The final part of the Retention blog series.  Be sure to read Part One and Part Two.

Is your company losing top employees? If so, you might assume it's due to a lack of corporate perks or think it's about the money (learn why it's not).

On the contrary, high turnover can often come down to something far more personal…poor communication.

Is Lack of Communication Causing Your High Employee Turnover?

Communication skills are ranked in the top four job skills when predicting both employer and employee satisfaction.  As an employer, you get to interact with people from different backgrounds and with varying personalities on a daily basis. This is where communication plays a critical role to the success of different departments and the company as a whole.

Everyone in the workplace has his/her style of communication. For communication to be effective, you need to hear and understand what the other person is saying while at the same time getting your point across with clarity.

Unfortunately, most organisations are struggling with poor communication which has led to employee retention problems.

What Are the Effects of Poor Communication?

Reduced Employee Morale

Lack of communication can negatively impact the motivation of employees.  Employees can lose enthusiasm or passion which sometimes leads them to questioning the importance of their work.  Monotony and confusion experienced during meetings and presentations due to lack of well communicated presentations, only adds to this reduced morale. Over time, this can lead to high employee turnover.

According to Glassdoor, over 64% of millennials would be happier making $40K a year at a job they enjoy, instead of making $100K a year in a job they deem uninteresting.

Decreased Innovation

When the top leaders fail to communicate, this can weaken the company's capacity to come up with new ideas. Communication is vital as it helps convey new ideas and improvements and the passion that comes with it.

Lowered Production

Inadequate communication, whether verbal or via email, can interfere with the productivity of a company.  Having uninformed presentations or sending vague email messages affects the normal functions of a company.

Increased Employee Turnover

Having weak communication lines can often lead to employees quitting. A study conducted by Watson Wyatt found that organisations that had effective communication channels were 50% more likely to achieve lower turnover levels compared to the least effective communicators who stood at 33%.

Poor Customer Service

Employees who lack direction from their leadership team can struggle to meet the customer's needs. Over time, they lose the commitment to satisfy the customer's needs.

Barriers To Effective Business Communication

Failing to Listen -

This could be because of differences in opinion, lack of involvement with the topic, or distractions.

Making Assumptions-

Most people make assumptions to speed up a task or process.

Information overload-

Sending your employees too much information to process can leave them demotivated.

Workplace stress-

Stress can lead to decreased productivity, missed deadlines, and weakened communication.

Trust and Communication Go Hand in Hand

When a company understands and encourages employees to communicate their concerns, often senior leaders then assume that having an open-door policy is enough to retain employees.

Unfortunately, most employees fear losing their jobs when they speak out. Your employees need to trust that you'll listen to their concerns for them to communicate openly.

Communication Allows Employees To Own Their Jobs

Employees have a larger sense of pride and responsibility when they feel that their concerns are being listened to and addressed.  Regular communication with your employees gives them a greater job satisfaction, which in turn leads to increased productivity and better results for the organization.

Create Awareness Based on Behavioural Style

It's easy to introduce communication but what most people forget is that one communication technique may not work with another person.  By identifying each person's behavioural style, you're able to customise your communication style to meet your employee's needs

Steps to Improving Workplace Communication

1. Use Multiple Communication Channels

To communicate the importance of a healthy workplace to employees use various channels, print and electronic communication, and staff meetings. 

2. Have Opportunities for Employees Feedback

Providing opportunities for employee feedback through suggestion boxes, employee surveys, and group meeting will help you improve on insufficient areas and facilitate effective workplace practices.

3. Assess Employees Needs

Evaluating your employee's needs and involving them in development and implementation of efficient workplace practices will make them feel like a part of the organization.

4. Lead by Example

The key to improving communication is through leading by example. Encourage other leaders to participate in workplace activities and in being more open with the employees.  This will help employees to be more transparent and open with any issues that may be affecting their

productivity.

Proper workplace communication is vital to keeping employees happy.  Eliminate any barriers to communication and you'll notice an increase in employee productivity, trust, and ultimately retention.   For any retention talks, contact me today.

Tony Henderson

+61 3 8606 0300

thenderson@morganconsulting.com.au