Business communication software makes or breaks workplace culture

Organizations with strong company cultures see increases in metrics across the board — like a 50-point increase in employee engagement over three years and an 85% net profit increase over five years, Gallup found amongst their own clients.

• Why it matters: Only two out of 10 U.S. employees feel connected to their company culture. If leaders don’t fix that fast, they risk lower retention rates, decreased productivity, and decreased engagement.

However, it’s an uphill battle, with 25% of all workers feeling less connected to their coworkers after COVID — including on-site workers — despite organizations trying to create connections between employees. 

Happy hours, ping pong tables, and online meetups just aren’t enough to foster a true company culture and connection between team members. Leaders need to create an environment that employees want to be a part of, and cultivating that environment starts with communication from day one that runs up, down, and around an organization.

How communication leads to better company culture 

Many companies think touting their values over and over again is the key to having a culture. But it’s more than just having — and living — values. A robust company culture is one that takes into account employee wellbeing, connection, and alignment, amongst others. And the one simple way to promote all those aspects is open, transparent communication.   

Want to share benefits updates or DEI initiatives? Send it as part of a newsletter. Have a fantasy football league? Include it in the next org-wide email. Communication is key not only to getting your values across, but to creating a company that employees want to work for because it helps employees feel aligned, informed, and included. They know when to expect information, who it’s coming from, and where to go for help. 

And companies with strong communication strategies see improvements in employee engagement, organization success, and more:

• Trust. At organizations where employees trust one another and their company leadership, colleagues have more mental bandwidth to share ideas and be creative, Forbes notes. They fret less and brainstorm more, which can lead to stronger culture and better bottom lines. 
• Resiliency. When employees are informed around what to expect, how to proceed, and any possible speed bumps coming their way, they’re better prepared to act and react. 
• Collaboration. When employees feel free to communicate openly with one another they are better able to collaborate, seek feedback, and strategize together. And when they have a good report with colleagues, they’re more likely to stay with an organization. 
• Compliance. Open comms leads employees to feel safer reporting issues and to trust in the necessity of safety regulations. 
• Values. When priorities are regularly communicated to workers, they are more likely to know what is expected of them, how they contribute to company goals, and how to achieve individual success. 

Once you improve that culture, you can attract top talent and keep them longer. But it all starts with a communication strategy that brings everyone in the organization together around shared goals.

Finding the best business communication software 

Currently, employees tend to get buried in multiple repeat emails on the same subjects from different sources — with the Harvard Business Review reporting that 57% of employees and managers receive communications about the same topic at the same time. And when the volume of communications gets too high, employees start to fall into the 60% to 80% of people who will scan, not read, updates. That’s if they open them at all. 

To cut down on the number of ad-hoc emails flying around filling inboxes, leaders from across the company need to band together around a comms strategy that doesn’t overwhelm employees. And that starts with a business communication software that the whole organization can employ and collaborate in.

Best business software communication features to look for:

• From start to send: Multiple tools mean more time navigating between them, risking losing data, and possible incompatibilities when systems don’t talk. Not to mention a higher price tag and more training. Organizations need an easy way to go from a blank page to a finished, sent email all in one single tool. Look for one that does it all to save big.
• Collaboration: Paying by the head is a thing of the past. Find a company that lets you have as many seats at the table as you need. That way, everyone who needs to be a content contributor, reviewer, designer, or sender can be. 
• AI aspects: Get away from what Roy Schwartz, Axios HQ CEO, called the "Blank Page Problem" at a recent event. Even those with no writing background can keep the team aligned using generative AI tools that help guide them through creating updates using templates and guided writing. 
• Strong company values: Just as organizations need to be communicating and living their values, so should any comms platform you use. That includes knowing how they’ll treat your data. Make sure you know how they can or can’t use it to train AI or update their systems.  

The bottom line: Not just any communication will do though — because 60% of workers are already feeling burned out due to digital communications. That’s why leaders need a shorter, smarter, more effective way to communicate with their employees in order to boost company culture. They need a platform that anyone can use in order to cut down on the noise so employees can get back to work and back to building a culture that will keep them engaged. 

Go deeper: See the AI-powered software hundreds of organizations use to improve their communications