Achieve better workplace communication with Notice Boards

How to achieve better workplace communication with Notice Boards

The workplace is full of opportunities to communicate, but some communication is better if it’s highlighted non-verbally; such as notices, which can easily be forgotten at the end of the workday. A work e-mail is a great way to ensure your employees and colleagues see and read notices, but some notices are less formal and don’t need to be mass sent via email. This is where notice boards come in.

If you already have an office notice board, you may have noticed that it can quickly become a dumping ground for leaflets and takeout menus that get delivered with the office mail. Most offices have a notice board, but with how much time employees spend strapped to their desk chairs, they will typically only read it when waiting for the kettle to boil. Nothing kills the time faster than reading about some nearby self-defence class while waiting for a cuppa.

But if you, as an employer or office manager, are looking to embark on the journey of revamping the office’s notice boards, then there are a few things you should take into consideration to make those notice boards more appealing for your employees or co-workers to read.

Reflect your office’s culture

Ask yourself about your office – the kind of workplace culture that you see on a daily basis. How fun are the workers in the office? How serious? Would the higher ups appreciate the kind of notice boards you have in mind? These may seem like strange things to be considering, it’s just a notice board, after all; but that’s exactly why you should take certain factors into account.

Notice boards should reflect your company’s overall culture, but they should also be specifically catered towards the employees that use the space around it. Not only is this a great chance to get to know your employees better, you can also create a more exciting atmosphere by being a little creative with the notice boards that are available in the workspace.

Once you understand the personalities and hobbies of the people in the workplace, you can accommodate your employees and co-workers by designing notice boards that peak their interest. Notice boards in the office don’t have to be filled with work notices; they can be useful for advertising classes, extra training, or even be used by your employees who are selling items outside of work.

Using notice boards for fun

A great idea for your office notice boards is to use them for reward systems or to showcase your employees. If you’re going to be putting up a list of birthdays, or any other similar information, ensure that you ask everyone if they are happy for their personal information to be shared first.

Reward charts or even lucky prize draws can be a great way to motivate your employees, too.

Notice boards are a very public way of displaying motivational rewards.

Using notice boards for workplace communication

When it comes to using notice boards for workplace communication, there are a few ways to ensure that your workers actually view the notices. Make notice boards bright and interesting to gain the attention of passers-by. Text should be bold, and large enough for the titles (at least) to be read at a distance.

Crucial information that should be included on notice boards is as follows: directions to emergency exits, information regarding office closures, a list of workplace holidays, any new HR policies that all workers need to be made aware of, and the dates and times of any upcoming staff meetings or company events.

Read more: Share News, Views, Events and Ideas With an Office Notice Board