As working from home becomes the new normal to help stop the spread of COVID-19, Wagga Wagga City Council, New South Wales, has adapted to circumstances making changes to how it communicates with staff.
Corridor conversations have been replaced by instant messaging apps like Teams. Onsite meetings are occurring through Zoom. And, while meeting up with colleagues is no longer an option, many have taken to catching up virtually.
So, it’s safe to say the way workplace colleagues communicate has dramatically changed.
Wagga Wagga City Council, has a mix of indoor and outdoor staff. Most are working from home; few are in the office and some are working in split-shift teams to keep the city running.
With new challenges arising daily, Council found it was crucial to implement a communication channel that could reach as many staff as possible, ensuring everyone had equal opportunity to obtain information, while breaking down departmental and geographical barriers.
An internal Facebook group was launched as an additional platform to regular emails and intranet updates, to share news articles, mental health and wellbeing services, virtual events and still, business and operations updates from the general manager.
Working from home has given rise to new ways of sharing information and resources, providing staff with some normalcy to their daily routines.
Utilising these new communication platforms has helped build workplace relationships, share knowledge and collaborate across different teams and departments, creating a workforce that is motivated and connected.
