There’s no denying that the average workplace is changing at a dramatic rate. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working in a small business of 10 employees or a global corporation employing thousands, one of the biggest problems all businesses are facing is the quality of office communication.
People are working in different ways and using different techniques, ranging from the new generation of remote workers, to the way departments all over the world can collaborate. This alone shows how important communication must be in the world.
Here we’ll explore the importance of effective office communication and some of the reasons why it’s being ignored.
1. You’re not keeping employees informed.
In a world where instant communication has never been easier, it’s incredibly difficult to understand why employees are still left in the dark about all manner of things. One survey found that just under half of all employees surveyed were unaware of whether they were doing a good job.
Of course, the more excluded employees feel from business, 1.) the less likely they are to be optimally productive in it, and 2.) the weaker communication will be across the board.
This could vary from business to business, and perhaps some bosses simply don’t feel they have the time or the reason to keep their employees informed with what’s going on, but in the end, this is extremely counterproductive.
2. You’re not listening to your employees.
Think about the last time you were involved in an employee evaluation, whether you were the manager or the employee involved. How one-sided was the conversation that took place?
All conversations are supposed to be a two-way interaction, and if an employee is simply being lectured in their meetings and have no opportunity to voice their own opinions or be heard, this again leaves employees in the dark.
Not only will this result in lower levels of productivity, but the employees simply won’t care about the business because they feel like a pawn and that’s it. If you give your employees the chance to be heard, they’ll be willing to do so much more for the company.
3. You’re holding back on the praise.
Nobody is perfect and no, employees don’t need to be praised for doing their job all the time. But it’s vital that you don’t fall into the trap of only talking to employees when something goes wrong; you should celebrate successes together when things go right.
“As an effective leader, you need to make sure you’re praising employees monthly. This has a contagious effect since other employees will see this and want to be in the same position, thus working more effectively,” shares Nina Hartest, an HR manager for Academized and Assignment Writing Service.
What’s more, employees are much more likely to accept and learn from experiences where things don’t go to plan, rather than ignoring you and just carrying on like they were, sometimes even out of spite.
Now’s the time to put in the effort.
There are many reasons why office communication could be ignored on so many levels, and most of these will come back to you, the leader. Perhaps you feel like there are not enough hours in the day to communicate the important information effectively. Maybe you feel like it’s not worth it; after all, why do your employees need to know what’s going on? They work for you, and you pay their paychecks. Isn’t that enough? The short answer is no, it’s not.
“Employees work for your business because they want to be a part of your culture, and this is more important now than ever before. If you fail to communicate on an effective level with your employees, you’ll see a decrease in results, and eventually, your top talent will move on,” explains Sarah Thompson, a general counsel for EliteAssignmentHelp and BigAssignments.
Put in effort to communicate regularly. Hold meetings with employees to let them know what’s going on and make them feel like a valued part of your business. If you do, the results will speak for themselves.
