Even when we have 1:1 meetings, staff meetings, and real-time pinging through Slack and other instant messenger tools, I’ve never met an employee who said, “my leader over communicates to me.”
People generally believe that there’s more information to know. In fact, the statistics are pretty scary:
- 60% of companies don’t have a long-term strategy for their internal communications (Workforce).
- 74% of employees feel they are missing out on company information and news (Trade Press Services).
- 72% of employees don’t have a full understanding of the company’s strategy (IBM).
- 86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures (Salesforce).
- 33% of employees said a lack of open, honest communication has the most negative impact on employee morale (Recruiter).
A direct reports’ need for information and communication increases during time of change and turmoil whether internally or externally driven.
Like any personal relationship, our work relationships thrive or die on our ability to communicate clearly, establish trust, and create a welcoming environment for questions.
To dig further into a manager’s role and the importance of their connection to employees, I found the book by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter, It’s the Manager: Gallup finds the quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization’s long-term success, to have substantial research and insights.
Effective communication with our direct reports is a top priority if we want highly engaged team members. I would enjoy knowing what you find to be helpful in communicating with your direct reports. Get in touch!
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