that their employees are informed, engaged, and connected to the company's mission. What's your take?

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼���𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆? 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁. That is not an opinion—it is backed by facts. I spent this past weekend reading through a bunch of surveys, articles, and other publications. Here's what it boils down to: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 There is a massive disconnect between what executives think they’re communicating and what workers actually hear: ❗𝟲𝟲% 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 believe they’re aligned with employees on business goals. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟰𝟰% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲. (2023 𝘎𝘌/𝘐𝘱𝘴𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦: 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵) ❗𝟳𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 say they provide enough context. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟰𝟲% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. 𝗢𝘂𝗰𝗵. 1️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱: Employees still have full-time jobs while navigating change. 2️⃣ 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: Less than half of organizations create space for real dialogue. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ≠ 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Overwhelming workers with messages results in disengagement. 4️⃣ 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Leaders focus on strategy; employees focus on daily realities. If you want your teams to 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, start with: ✅ 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. Host listening circles where leaders ask and don’t defend. ✅ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘀. Explain the why behind changes and how they fit into the bigger picture. ✅ Speak their language. Tailor messages to different levels—what matters to frontline workers differs from executives. ✅ Lead by doing. Employees believe what they see more than what they hear. ✅ Close the loop. Act on feedback. Employees stop speaking up when nothing changes. Change won’t fail due to strategy. It will fail due to people feeling unheard. Were you ever surprised by the manner in which teams really felt about a change? What did you do? Share your thoughts below. 👇 ----- Change happens. Fractional leaders help. And coffee. All the time. 👋 I’m Lars – I deliver transformation that sticks. 🔔 Follow me for more on fractional leadership and change management. ✉️ DM me ‘READY’ for more insights

😶🌫️ One of the biggest reasons internal communications fall flat? Organizations don’t actually know their audience. In my work advising HR and leadership teams, I see this gap over and over again. Messages get sent—often with the best intentions—but they miss the mark. Why? 🛑 They're generic. 🛑 They're out of sync with how employees work. 🛑 They don’t consider who’s receiving them—or how. We have five generations in the workforce, global and cultural differences, and varied work environments. And yet, too often, internal communication is still a one-size-fits-all email blast from HR. 💡 Human-Centered Design helps solve this. It starts by asking: ❓ Who are your employees—really? ❓ What do they need to hear? ❓ Where and when are they most likely to receive and absorb that message? ❓ What blockers or questions do they already have that we should anticipate? I use employee personas with my clients to design communication that resonates—and drives the outcome you actually want. Whether that’s behavior change, knowledge retention, or simple engagement, the message needs to connect emotionally and logistically. 📣 Inclusive internal communication also means creating the right cadence. Before you blast a major update company-wide, have you: ✨Equipped your people leaders first? ✨Given them time to digest, ask questions, and align talking points? ✨Piloted or refined your message to catch blind spots? When communication is clear, thoughtful, and aligned to your culture, it becomes a lever for connection, trust, and business alignment that drives business outcomes. Nectar’s guide on building an inclusive internal comms strategy captures this beautifully—and offers practical tips to start where you are. 🔗 Explore the guide here:https://lnkd.in/gBME7jTK 🙌 Learn more about how Nectar can help you create tailored communications: https://lnkd.in/gCBegjwB 💬 What’s one thing your company does—or could do—to better know and serve your internal audience? Let’s share ideas. 👇 #HumanCenteredDesign #InternalComms #EmployeeExperience #LeadershipAlignment #InclusiveWorkplaces

In a past role, I worked at a company where leadership barely communicated. After layoffs, employees were already on edge, and the silence from leadership made things worse. Without clarity, people filled in the gaps with their own assumptions—usually the worst-case scenario. The result? ❌ Misalignment ❌ Wasted effort ❌ Eroded trust At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate how foundational communication is to leadership. Looking back, I see how everything could have been different with an outward-focused approach—one that puts employees first. One of the biggest mindset shifts I’ve been exploring in my leadership development (especially through the The Arbinger Institute) is the outward mindset—essentially, shifting focus from yourself to the people you lead. Instead of communicating based on assumptions, fear, or self-preservation, outward-focused leaders ask: ✅ What do my employees need to feel confident and aligned? ✅ How can I create transparency and reduce ambiguity? ✅ Am I actually listening—or just waiting to respond? If leadership in my previous role had taken this approach, they could have prevented so much of the fear and confusion that took hold. So what does outward-focused communication actually look like? 🔹 Communicate early & often – Silence breeds fear. Even if you don’t have all the answers, share what you do know. 🔹 Choose transparency over perfection – Waiting for a perfect plan only creates more uncertainty. Speak up. 🔹 Align teams proactively – Set clear goals (OKRs) and reinforce them so people know what truly matters. 🔹 Create psychological safety – Invite honest feedback. Then act on it. 💡 If you want to learn more on this, Kyra M. facilitates an excellent #psychologicalsafety course! The Bottom Line: Communication Is Leadership Communication isn’t just a “nice-to-have” leadership skill—it’s the foundation of trust, alignment, and productivity. Without it, even the best strategies fall apart. So if you’re in a leadership role, ask yourself: 👉 Are you turning outward in how you communicate? Your answer might determine the culture—and success—of your team. #Leadership #Communication #Trust #OutwardMindset