Didn't You Get the Memo? The Role of Communication in Employee Engagement

What's going on? We often hear that phrase several times a day. Everyone wants to be in the know about the things that affect them on a daily basis, and that includes the workplace. In order to build an engaged workforce, there must be a strong focus on open and effective communications as identified by HR Solutions' Research Institute¹. If people do not know what is going on, they make assumptions frequently leading to misperceptions about their employer.

With the rise in global offices and remote workers, communication is even more vital today than it was in years past. The critical importance of communication can be easily understood when examining engaged employees' scores on several key survey items since:

• Engaged employees are 10 times more likely to feel good work is recognized.
• Engaged employees are 10 times more likely to feel Senior Management is concerned about employees.
• Engaged employees are 8 times more likely to feel their supervisor encourages their growth.
• Engaged employees are 7 times more likely to feel they receive regular performance feedback.

Without communication, it would not be possible for employees to have any of the aforementioned perceptions. Communication truly is the vehicle through which Engagement exists within an organization.

Given communication's significant role in fostering a culture of Engagement, it is important to evaluate how employees currently receive organizational information and how they prefer to receive said information. HR Solutions' research shows a misalignment occurring in the workplace as it relates to communication. The data in the table below identified a significant a gap when considering where employees prefer to get their information and where they are actually receiving their information.

There are two core things to take away from this research. First is the glaring discrepancy between how many people want to hear things from their supervisor and how many actually receive this direct communication. This gap is often created due to a common default reaction of managers to immediately go back to work following an announcement made during a management meeting. However, in this situation, to bridge the gap it would be much more effective for management to have a huddle or meeting with their direct reports to share any news or events that affect them and their perception of the workplace.

The second point to take away from the research, which is even more alarming, is that the majority of employees report their number one source for information as their "co-workers". This is particularly disturbing since this source is essentially the grapevine and employees are relying upon hearsay as opposed to factual information which they could be receiving though management.

Taken together, these two elements create communication problems, discrepancies, and misunderstandings leading to disengagement that could be avoided by providing the open and regular communication employees so evidently desire from management. By regularly assessing communication, an organization is able to gain valuable insight as to whether their current approach to communication aligns with what is preferred by employees and thereby sustain Employee Engagement.

¹ According to HR Solutions' Normative Database comprised of over 3.3 million employee responses and 2,400 organizations, open and effective communication is a key driver of Employee Engagement.