Create predictability
Consider what you as a manager can do to create predictability for your employees:
- Are there clear guidelines for when and how they are informed? Has everyone been informed, regardless of their working hours?
- Does everyone know what’s been planned for them in the near future? Are they informed about significant changes well in advance? Do they know their working hours well in advance? Do they know who they’ll be working with in the near future?
- Are they unsure about whether there’ll be significant changes in their work and at their workplace in the near future?
- Is everyone clear about their tasks and function? And what you expect from them?
- Are the vision, strategy and focus areas of the company clear to everyone?
Here is what you can do
- When and how do you provide information? Make sure that everyone receives the relevant knowledge at the right time. Management is responsible for providing information in good time. This prevents the spread of rumours about new ideas and plans. At the same time, employees must be given sufficient information about changes, so that they can influence their own situation. However, if the information is too abstract, employees may start imagining things that don’t necessarily apply.
- Establish routines for providing information. When is important information provided at your workplace? Employees can best stay informed if they know where and when it’s important to be present. At shops with changing shifts and staff, it’s often difficult to hold regular staff meetings attended by everyone. Therefore, consider alternative ways to keep your employees updated. This could be via notice boards or the intranet.
- Daily, weekly and monthly information. Consider holding short meetings every day, for example in the morning, to plan work and talk about the tasks for the day and to provide other relevant information. This enables managers and employees to engage in daily dialogue, and employees can influence their workday.
You can also hold weekly or monthly meetings. The point is that they should be held regularly, and they should be a forum for employees to receive information and be heard. Boards and notice boards are good to make agreements and information visible. They support the verbal communication. - Provide information well in advance. Employees are best placed to prepare mentally and perhaps influence their situation if you notify them well in advance about plans and events relating to tasks, collaboration or overall organisation of work. For those with changing working hours, it’s particularly important to receive work schedules well in advance. This provides predictability and thus the best possible framework for a good work-life balance.
- Close dialogues. Is there consistency between what management wants and needs and what employees want and need in terms of information? Consider whether the amount of information from both sides is sufficient and is given at the right time. Close dialogue is necessary to know about what type of information the employees need and when.
- General initiatives at company level. General initiatives such as a communication strategy/policy may require decision-making at a higher or more general level of the company. In this context, you must use the channels available to launch initiatives.