Workplace communication has undergone major changes in the past few years. From the movement to a more digital working environment, to different generations entering the workforce, to fully working from home and now in a hybrid environment, it’s kind of admirable. Humans are easily adaptable, but when it comes to workplace communication, we are exposed to dealing with a variety of personalities, people of different backgrounds, ages, and work experience. As a result, communication suffers.
To put this into perspective, 55% of people reported that they have missed messages because of communication issues. To continue on from this Project Co statistic, 30% of employees believe that communicating with clients and colleagues has become more challenging in the last year. Poor workplace communication is also blamed for wasted time, lost and missing files and poor customer experience.
Ineffective communication can have great consequences, particularly in organisational settings. When messages are unclear or misinterpreted, it can lead to misunderstandings that create a toxic environment. Poor communication may foster distrust among team members, resulting in conflicts and a lack of collaboration. In some cases, these misunderstandings can escalate to misconduct, as individuals may feel justified in acting out due to perceived grievances or confusion about expectations. For these reasons, establishing clear, open lines of communication is essential not only for fostering a positive workplace culture but also for preventing potential misconduct.
Poor workplace communication: What can it look like?
Today, it will be very hard to find a workplace that does not suffer from some form of communication issues. However, very few people are usually willing to address these issues.
Lack of active listening has been the main problem for years, with employees claiming that organisations do not listen to their feedback. This could be pizza days instead of time off, workplace dinners being mandatory instead of optional or no flexibility for employees who do not have kids or care duties. When employees don’t feel listened to, they are more likely to give up on communicating as they see it as futile.
Abbreviations or jargon is another example of poor workplace communication that can go unnoticed. In an organisation, there are different departments that specialise in different areas. Each department probably has its own jargon and abbreviations, which also apply to generational language as well. Abbreviations such as RTW (Return to work), EEO (Equal employment opportunity) and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) were among the most unknown abbreviations with each generation reporting that they are more familiar with some than others. Thai highlights a major gap in communication that needs to be acknowledged.
However, poor workplace communication doesn’t stop there. A lot of companies employ individuals with different cultural backgrounds and language proficiency. And this is not limited to English proficiency. If these differences are not managed well, they can cause conflicts between employees and can lead to lower retention rates. Companies are responsible for ensuring that their staff understands what is expected of them and counts as appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
A major problem that is faced by employees is the overload of meetings and emails. Due to everything going online, it’s not rare to see individuals with days full of back-to-back meetings and an inbox of numerous unread emails. Unnecessary meetings that do not have an agenda, a clear purpose or focus on actions that won’t be followed can cause a strain on employee wellbeing as they struggle to balance their other tasks with meeting requirements. CC’ing staff in irrelevant emails also adds to their workload as they have to read through emails that have nothing to do with them.
The list of issues can go on. But how can you address them?
Tips for more effective workplace communication
Here are a few ideas that can improve your workplace communication:
1. Have a clear plan for each meeting
If the person setting up the meeting does not have an agenda but wants to address a vague problem, ask them if they can do so through email. Ensure that one person in the meeting is willing to take notes and follow up on actions being discussed. It would be even better if each action has a deadline and it’s allocated to a person to complete it.
Allow employees to say no to meetings that they think are not relevant to them. If they think they won’t bring value to the conversation, then there’s no point in attending.
2. Be wary of spamming people with emails
Before cc’ing an extra person in an email, take a moment and question why they need to be in this email chain. Are they involved in the project? Will they have any responsibilities? Is their opinion wanted? Is it only for their information? It is much better to tag each person and outline what is expected of them in the email rather than leave the task hanging.
For example, ‘Emma can you please work on the report that is due next Friday and Damon can you please focus on getting the numbers by Monday?’ sounds much better than ‘Can you please work on the report and get me the numbers.’. The first example clears confusion, allocates the task, and sets a deadline and expectations. The second is too vague. It might even lead to two people doing the same job. ‘
3. Be open to employee feedback
Sometimes, people tend to focus on what they think is right rather than what the majority thinks is right. To improve workplace communication, it’s essential that higher-ups consider employee opinions and respond to their feedback. If employees report an unmanageable workload, confirm that you have heard them and are taking steps to resolve the problem. Saying phrases like ‘I know, I understand, We are working on it’ may work in the short term, but in the long term will cause even more issues.
Workplace communication is a two-way street. If employees feel like their problems are being dismissed, they will take matters into their own hands and look for a better workplace. Employers should reply appropriately to show that they are taking complaints seriously.
4. Empower employees to speak up
Having an open-door policy, one-to-one interactions and regular check-in meetings can encourage employees to share problems they might not be comfortable sharing through messages. If they are struggling, if they are unsure of how to communicate with a colleague or if they want advice on a presentation, those are the best opportunities to explore the issues.
5. Constantly work on being a better communicator
Workplace communication takes many shapes and forms. Employers have to make sure that they provide employees with the right training skills which will allow them to become better communicators.
Workplace communication, when face-to-face, will differ from emails and messages. Someone might be an excellent speaker but really bad at sounding polite through emails. People may think that they are allowed to ask for things outside of working hours and get annoyed when their colleagues don’t respond. Setting boundaries doesn’t only apply in personal relationships but in workplace relationships as well.
Staff should be informed of what is allowed, share with one another their working hours, the best ways to reach them (email, Teams messages, calls), when they need to set up an Out of Office reply, and what is their preferred way of taking in information. For example, some people may require visual aids or slower and clearer speaking.
6. Know when you cross the line
The thing with workplace communication is that it seems simple but it can be complicated to the point that it leads to so many issues. Discrimination and harassment are very common in a workplace where people are not paying attention to how they act. Facial expressions, cold body language, excluding behaviours and demeaning tone of voice all count as workplace communication. If an individual is nice and professional with everyone else but they become more touchy and invade the personal space of a co-worker, this can cause problems for both of them.
Staff should be given the required resources that will show them how to treat one another and prevent misunderstandings from escalating. They should also know how to de-escalate situations and try to resolve problems on their own before asking for help. This will create greater trust between colleagues.
7. Recognise achievements
Workplace communication can be greatly affected when employees are not recognised for their efforts or if co-workers take credit for someone else’s work. Ensuring that each person feels appreciated for their work isn’t a hard task in theory. Saying ‘Thank you, I appreciate you, Great job’ as well as expressing positive thoughts about working with a fellow team member can go a long way. Saying something kind doesn’t take a lot of time and can promote trust among staff, make the workplace a more pleasant environment and minimise conflicts.
Recognising employee achievement is even more important if you are a manager. You would need to demonstrate a good example of how your team should respect and acknowledge each other’s work.
8. Respond to issues quickly
If you clicked on this article, chances are that you want to improve your workplace communication or you are having multiple conflicts. The road to effective communication isn’t simple or straight. You will likely face a lot of bumps along the way that will need your attention. At Polonious, we manage multiple cases for our clients, including discrimination and harassment. As we help investigators navigate the cases, the most prominent issues tend to be poor communication of expectations and a lack of control when it comes to addressing issues and managing employee behaviour.
If you are looking to bring positive change to your company, keep track of employee complaints, or you want your employees to feel protected when speaking up, then we are here to help. Our whistleblower hotline is currently allowing hundreds of individuals globally to share feedback, report incidents and concerns without the fear of retaliation. If you are ready for a change, reach out and book a free demo with us today.
If you want to learn more about workplace communication, we have put together these helpful articles:
Speak-Up Culture and Why Your Employees Struggle With It
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