Am I informed and do they listen?

Communication at work is an essential tool to improve employee satisfaction and engagement. An open organization has effective multi-directional communication with honest dialogue and feedback, and effective listening. Authentic conversations can enhance reflection, improve thinking and increase engagement.

Do they inform me?

People seek certainty and feel threatened by uncertainty. Uncertainty creates gaps that people often fill with worst-case scenarios. Transparency and open communication support certainty because leaders share information and answer questions. Even negative information can be less threatening than no information. Having information about rules and expectations adds to one’s feelings of safety contributing to engagement. Frequent and honest communication has a positive effect on the employee.

As stated by Patty McCord who was Chief Talent Officer at Netflix:

Great teams are not created with incentives, procedures, and perks. They are created by hiring talented people who are adults and want nothing more than to tackle a challenge, and then communicating to them, clearly and continuously, about what the challenge is.”
― Patty McCord, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

Do they listen to me?

Employees want to feel comfortable sharing their views and asking questions. A climate of openness creates feelings of safety that builds trust. If managers listen with empathy and respect, paying attention, asking open-ended questions, not interrupting, deferring judgment, and when appropriate, acting on suggestions, employees will feel more engaged. But there is a negative potential consequence to be aware of: If employees voice concerns that leaders are not willing to act on, this input could actually deter engagement. When appropriate, when employees speak up, managers and leaders must take action.

Take action to improve communication at work

Simple actions such as increasing leadership visibility, communicating more frequently, and seeking employee feedback can improve engagement. Although repetition in sharing messages may seem inappropriate, the redundancy enhances understanding and minimizes uncertainty. Good leaders do not hoard information. When employees have information, they feel more valued, make better decisions, and are more productive. Inclusiveness also nurtures feelings of community.

Questions to evaluate communication at work

Some questions to consider when evaluating communication include:

• Do leaders and managers freely share information?
• Do I know what my manager expects of me at work?
• Does my manager listen to me?
• Do my opinions count?