HR Communications - An interview with Gabriel Alkan from SpecialistHR in Sydney

What's the best way for the Human Resources department to communicate to employees, email, meetings or something else?
This would depend on the size of the organization, particular industry and physical numbers within the HR team. In an ideal world the best form of communication between the HR department and employees would be via face to face meetings. Specialist HR has found this approach to be most effective as it allows for practitioners to gage employees in real time.

Do you think that employees, generally speaking, feel that their HR department is accessible?
Generally speaking I would have to say no. Specialist HR has worked with several businesses to change this culture. We have worked with some businesses where HR departments are very accessible but these tend be exceptions.

Have you got any general advice for HR practitioners related to communicating with employees?
Better communication skills and methods need to be developed when communicating with employees. Although email communication is effective in reaching out to mass numbers it doesn’t really leave a lasting impact on employees so my advice would be to communicate in a more personable style when and where possible.

Interesting Fact about HR communication (from Gabriel):
HR communication is paramount to the success of companywide communication. If the HR department can’t get it right I doubt other departments will! It’s important to remember that each business is unique and different, for this reason it’s critical to always assess the business and survey staff before conducting communication workshops. Once you’ve considered the product or service offered by the business, size of the workforce and the particular industry you automatically are better placed to offer solutions and HR services to businesses. We welcome you to partner with Specialist HR today to discuss how we can assist you - www.specialisthr.com.au

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