How effectively are your executives, managers and supervisors communicating with your employees? What was once considered a “soft” skill is now seen to have “hard” business impacts. The costs to your business of poor employee communication include:
increased employee turnover
increased absenteeism
dissatisfied customers from poor customer service
higher product defect rates
lack of focus on business objectives
stifled innovation
(See the results of research by Watson Wyatt, Gallup Consulting and Towers Perrin.)
Employees will put in that extra "discretionary effort" when they are kept informed openly and honestly on aspects of their job and the business and they feel that they are being listened to with empathy.
Employee Communication Needs
What and how should you communicate with your employees? Communication in your workplace should satisfy the three key employee needs before they can be engaged and highly productive. Each and every employee needs to:
1. Know that …
–included here are facts about your organization and their specific job – what business you are in, who your customers are, specific details about your product or service, where forms are located, who to see when there is a problem ...
2. Master that …
–included here are the practical skills required to do their job well – repairing a machine, filling out an invoice, designing a building, writing a software program ...
3. Feel that …
–included here are the interactions that give them a sense of belonging and self-worth – being listened to, respected, trusted, valued ...
Managers predominantly concentrate on the first communication need – know that – and pay less attention to the second need to master skills. The third need ...