How Great Communicators Connect with Employees

Being a Human Resources professional takes a certain amount of finesse to balance the job-specific skills and nuances of employee engagement. To advance in your career, you must become a great communicator and learn how to connect with your employees.
While many Human Resources professionals have the business savvy to do well with recruiting, policy writing, and dealing with tough situations, they can’t truly connect with employees. Strong communication skills and authentic connectivity will set you apart when it matters the most. Here are some ways great communicators connect.

Make Time to Talk

In our sedentary world, it’s all too common to be stuck at one’s desk for hours on end with all human interaction being filtered through a screen. Getting caught in the day-to-day tasks like revising documents, screening candidates, and checking the employee timesheets takes away time from engaging employees.
While you certainly shouldn’t waste time socializing while you should be working, taking a fifteen-minute break every couple of hours can help you stay refreshed and productive. Use this time to stop by the water cooler and have a conversation with an employee. Over time, you’ll get to know tidbits of information about various people, that you can use to start conversations at company social events.

Authenticity and Transparency

Many Human Resources professionals default to an overly friendly demeanor in an attempt to maintain an image of approachability with employees. However, even though their intentions are pure, it often comes off as inauthentic and untrustworthy.

When talking to employees, be yourself. Maintain an appropriate level of professionalism, but don’t go out of your way to appear extra friendly or enthusiastic. Great communicators speak from the heart and don’t alter their mannerisms to appeal to the masses. They also often sincere tokens of appreciations to the employees. A fun idea is to get some challenge coins made, like the ones they give out in the military. Shake hands with the employees at the end of the conversation, and smile as they notice the coin in their hands. It will be an endearing way of approaching and making a connection.

Listen First

Hone your active listening skills and train yourself to listen to understand, rather than to respond. Take time to fully comprehend what people are saying, by asking probing questions and summarizing their words back to them. When someone is speaking to you, the only things you should be saying are conveyed through body language: upright posture, eye contact, nodding, etc.
Communication consists of both sending messages and receiving them-- people tend to forget about the latter half. Great communicators don’t just know how to talk to people; they know how to be talked to. By being an effective listener, employees will know that you care about the things they are saying and will become more willing to make a connection and build trust.

Have an Open Door Policy

Let your employees know that you have an open door policy and that they can come to you with anything, free of judgment. Give them various channels by which to approach you, as many people struggle with the idea of confrontation when a problem arises.

Most importantly, don’t just say you are approachable and trustworthy, show your people. If something arises, tell them exactly what will take place as a result. This all circles back into being authentic and transparent, learning to listen, and making time to talk.

The Human Resources department is meant to foster a connection between an organization and its people. By becoming a great communicator, you will be the frontline for this connection.