India Employer Forum

Human Capital

Rethinking Employee Communication Platforms

  • By: India Employer Forum
  • Date: 18 May 2021

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Employee communication platform – it is the quickest, most effective way of shaping the day-to-day employee experience without having to be everywhere. A single line or staff manager would not hold the sustained attention of an employee the way the platform does. It has aesthetic appeal too, in addition to the functional nature of it. It is a way of asserting brand awareness, continuing the tone of the brand through the user experience of the interface, and helping the employee handle daily and periodic activities smoothly.

The best practices for creating and configuring an employee communication platform can be gleaned from various examples of communication systems across industries. But none do it so well as the healthcare communication systems which are always fighting fires and working against time. Most recently, healthcare systems have been through the wringer, so employee communication platforms have plenty to learn and emulate from their journey and the progress they’ve made.

You might also be interested to read: Technology In The Workplace Improves Employee Engagement And Loyalty

There are plenty of reasons why employee communication platforms modeled on hospital triage response systems cater to every need of a busy organization in a fast-paced industry. The similarities do not end with the pace and bustle of a busy hospital. For instance: Employee communication platforms have to be clear and steer clear of any confusion. One message can only mean one thing and is instantly understood.

Employee communication platform in the digitized world of work

The employee communication platform has to be consistent and reliable (if it’s a good one). In addition, it should have the following attributes to stay relevant and utilitarian in the current atmosphere:

Centralized control: New issues and triggers with unprecedented problems are always coming up in busy hospitals and emergency rooms. This is why the address system overrides all other messages and can be heard over everything else, quite similar to a fire drill.

Digital UX: These days, almost all employee communication systems are digitally housed and controlled. This is why there is almost zero loss of information and the number of people who have opened and read a message, or responded to a survey can be seen clearly by the control center.

Virtual collaboration (akin to Teleconsultation): The overworked healthcare system has moved on to teleconsultation programs, check-ups, and additional advice dispensed via the phone. While this certainly reduces the number of walk-ins and face-to-face contact, it still taxes the employee communication platform more than usual. Scheduling appointments, coordinating appointment slots with the doctors and specialists, forwarding prescriptions, and so on have to happen seamlessly to avoid escalations and calls to customer care. Similar distributed solutions for video conferencing, presentations, vote-taking, and carrying discussions forward to execution are essential in an employee communication platform.

Robustness in transferability: The medical field consists of doctors and nurses as well as a score of administrative staff, assistants, and interns. Employee communication systems that understand and cater to all these functional areas would make communication easy and messages reliable. It is even better if the same system can be used for multiple locations across a city/country. This analogy is eminently usable in the context of multinational corporations with operations and hierarchies in a variety of geographical locations and cultures.

Employee communication platforms should incorporate these ideas, especially in the world of complete digital transformation. When the basic postulates are met, there are fewer chances of the most worrisome event in the digital world of work – communication breakdown. It is a set-up worth investing in and keeping up in practice.

Reference: Choosing an Employee Communication Platform: 5 Life-Saving Lessons From Healthcare | Toolbox | Nicole Alvino | March 31st, 2021

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