Communication as a Drive for Employee Engagement

According to Parsley (2006), good communication is a key factor in employee engagement. Enhancing managers' communication abilities and integrating communication into performance versus organizational goals are important aspects of effective communication. Under particular and stressful conditions, communication becomes a more important resource. To make sure that employees' jobs and the organization's mission and vision are aligned, management should work with managers and supervisors. This will convey a message to the staff that they are important and valued by the company, either directly or indirectly. According to a study by Shaffer (2004), organizations have increased their productivity and safety ratings by involving their workforce and carefully managing communication to foster trust.

Additionally, communication has a good impact on engagement. Highly engaged workers communicate with their managers and superiors much more frequently than less engaged workers do. Every employee should be kept up to date on any changes that may have an impact on their groups so they are not confused or upset that something changed. Additionally, firms must play a part in giving all employees clear instructions or information and ensuring that they are always aware of what is happening in their workplaces.

There are various traditional theories that explain communication approaches within employees such as.

• ·       Cognitive Dissonance Theory
• ·       Communication Accommodation Theory
• ·       Symbolic Interaction Theory

At Starbucks, they believe that Communication is a critical and vital aspect to build trust with their partners and employees and they highlight that trust is the basis for any great place to work with. (Canadian HR Reporter, 2012).

(Canadian HR Reporter, 2012).

In order to achieve the goal of communication significantly increasing employee engagement, internal communication expert Rodney Gray says the ideal forms of direct communication are:

• ·       Listening at various volumes
• ·       Face-to-face interactions predominate (social media can create a conversation)
• ·       Kits, packs, and manuals for information
• ·       Two-way communication moving upward

Communication can further facilitate Employee engagement in

• ·    Providing learning opportunities, job rotations, and career path chances can help employees develop personally.
• ·       Build relationships with the staff by becoming involved and consulting with them and create a positive work environment where everyone is respected.
• ·       Build the confidence of the entire staff in leaders who are believable, have a clear vision, are forthright and honest, invest time in their teams, and actively seek input.

In this dynamic working era, it is very vital to emphasize the significance of Employee Communication internally and externally to promote a healthy working atmosphere. Organizations are gradually realizing that their employees are their most important assets. As a result, they need to be very focused and attentive to ensure that employee communication is increased, allowing them to achieve their objectives while utilizing human resources to the fullest extent possible. The aforementioned will result in high productivity levels, which will enable enterprises to endure and experience profitability.

 

Reference

Parsley, A. (2006). A roadmap for employee engagement[online]. Retrieved from: http://www.management-issues.com/2006/5/25/opinion/a-road-map-for employeeengagement.asp. Accessed on [ 29^th November 2022].

Shaffer, J. (2004). Measurable payoff: How employee engagement can boost performance and profits. New York: Communications world.

Stein, A. (2006). Employee Communications and Community: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(3), 249-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s1532754xjprr1803_3 . Accessed on [30^th November 2022].

Ruck, K., & Welch, M. (2012). Valuing internal communication; management and employee perspectives. Public Relations Review, 38(2), 294-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev . Accessed on [ 30^th of November 2022].