Member Article

Communication bottlenecks are frustrating UK workers

Despite two thirds (66%) of employees claiming to be happy to be contacted out of working hours, only 50% of employees believe that information and updates about initiatives are effectively cascaded through their organisation.

Original research from Nudge Rewards, a mobile solution for business team performance, reveals that employee productivity could be improved by 12% if workers were to have access to more information on a timely basis.

UK workers are more open to communicating for longer periods of their day and are having more work-related conversations around the clock. Yet, despite openness to being contacted outside of work hours and the increasing need for more information, it seems businesses are still experiencing communication bottlenecks.

Nearly a third (30%) of workers say that managers being too busy delays the flow of conversation from top management to frontline staff. A quarter (24%) claimed that communication issues often come down to hold ups being created at management level, and 25% of workers said it is due to unclear communications.

According to UK workers, current workplace communications are ineffective. Only 50% of employees believe that information is effectively cascaded throughout their organisation. Further, half of workers (50%) say they have little or no visibility with directors and key decision makers.

These communication bottlenecks are occurring despite the positive impact improved internal communications have on productivity and performance. In fact, 44% of workers said they could be more productive at work if they had more information on a timely basis.

Gary Topiol, Managing Director EMEA at Nudge Rewards, commented: “As we have invested in becoming ever more agile in how we communicate with customers, our internal communication has lagged behind. To successfully do their jobs staff need the right information and support in place. Employees are open to receiving communication outside of core hours, as long as it is informative and helps them to perform in their role – we must continue to be respectful of their time.”

“Managers need to embrace new channels to allow for better and clearer communication with their colleagues to help avoid costly communication bottlenecks. With half of workers saying that they have little or no visibility with directors and key decision makers in the company, management should look to find new ways of encouraging workforce motivation to help drive the business as a whole through effective conversations” he concluded.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Reporter .