Analyze & Build A Stronger Strategic Employee Communication Function

Question: Discuss about the Analyze And Build A Stronger And More Strategic Employee Communication Function. Answer: The research draws attention to employee communication which is the most critical job but always overlooked by HR professionals. Poor communication has been linked to poor retention rate, poor engagement, poor productivity, and underperformance. When employees are not fed with the right information to do their job, they are likely to underperformance hence are forced to leave the company. Most companies who have seen the importance of internal communication have invested in new information technologies. Despite the efforts, a number of factors still hinder effective internal communication in the companies. Further investigation reveals that senior-level managers do assume the importance and effectiveness of internal communication. How communication is received or understood by the intended audience matter less to the managers. A survey carried out in 2003 showed that 55% of managers who took part in the survey believe that they have a perfect internal communication channel, 33% of the workers under them concurred, and a good number refuted the claim. The communication gap that exists between the manager and the employee is related to credibility. A few employees often believe what the managers tell them the longer tenured employees view internal communication as less credible. Diversify is another factor affecting communication within a company. The workforce today is multigenerational in nature. One message may be received differently by workers depending on age, a younger employee in his twenties may get a different version of the message while an older employee in his fifties may understand the same message differently. When disseminating information, the employer must be mindful of the differences. Many companies face pressure on todays employees and create the need for a more coordinated approach to employee communications (Argenti, 1998). Information technology is another wonderful but technical aspect as far as internal communication is concerned. With the introduction of email, the speed of dissemination of information has increased efficiency. Electronic communication is best but then dehumanizes the workplace by cutting down face-to-face communication. The human touch in the workplace has brought workers together, but technology is bringing isolation for workers. Technology has reduced creativity in workplace, telephones, faxes, and the internet has created frenetic speed hindering quality communication at the workplace. From our study, we have come to realize that companies with effective communication programs foresee an increase in production level hence higher returns to shareholders. Communication must be realized as a business function not as simply a soft function in a company. Accompany with a successful internal communication strategy always get financial success, high retention rate. Recommendations discussed include; improving horizontal peer-to-peer communication and vertical employee-to-manager communication. Use of text more than the voice in communicating information to workers to break down language barriers; this two if looked upon can improve the companies internal communication. According to Altuntas, SemerciozNoyan(2013) competitive rivalry is related to the path and style of communication as well as the usage of internal communication tools. From Dolphin (2005) communication with the internal audience makes a significant contribution to a fully developed corporate communication strategy. Reference list Altunta?, G., Semerciz, F., Noyan, A., 2013.Linking competitive rivalry to internal communication in private healthcare organizations.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 99, 809-817. Argenti, P.A., 1998. Strategic employee communications.Human Resource Management (1986-1998), 37(3-4), p.199. Dolphin, R.R., 2005. Internal communications: Today's strategic imperative. Journal of marketing communications, 11(3), pp.171-190. Kitchen, P.J. and Daly, F., 2002.Internal communication during change management.Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 7(1), pp.46-53.