During a working day, whether it takes place on the premises, in the field or remotely, employees are required to exchange informally. These conversations are not supervised or official and may also concern topics other than their professional activity. Although they can sometimes cause the distrust of certain management teams, informal discussions are nevertheless an asset for companies. Find out why formal and informal communication are in the best interests of living together, and what are The benefits of informal communication in business.
What is informal communication?
Informal communication in business refers to relaxed and “outside the framework” exchanges between employees, orally or in writing, during working hours. It is opposed to formal exchanges, shared officially, supervised and more strictly.
During the lunch break or over coffee, for example, informal and spontaneous conversations concern both personal and professional life, and escape a hierarchical or official framework. These are natural interactions, taking place in a context of everyday social relationships.
What are the advantages of informal communication in business?
While some leaders might like to minimize informal exchanges during working hours, it is neither possible nor desirable to work for their disappearance. This is an essential and beneficial form of dialogue for businesses, which they would be wrong to do without.
It promotes a good working atmosphere
In France, in 2021, employees spent an average of 36.9 hours per week at work, or 1,567 hours over a year. A large part of their time is therefore dedicated to work. It is certainly a question of being efficient and productive, but that does not exclude the possibility of engaging in relaxed exchanges during the day to make them more enjoyable. When an employee settles into his office in the morning or during a coffee break, informal exchanges promote a good mood, helping to create a friendly, warm and motivating professional environment.
It participates in the flow of information
The benefits of informal communication in business are observed in the transmission of messages and their memorization. Informal exchanges are based on processes of repetition, which make information understandable and memorable. They also allow everyone to freely express an opinion during a discussion. Thanks to them, leaders and managers directly appreciate the impact of announcements on teams and gather feedback. Finally, informal exchanges constitute an alert system, useful for reacting and adapting more quickly.
It reinforces the feeling of cohesion
Informal exchanges create links and maintain a form of solidarity that reinforces the sense of belonging of employees. Each of them feels part of the group, promoting united, united and committed teams. Freer and more human, this form of informal dialogue encourages employees to express themselves about the difficulties they encounter in order to find solutions collectively. It also tends to increase motivation through the virtuous effect of sharing and cooperation.
It defuses tensions
Informal communication is a real management tool, effective in defusing tensions, questions and complications. It allows people to express themselves in a more open and democratic way, in fact contributing to the rapid resolution of problems. By communicating more freely, employees easily get rid of misunderstandings and misunderstandings before they become too big. Teams can thus move forward more quickly once conflict situations are resolved.
The internal communication software that facilitates strategic and informal communication in companies
With the rise of teleworking, informal exchanges in companies have tended to decrease a lot. Without lunch breaks as a team or the few minutes of relaxation shared over coffee, employees did not find these moments essential to their well-being and that of the company. However, it is essential to promote the continuity of these exchanges by recreating spaces dedicated to them in order to maintain a positive climate and avoid the potential isolation of certain employees.
To encourage informal dialogue at a distance, businesses need to create a framework at these moments that are useful for building relationships. They should promote and facilitate them, in particular through the use of adequate tools like instant communication tools.
Video conferencing software thus makes it possible to recreate breaks between colleagues virtually to make room for informal conversations and promote the inclusion of all employees, even remotely. Corporate social networks are interesting because they create various formal and informal discussion threads that offer employees the opportunity to discuss current topics, for example.
The software of internal communication are also effective tools to meet cohesion challenges. They maintain the framework for both formal communications and informal exchanges, within and outside the company.
The Cenareo solution offers beneficial continuity to employees on site and working from home, who can:
- Break isolation and interact in a free, effective and instantaneous way;
- Take advantage of informal exchange spaces when they are on the go;
- Be part of informed, committed, productive and cohesive teams;
- Sharing new communication experiences that are more engaging and inclusive.
Thanks to these platforms, employees can disconnect from work for a moment, while benefiting from a better cohesiveness with their peers. Invite your employees to an inter-team afterwork, celebrate a birthday or share surveys to gather feedback in order to improve the quality of life at work. Integrated into the Digital workplace of the company, the internal communication software Cenareo allows you to take advantage of all The benefits of informal communication in business virtually.
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