How to improve staff wellbeing with better communication
Humans are characteristically social creatures. Research shows that a person’s greatest source of happiness can be attributed to their relationships with others. For solid relationships to thrive, in one’s personal life (or indeed the workplace), clear and open communication is key. How people create, transmit and interpret messages can be directly attributed to personal wellbeing and have a direct and positive impact on factors such as safety, clarity, delegation, camaraderie, task completion and job satisfaction.
Here we look at areas in which wellbeing in the workplace can be improved by better communication, specifically via team two-way radio communications solutions (as that’s our ‘thing’)…
Lone worker safety
It goes without saying that those who work alone need to be looked after. Lone workers need to have the ability to connect with a support team who may not be with them in person. Whether this is an operative in a workshop, a security guard patrolling a building after hours, or a healthcare professional working on a ward late at night, lone workers still need to be able to communicate with others in emergencies. Man-down alarms, GPS tracking and two-way radio communications are fantastic features available for a variety of industry sectors, and widely used in emergencies.
Health and Safety
As a worker, you should feel safe at work. Full stop. When you feel safe, you’ll perform your job to a higher level and be more engaged with your organisation and colleagues. While health and safety is a key consideration for many organisations, especially those who operate in harsh environments, the type of communication solution will vary and needs to be tailored. Mobile phone communication doesn’t always quite cut it when it comes to health and safety. Industries such as mining, warehousing, oil and gas and building construction will need specific communications solutions in place for their staff that are robust and will withstand these challenging environments. The Samsung Rugged Range is a fantastic example of a two-way radio solution built just for this need, as are Sonim radios and smartphones.
Real-time communication
Mobile phones are used predominantly for two people to communicate with each other directly. However, real-time communication amongst teams can be crucial in some business settings. For teams to communicate with staff in other places (i.e. front of the house to a warehouse, or waitressing staff to the kitchen), digital communications are the way to go when mobile phones won’t cut it. Digital team communications solutions in the form of apps (such as Zebra Workforce Connect) and two-way radios provide real-time communication amongst teams.
“How is this going to improve wellbeing though?” we hear you ask. Well, it’s simple. To allow workers to do their job better, and deal with customers, emergencies, and everyday tasks, the ability to communicate clearly with other colleagues in real-time can be a massive boost. Depending on the sector, there are many solutions available. From wireless team headsets such as those by VoCoVo to mission-critical highly secure two-way digital mobile radios from Sepura, real-time communication will only be a plus.
Quality of communication
Clear messaging is not only going to save time, but it will mean those transmitting and receiving messages aren’t frustrated and are understood easily. This will allow productive working and also, importantly, swift and proper responses in an emergency. Noise-cancelling technologies included in many radio hardware solutions have great benefits here for the reasons just stated. Less distraction at work means fewer accidents and better customer interactions for front-line staff, which in turn will add to a sense of wellbeing and job satisfaction.
The right type of communication
Workers in some industries will need to speak via voice communications. Others would find this distracting and impeding to their job. The important thing here is to consider the well-being of your staff and ensure that the communication systems put in place mirror their needs and make their lives easier. When it comes to radio communications there are many factors and functionalities to consider, including:
- Text messaging
- Group messaging
- Voice calls
- The ability to record messages
- Alarms
- GPS tracking
When the right solution is implemented for that team, the possibilities are endless. Time-saving, increased team morale, and better customer service are all outputs of a well-specified communication solution that will directly impact how your staff are feeling, and performing.
In conclusion
Better communication can have so many benefits for organisations, and most importantly, for their staff. Consider the needs of your business, your customers, and your staff and if there are gaps in communication channels; it’s certain there’s an easy way to improve them.
Contact 2826 today for an informal chat; we have over 20 years of experience providing market-leading two-way radio communications solutions for countless businesses to help them operate smarter, faster and safer.
