Effective internal communications keep your senior living community running like a well-oiled machine. And just like any machine, a little bit of elbow grease and time can ensure your operations stay smooth and efficient.
That's why I want to take a few moments to discuss some simple ways video can improve internal communications in your community. Thankfully, as you’re about to see, video messaging is an easy but extremely powerful way to not only improve communication in your community but, just as importantly, maintain it as well.
You have every right to be proud of your team. After all, it's your people that really make your community go, providing the best possible quality of life for your residents. Therefore, it only makes sense to shine a bright spotlight on them and recognize their accomplishments.
For example, let's say you're a long-time employee in memory care that recently earned a new certification. Now, as fulfilling as that accomplishment is by itself, imagine receiving a personalized video shout-out from the Executive Director or some other member of community management. When you show the time to create that video, employees are going to remember it. In the bigger picture, it not only increases employee engagement but also helps you retain key talent.
Your people need to know what's happening in the community to deliver the best possible care to your residents. Obviously, it makes no sense to renovate your swimming pool, start a gardening club, or build a new residential building if you don't tell your team. Don’t forget, employees are the ones that deliver the information to your residents and drum up excitement.
Sure, you can always send yet another email detailing these types of announcements. However, don't you think they'll hit closer to home if you convey everything in a far more engaging way than just blocks of text?
That's exactly what makes video so useful in announcing important information and updates across the entire company – it grabs people's attention and holds it. Further, sending a follow-up video to your people after a meeting is a great way to summarize everything you spoke about, as well as keeping everyone that couldn't attend the meeting updated on important information.
No matter how much your people love your community and the important roles they fill in it, they are still going to look forward to time away from work to spend time with their families. Naturally, the holiday season is the one time of year where many of your people – perhaps even most – take some time off.
A short, simple, but sincere holiday video is a great opportunity to wish your team well and to thank them for everything they do for your community and residents. As I've said before, although it only takes a few minutes to create a OneDay video for your team members, the impact something as simple as a holiday video can have on employee engagement and retention can last for years.
Finally, if your company owns or operates several communities, video gives you the chance to showcase your highest achievers. Whether an entire individual community or major accomplishments from a particular staff member, a personalized video provides the recognition that everyone appreciates, also creating a benchmark for your other communities and employees to strive for.