News and resources

Employee Communication – new research yields surprise results

A research study released last month has found that the number one employee communications goal is aligning employees to the business strategy (63%), yet only 37% of companies said they had successfully done so.
This shows that managing effective communications is paramount when communicating with employees. Using simple tactics such as targeted research and employee feedback can make the difference between a campaign simply being implemented, and a campaign being implemented with successful outcomes which benefit the bottom line.
Best Practices in Employee Communication: A study of Global Challenges and Approaches was conducted by Right Management Consultants and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation. The study is based on data from current literature, IABC Gold Quill Excellence in Communication case studies, interviews with top communicators and a survey of 472 organisations worldwide.
The study found that the second most popular employee communications goal is actively involving managers and company leadership in communicating with employees (42%), and that 48% of companies had done so.
Alarmingly, the study found that the top reasons why managers and senior leaders are not effectively involved in employee communications include inconsistent messages being sent to employees, and lack of employees’ trust in leadership.
With Australia’s skills shortage affecting business growth and staff retention rates, getting an edge on employee satisfaction is becoming paramount. Using current research data and keeping abreast of issues affecting employee communications can make a big difference when determining the best approach for your organisation.

The Best Practices in Employee Communication: A study of Global Challenges and Approaches report is available for purchase at http://store.yahoo.com/iabcstore/beprinemco.html  

Mel & Jo