Employees value effective communication from their employer

Citation

(2003), "Employees value effective communication from their employer", Career Development International, Vol. 8 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi.2003.13708eab.006

Employees value effective communication from their employer

Employees value effective communication from their employer

If an organization wants to improve employee commitment, satisfaction and retention, it should take a long, hard look at how it communicates with its employees.

A new analysis from Mercer Human Resource Consulting suggests that communication is a critical factor in engaging and keeping employees – perhaps even more important than pay.

Through its most recent "People at Work Survey", Mercer asked 2,600 US workers to share their attitudes and perceptions regarding their job, organization, compensation, benefits, work environment and the management of their organization.

The survey found that:

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  Among employees who say their organization does a good job of keeping workers informed about matters that affect them, only 15 per cent say they are seriously considering leaving and 6 per cent say they are dissatisfied with their organization. Among employees who say their organization does not keep them informed, 41 per cent are thinking about leaving and 42 per cent say they are dissatisfied.

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  Among employees who say they have ready access to the information they need to do their job, 18 per cent are seriously thinking of leaving and 10 per cent say they are dissatisfied with their organization. Among employees who say they do not have ready access to such information, 48 per cent are thinking of leaving and 49 per cent say they are dissatisfied.

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  Among employees who say they are provided with the help and information needed to manage their career, 14 per cent are seriously thinking about leaving and 6 per cent are dissatisfied with their organization. Among employees who say they do not receive such information and assistance, 48 per cent are thinking about leaving and 50 per cent are dissatisfied with their organization.

These same communication-related factors are shown to have a strong connection to employees' sense of commitment to their organization.

The gaps are not quite as large on some key issues surrounding pay. For example, among employees who believe they are paid fairly, given their performance and contributions to the organization, 14 per cent are seriously considering leaving and 7 per cent are dissatisfied with their organization. However, among employees who believe they are not paid fairly, 39 per cent are thinking of leaving and 36 per cent are dissatisfied.

"These findings go against the conventional wisdom that pay and benefits are all that matter to employees", said David Slavney, a senior communication consultant with Mercer. "Clearly, employees value effective communication with their employers. It affects their overall commitment and satisfaction, and is a factor in their decisions to stay with or leave an employer."

Mercer's analysis suggests that employees want more than information that helps them to do their jobs and manage their careers; they also want to know where their organization is heading. Among employees who say that senior management communicates a clear vision of the future direction of the organization, 16 per cent say they are seriously thinking of leaving, 7 per cent are dis-satisfied with their organization and 6 per cent say they do not feel a strong sense of commitment. In contrast, among employees who say that senior management does not communicate a clear vision of the future direction of the organization, 40 per cent say they are seriously thinking of leaving, 39 per cent are dissatisfied with their organization and 32 per cent say they do not feel a strong sense of commitment.

"As we continue through some tough economic times, employers are looking for ways to keep employees engaged and to boost productivity and growth," said David Slavney. "In better economic times, employers might have reacted to commitment, satisfaction and retention issues by throwing money at the problem through enhanced pay or benefits. We saw this happening during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, but that is really not an option today and there is a question as to whether that approach really is effective.

"What employers need to realize is that they have another powerful tool at their disposal – good communication. It is cost effective and, as our analysis shows, it makes a meaningful difference in how employees think about their employer and their future with the organization."