Improving workplace communication through direct clarification and feedback

Effective Communication in the Workplace

"Workplace communication" is information transmission between two people or two groups within a company. It may be in the form of text messages, emails, notes, voicemails, and so forth. Effective communication is truly essential as organizations cannot thrive, and might even end up collapsing, without it. Expecting all employees to develop excellent communication skills is an unrealistic goal, However, several tactics exist to improve external and internal workplace communication (CRM Learning, 2013).

Personal Experience of Effective Communication in a Business Environment

I hold a traffic supervisor's post at Kmart, and my duty is working with applications for ensuring product delivery to every Kmart store located in Northeastern USA. I recall an incident that took place when a retail store manager emailed me requesting for some product on a particular Wednesday evening, expecting delivery the very next day, which wasn't possible easily. Thus, the on-duty supervisor scheduled this particular consignment for next Thursday, instead of the same week's Friday. When the retailer phoned to ask why the consignment did not reach them on Thursday or even the day after, we found that the on-duty supervisor mistook this week's Thursday for next Thursday. Every individual is their very own filter - everything doesn't come out as intended. Several negative situations such as the one stated above may arise from wrong assumptions, particularly in text messages or emails. In such situations, stepping back and clarifying directly will constitute effective communication (Rittiman, 2015).

Why the Communication was Effective, and the Resulting Impact

Effective communication (in this case, direct clarification) improved the business through the following actions.

Improving worker productivity

It has been proven by research that effective work-group and lateral communication improves overall organizational performance (Rittiman, 2015)

. Further, employees graded as most productive received most effective messages from their immediate bosses. Owing to the problem cited in the previous section and the numerous related issues, most data systems and personnel take orders via email (which is the traditional way of doing things) as well as call stores for determining periods and their precise needs, thus avoiding miscommunication.

Positive impact on turnover and absenteeism rates

Employees consider communication flow highly important. They need to feel they are secure in their job and are receiving up-to-date, accurate information and feedback from their bosses. Furthermore, employees wish to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas, with the organization. Research indicates that even in the aftermath of layoffs, surviving employees can only be effectively retained by organizations known for excellent communication with workers (CRM Learning, 2013).

Conclusion

The aspect of workplace communication is very important to organizations, as it facilitates effective operation and increased productivity. Employees will be able to experience a growth in their morale, commitment, and productivity if they can communicate both upwards and downwards in the organizational communication chain. Effective communication is truly essential as organizations cannot thrive, and might even end up collapsing, without it.