ROC Weekly Management & Mindset Segment
Using Technology to Connect with Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center Employees
Open communication is one of the most important contributors to success in business. Facilitating an engaging workplace can help boost productivity, reduce stress and frustration, contribute to workplace satisfaction, and retain staff.
Benefits of digital communication in the workplace
Here is a list of benefits of using digital communication tools in the workplace:
Engagement and empowerment: Utilizing digital communication methods and tools can help provide information to all members of your team quickly and easily. It can also provide a voice for employees and encourage them to share ideas or concerns.
Reinforce values and goals: Providing a digital channel for employees to communicate and work together can help build a shared sense of purpose and can align employee actions with the values of the company.
Increased efficiency: Helping employees communicate with each other and with management, and access and share information easily can help increase team efficiency. By reducing the time it takes to perform these activities, employees can feel less frustration and become more effective in their roles.
Increased collaboration: Effective technological tools can increase collaboration, encourage sharing of ideas, facilitate teamwork, and boost company morale. These tools help remove communication barriers and improve employee experience at work.
Tools to help you collaborate and connect with your rehab facility team
Here is a list of tools you can consider implementing to help encourage communication and boost productivity:
Slack
Slack is an online workplace messaging tool that facilitates sharing files, messaging, integrating with other tools, collaboration, and video and voice messaging. It offers the ability to use emojis, send reactions, format text, and post status updates. Users can have one-to-one or group conversations and create different channels as necessary. You can use the search function to find conversations or files easily and in one place to help reduce the time spent sending, receiving, organizing and deleting emails. It also eliminates the need for multiple tabs or lines of communication, as you can organize your conversations and groups in the way that makes the most sense for your business and team.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams offers many of the same features as Slack, as it is a workplace communication platform that allows for messaging, file sharing, videoconferences, and integration into your calendar. You can chat with others one-to-one or in a group and integrate other apps to customize the way you use the platform and the way you work.
Trello
Trello is an online project management tool that organizes a project into boards. It is based on the concept of a Kanban board- a series of customizable cards you can use to organize tasks to monitor progress. Similar to a wall with a series of sticky notes, you can create cards, add information, images, or other files, and arrange them in a workflow or in categories. As your project progresses, you can update these cards, rearrange them, or archive them as they are complete. You can use it as a personal to-do list, or invite others to collaborate on a project.
Substack
Substack is a newsletter platform you can use to reach out to your staff regularly, track your metrics, and connect with your team in a way that applies to them and holds their interest. The platform allows you to categorize your content, upload your contacts list, monitor your metrics (open rate, link clicks, shares, likes, etc), and have an archive of your previous content, much like a blog section of a website. You can also add custom elements, like writer bios, bylines, logos, and colors.
Ways to use technology to communicate regularly with your employees
Whether your employees are working remotely or in-office, it is important to ensure that important information is being shared as necessary, and to implement practices that help employees feel engaged and motivated. Here are a few ways that you can utilize technology to keep everyone informed and involved:
Invest in a task management tool: You can implement quick communication tools, like Slack or Microsoft teams, or project management tools, like Trello, to help employees stay updated and report their progress, and streamline teamwork in a way that reduces emails and accommodates different schedules and work patterns.
Create a blog or newsletter: Creating a blog or newsletter can help management share important updates and can provide an opportunity for team members to share important information as needed.
Implement accessible technology: It is important that your team members have the tools they need to work on their tasks and communicate with one another. Promoting accessibility and collaboration will help reduce frustrations and increase productivity and teamwork.
Hold regular check-ins: Despite the benefits of using technology to communicate, collaborate, and provide updates, sometimes it is necessary to meet one-on-one. Be sure to schedule regular check-ins with staff members to reduce feelings of isolation, maintain the human element in the workflow, and to help ensure everyone is on track and has what they need to succeed in their role.
If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z