Vertical communication and employee advocacy in extraordinary times

In any environment, communication is the critical base of any task. Every administrative function or activity involves some form of a direct or indirect form of communication. In simple terms, communication is defined as the transmission of information from the sender to the receiver.

Still, the whole process of decode and encode of the message doesn’t stay as simple as the definition in various situations. The quality of communication is determined by the elements involved throughout the process.

It relies on two more factors, other than the sender and receiver, which is the medium of conveying the message and the noise barriers circulating the message. The restrictions could be different perceptions of the message, language barriers or interruptions.

The barriers tend to arise frequently in a setting where the number of people is more, especially in any form of organization. In an organizational ambience, the goal is to deliver total communication activity generated to relevant target groups to achieve planned objectives and create relationships with employees, customers, clients and stakeholders.

Any complexity can breakdown the transparency and authenticity of the communication and the cycle of understanding the message.

To avoid any kind of discrepancies, it’s always advisable to have a systematic route of communication as it’ll help in increasing feasibility and effectiveness, irrespective of the medium used or the demographics involved and decrease the contingency of physical, semantic, process and psychological barriers.

Vertical communication

Communication is a two-way process. Dissemination of information effectively on various hierarchical levels of an organization and the ability to listen and act righty upon the given information by the employees, enhances the workflow. This process is called Vertical communication. In simpler terms, it involves streamlining of information both up and down the organization, along formal reporting lines.

Responsibilities of corporate communication are to advocate communication strategies & tactics, managing issues, lobbying for favourable outcomes for the organization, monitoring responses from audiences as well as markets and formulate & execute effective procedures in all concerning matters. Vertical communication is a subset of corporate communication and has various perks associated with it.

  • With proper flow, nobody in the organization can remain alien to the information passed on and get clarity on the on-going activities in the environment.
  • The constant flow of information up and down the organization’s hierarchy can strengthen the relationship between superiors and subordinates. It also develops a sense of discipline among each level of employee, as duties and responsibilities can be divided according to the hierarchy. An increase in efficiency can be observed in such a breakdown of the workflow.
  • Vertical communication ensures proper assigning of roles and practical evaluation and assessment of performance.

Although the status, power and the chain of command are not equal in all levels in this form of communication and its quiet time taking, it enables subordinates and superiors to form a transparent connection and coordination between each other.

Each organization expects its employees to deliver high-quality work, but in return, the organization also has to ensure that they’re catering to all the needs of their employees. Organizations are aware of the fact the work done by the employees is directly proportional to the success of the company. The biggest asset companies have is their employees, and with the help of them, any organization can make their mark in the market and stand out.

Employee Advocacy

There are no better advocates for a company than its employees. Organizations can take help from their employees to build identity and spread the vision and objective among the masses. Employees can benefit the organization by promoting it, and this process is called Employee Advocacy. It’s a strategic approach incorporated by organizations to encourage employees to share brand values and messages in an organic way among the prospective target audience.

The reason why organizations opt for this approach is to build a sense of trust among the audience as the employers vouching for the organization already know the working environment, products and services, and the culture, and to obtain the maximum amount of reach. While implementing an employee advocacy program, organizations should ensure that participation is voluntary and out of genuine interest. The plan should be implemented with specified goals and should also have sustainable measures to calculate the results.

The process involves generating the aim and objective of the plan and selecting a team that will monitor and manage the implementation. The team has to ensure that the objective of the process reaches all levels in the organization to give clarity on how the workflow will be affected and what’s expected out of the employees. It is the team’s job to identify and filter out the employees who have a broader reach on social media platforms along with the employees who can curate content for the platforms. The company’s employees have diverse interests and personalities, which often reflect the customer base. Once all the points are checked, the Employee Advocacy program is ready to launch.

The reason why Employee Advocacy has started catching the eyes of most organizations is that as compared to any influencer or the corporate brand itself, the reach of employees collectively on social media platforms is higher and can pull the maximum amount of attention. More eyeballs can help in increasing sales. Audiences look for trusted advisors before trying out any product or service. Employees are the most trustworthy source and can be relied upon. Apart from sales, brand awareness, an increase in followers and conversions can also be done through this program.

Employee Advocacy can prove out to be useful in times of crisis or during an extraordinary situation. If done appropriately, it can bring a positive impact to the organization. Employees can share accurate and trustworthy information related to the industry they are associated with. Employees can come up with measures to deal with the circumstances and connect with the audience on a one on bases. They can also deliver the communication on behalf of the organization if any mishap occurred, and the organization is unable to communicate formally.

Possessing social skills has now become essential for employees and organizations are giving creative freedom to employees, which is quite unusual because creativity surviving in a corporate is a little unheard of. The transparency and recognition of effective advocacy can improve the job satisfaction of employees and prove out to be successful for the organization.  


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