In every workplace, internal communication is crucial in maintaining professional relationships, improving productivity, and just streamlining the process all throughout. More so for manufacturing industries that aim to expedite every aspect of the business.
Investing in manufacturing tools that expedite the process is one priority among factories. Technologies such as innovative plastic injection molding and other automation tools can greatly reduce work time while increasing production.
However, improving internal communication is just as important too as those machines will be controlled by humans. The human workforce remains to be the lifeblood of businesses. Quality employees and updated, well-maintained equipment make a productive business, partially.
How Companies Benefit from Good Workplace Communication
Increased productivity is always the outcome when businesses stress the importance of quality internal communication in the workplace. Here are reasons manufacturing industries should put in effort for improving communication at work, not just the work process or equipment:
Increased innovation
Workers from the lowest level know what owners don’t. What they may observe and think about for solutions may be what the company needs. Employees, when made to feel that their ideas aren’t going to be unheard or ridiculed, tend to bring their ideas to the table. Most likely, their suggestions would be innovative ones, even unheard of by those in the admin roles.
Business’ growth
Employees that feel they are heard, acknowledged, and valued feel more satisfied at work; hence, more productive. When both internal and external communications are improved, growth is promising. The delivery of the message is consistent and everyone’s on the same wavelength; growth then follows.
Strengthened management
Managers that are strong communicators are well able to manage their team. Strong management largely depends on leaders that do well in managing conflicts, delegating tasks, and building relationships. Businesses with strongly communicative managers can greatly build their workforce up.
Consequences of Lack of Communication in Businesses
Lack of communication leads to various problems in the workplace. Misunderstandings are bound to happen. Employees may not totally understand what their job encompasses. There may be unnecessary conflicts too, such as when a team feels like they’re doing everything and the other only exerts less effort.
Worse, it can even lead to employees’ mistrust of the management, lowering their morale and breaking the company’s culture too. Employees may miss opportunities too, especially those who fail to communicate their interest in getting a promotion.
Production is greatly affected in the end, especially when the “grapevine effect” happens, which occurs when one person miscommunicates information, and so, employees receive wrong information that would affect outcomes in the end.
Tips for Manufacturing Industries to Improve Communication
Improving communication in a fast-paced manufacturing industry should be a priority. Production depends on quality relay of information and strong teamwork. Here are some ways this quick-paced industry can improve internal and external communication:
Enhance the training
Old and new employees should have the opportunity to receive continuous training, most especially for new hires. New employees undergo lag time when they’re yet unable to contribute fully to the company being in their onboarding or nesting stage.
One way to effectively train new employees is to assign them with a mentor who can walk them through every process. Putting resources in one place in which new hires can look back on if they forget can greatly help too.
Keep employees updated
Don’t just rely on paper-based or traditional notices such as bulletin boards, newsletters, or even emails. Employees should receive real-time, handy information, which can be achieved through mobile communication.
Email service can get disrupted too and it’s impossible to maintain face-to-face communication. Mobile communication is the handiest way to get information to all employees.
Get employees’ feedback
Owners and managers can’t know everything. For instance, there are things that only those working in the production know. To improve the outcomes, it pays to solicit ideas from employees of different teams.
Use the language employees understand better
Your factory may be a melting pot of employees. To ensure that your information is well understood, communicate with your employees using the language they understand better or relay information in apps with translation features.
Update safety measures
Health and safety should be a priority in factories, having to handle various equipment and resume work at the site despite the pandemic. Precautionary measures for health and safety should be prioritized, updated all the time, and posted where employees can easily see.
Productivity and effective workplace communication are correlated. Prioritize improving communication in the manufacturing site to boost outcomes and avoid all the other problems lack of communication brings.