When you scan through job listings, there’s one qualification that shows up everywhere from CEO positions to front-line staff and that’s the ability to communicate effectively. While the workplace of yesteryear may not have valued communication, today’s workplace requires that employees and management alike have the tools to effectively communicate both within their department and throughout the organization.
Why? Because communication can positively impact your overall productivity. Read just a few reasons why emphasizing and valuing communication can help your company become more productive.
Communication Cultivates a Healthy Culture
It’s no secret that employees are most productive in places workplaces that have a healthy company culture. People don’t spend months interviewing at Google just because of their benefits package. They do it because they know that they will be working in a place that values them as employees and allows them to speak and be heard. Google then reaps the benefits of those employees’ knowledge and productivity. Workplaces that cultivate a healthy company culture of open communication become the gold standard, garnering the attention of the best candidates for open positions and gaining more productivity from current employees.
Communication Reduces Misunderstandings
In 1999, a $125 million orbiter was lost in space when a team of engineers accidentally used English system measurements rather than metric measurements. One miscommunication ground that project to a halt, cost employees their jobs, and lost millions of dollars. When employees don't share information effectively, the loss of productivity is a very real risk.
Communication Increases Accountability
One major benefit that spawns from increased communication is the increase in errors. While this may seem like a nightmare, in actuality, it can positively benefit the organization as a whole by pinpointing how errors happen and how they can be avoided. In workplaces that don’t encourage communication, those errors are covered. In a workplace with healthy communication, employees feel accountable for their actions and secure to share mistakes. Increasing accountability in the workplace can be traced back to better communication which in turn unearths errors that can be avoided in the future.
Communication Reduces Turnover
According to Dale Carnegie, businesses lose $11 billion annually to employee turnover. That cost not only includes searching for a replacement but also training. The time spent training a new employee can seriously hinder productivity not only from the new employee but also by the trainer. Many employees cite a lack of communication as a reason for leaving their position which comes in the form of not feeling listened to or valued. By improving communication in the workplace, employers can reduce attrition in their workplace and maintain productivity.
Communication Grooms Future Managers
In an ideal world, companies would have a natural evolution of employees starting at the lower rungs and working their way to the top. This allows companies to keep the best employees in-house and reduces the need for long training periods. This ideal workplace is only possible when employers embrace communication to provide employees with training and guidance for advancing their career. By offering more mentorship through increased communication, managers can help employees advance their careers.
Communication is more than just a buzzword in boardrooms. It’s a necessary skill for the company to cultivate to create a more cohesive workplace and gain the benefits of a more productive workplace. By embracing improvements that encourage better communication, like a workforce management system and increased manager-employee meetings, employers can increase the overall productivity in their workplace.
