Silence is far from golden when it comes to communicating with your employees. Poor communications has a steep price – thousands of dollars per employee each year in companies both large and small.
Choosing not to communicate with your employees is a choice to drive down profits. A leader who shares information on a “need to know” basis, limited to senior leadership, is actually sending the message that communication with rank-and-file workers is not valued or encouraged. Do you want to gamble with that kind of money?
Restricting communications also inhibits any interest in improving communication skills among employees. Getting ideas across to others can be like shouting through a fog.
Other negative repercussions:
- Reduced productivity – Employees spend needless hours searching for essential data, are less willing to turn to others for help, or waste time sitting in ineffective meetings.
- Lower morale – No one enjoys a workplace where information is hoarded or only selectively shared. A more transparent communications strategy helps employees feel they are part of an organization that can accomplish a larger purpose.
- Lack of focus — When your team members aren’t clear on the company’s direction, they can’t pull together toward that goal.
- Limited innovation – Ideas emerge from open conversations. If staff feel that speaking up is not rewarded, potential problems are not identified or challenged. Novel solutions can only come from an environment that welcomes all voices.
- Poor retention of both employees and customers – Not only is employee retention a concern for a company without a clear communications strategy, but lack of information sharing can also lose business. It’s much more difficult to solve a customer’s problem when employees operate in silos that don’t share information.
Companies need to be intentional in their focus on communications. A conversation with an employee communications consultant can be a practical first step.
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