Company Blogs Boost Communication at a Workplace

Communication at a workplace is one of the challenges that all businesses have to deal with. Finding ways to share information seamlessly between team members is the first step to creating more effective communication. The key is to encourage team members to cooperate with whatever measures you put in place. It also needs to be done in a way that doesn’t cause a dip in productivity from their daily tasks.  

While there are a number of ways that this can be achieved, one of the best tools is an internal blog. An internal blog will create more effective communication in the workplace. It provides an open communication medium between different departments and opens discussions in an organized format.  

Why a Company Should Start an Internal Blog 

Communication at a workplace is extremely important and it’s made much easier through internal blogs. Let’s look at some of the reasons.  

First and foremost, emails are the traditional go-to method of communication at a workplace but the problem is that emails are so disorganized that it’s difficult to keep track of anything accurately. They are great for one-on-one conversations but when it comes to groups, they have lost their allure.  

This blog post will explore some of the other reasons why having an internal blog is essential for communication at a workplace.  

An Internal Blog Provides Insight into the Company 

Traditional research involved things like focus groups and surveys. Information is valuable and businesses are paying a premium to get access to it. So it’s amazing at how many companies are not tapping into internal blogs.  

Look at this from a marketing perspective. Businesses use consumer blogs to identify key metrics and to discover otherwise hidden segments. They invest heavily in their success.  

An internal blog provides many of the same benefits, howbeit from an internal perspective. Employees can post and read content related to their workday, business processes, and even personal lives. This same information could be communicated via email too, but a blog provides a much more open format.  

When employees are able to share an open communication platform such as a blog, it promotes open communication in the workplace as well.  

Internal Blogs Provide a Platform for Knowledge Sharing 

Internal blogs have opened up the opportunity for knowledge sharing on a much larger scale than email. Think about it. When someone gets news related to the company, they usually send it through email. One of two things happen with email – either the coworkers are spammed, or information is not being sent due to fear of spamming. The reality is that only a small percentage of the team will even see the email.  

In the above scenario, knowledge sharing became a burden rather than a benefit and leaves so many people out of the loop.  

On the other hand, blogging in its very nature is a large-scale endeavor so once it becomes a part of the company culture, individuals will start using it to post these valuable resources without fear of spamming anyone.  

Centralized Information Boosts Productivity 

When information in a company is centralized into an internal blog, it saves valuable time. Employees no longer have to waste their day scouring workbooks or emails to find what they need. Internal systems will make this information searchable.  

Employees spend about 1/5 of their day looking for information so shaving into this time can provide a huge boost to productivity. In fact, the boost could be quite significant.  

That brings us to a counterargument that I hear quite often. While internal blogging might save in one area, it distracts employees from work. So the argument is that they are essentially just shifting their lack of productivity from one thing to another.  product

At first glance, it might seem like that, but when you dive into the overall benefits and processes involved, you’ll find that the time saved with indexing far outweighs the time used to post in a blog.  

Internal Blogs Build Relationships Between Employees 

Internal blogs that allow employees to post about their personal lives not only draw in more interest but provide a platform for employees to build relationships. A lot of times, what we see happen in a business is that individuals only interact with people in their own department but a blog will help break down those walls.  

Communication in a workplace doesn’t just involve business-related topics. When teams build personal, supportive relationships, they will be more efficient. An internal blog provides a platform for support. This is especially valuable during difficult times when someone within the company might need the support of others. In the end, the efficiency gained through these relationships far outweighs the time employees will spend on the blog.  

How to Start an Internal Company Blog from Scratch 

Now that you have seen the benefits of having an internal blog, let’s look at how to get started with it. Your company will have a mission statement and a corporate vision so that’s the best place to start. In the beginning, you will need to list the topics, guidelines, and overall goals of the blog. Make sure employees understand what content is allowed and put these rules in writing.  

Once you have those initial guidelines, here are some other issues that need to be sorted out.  

Step 1: Who will Add Content? 

Over time, the main goal is to allow everyone to add content but in the beginning, it’s essential that main topics be delegated. I recommend that you outsource the initial batch of posts just so that you get some content initially and then see if anyone within the organization volunteers.  

Provide a personalized section so that individuals can post about things personal to them. I know this doesn’t seem productive, but it motivates people to be more active within the blog.  

Step 2: Create a Content Calendar 

This will be your agenda for adding content to the blog so you’ll want to assign topics to specific individuals so that the blog is updated regularly. I recommend that the head of each department shares some kind of department-related topic at least once a month. But you should also provide a way for certain individuals to add industry-related news too so that your employees are all kept in the loop.  

Step 3: Encourage and Make it Part of Company Culture 

Include a section that describes the responsibilities of an internal corporate blog so that everyone understands how to use it. You don’t want them to spend all of their time writing posts and commenting but healthy debates should also be encouraged. In most cases, people will use their free time to add information. Make it a fun and natural part of your company’s culture.  

Internal Blogging Leads to Effective Communication at a Workplace 

Connections are fostered and relationships are encouraged by having an internal company blog, which will make communication at a workplace much more natural. Corporate structure tends to weigh certain voices more heavily than others in a traditional atmosphere, thus drowning out the majority of employees. Problem is that many of those individuals have important insight into the overall processes of a business. You want an atmosphere where everyone is heard.  

Effective communication in the workplace is developed through an internal blog. Get one started today and start reaping the benefits!