Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Top 5 Employee Communication Complaints
Annual employee survey results show that most organizations struggle to effectively communicate with their employees. No surprise there – you already know that. But, what are team members saying? Does your organization have these same issues?
Top 5 employee complaints about communication
Complaint #1:
People in other departments always know about decisions before we do.
What you can do:
• Start networking within company departments.
• Make sure other department managers know you and your team are.
• Share with your team (as appropriate) what projects are active in the organization.
Complaint #2:
I only hear from my manager when there is a problem.
What you can do:
• Get out of your office and visit with your team often.
• Hold regular staff meetings that include both accomplishments and open projects.
• Give regular, consistent feedback to each team member.
Complaint #3:
Information only flows one way, “they” never listen to us.
What you can do:
• Have your team identify who “they” are. You may be surprised to learn it isn’t always the president of the company or someone on the executive staff.
• Invite your boss to attend a staff meeting and give a ‘State of the Company’ update.
• Always pass along kudos given by your boss. Employees appreciate knowing that their work is recognized higher up.
Complaint #4:
The grapevine is more reliable than the company newsletter.
What you can do:
• Seriously? I’m a huge proponent of nip the grapevine in the bud! But, you have no control over other departments. Don’t get trapped into thinking you “need to get to the bottom of things.”
• When you become aware of new information, check it out with the department affected. If true, then share what you can with your team. If you can’t, say so.
• Consider becoming part of the newsletter committee to help them stay on top of real news.
Complaint #5:
E-mail is overwhelming, it’s too hard to keep up.
What you can do:
• Train the team to use email folders for managing incoming communication. These should be customized to fit the team and the work they do.
• Create protocols for Subject Lines that your team follows. Something easy like: Email purpose, Date needed by. For example, “October 2011 P&L – Review by 10/20/11
• Make it standard operating procedure that no one responds to information-only emails with unnecessary comments like, “Thanks.”
When it comes to employee communication, don’t bury your head in the sand. Take control of what you can, and help your team see how they contribute to the overall good.
Until next time...Lead like you mean it!
Marjorie
