Back in the day — before smartphones and tablets — corporate communications were pretty much a one-way street.  Managers communicated what they wanted, when they wanted to employees and didn’t expect to hear much back. Those same managers would have two-way communications with their peers in meetings and other get-togethers, creating a have and have-not environment.

But things have changed. Today, employees are in touch with everyone — their families, friends, and their fellow employees, whether they’re down the hall or on the other side of the globe. Instantly.

This should be a positive development for most companies. Getting information flowing around and through a company dynamically increases its health and vitality. On the other hand, managers who ignore this new dynamic do so at their own peril. 

It’s well known that rumors grow in a vacuum of information, and they’re usually negative. These days, with everyone in touch with each other, rumors and bad news (or imagined bad news) spread in record time. Therefore it’s important to keep the lanes of communication open and flowing. Making the news is much preferable to having to react to it.

There are many communication tools available for doing just that, using technologies similar to what we’re all using via our smartphones and tablets. Today’s mobile and social tools can tie into and display company information, solicit comments and feedback from your employees, and keep you in the vital loop of what’s going on in your organization.