Create The Opportunity For Communication

It is important to build a schedule of regular cadence of communication with employees, Oracle’s Philpot (pictured) said. A critical piece of that is being reachable in the way that employees want to reach you, whether that is texting, a casual face-to-face meeting, or a conference call, she said. Having that variety in place is especially important when working with Millennial employees, Ixia’s Cornmesser said, as they might want to adopt different communication avenues than you are used to.

“It is about knowing your audience and adapting to it,” Cornmesser said.

Once those avenues are opened, Fortinet’s Kelley said that it's important for managers to commit to them, even though there are certainly other tasks demanding their time.

“I think if you’re going to commit to that, you’re going to need to honor it,” Kelley said. “If you don’t honor that time, there’s a quick loss of trust.”