Keep Employee Communication Lines Open
Posted by Rachael Peterson on Tue, Jul 28, 2009 @ 12:08 PM
Insight’s Economic Survey (conducted in Spring 2009) covered the state of the economy and its effect on small to mid-sized organizations. The results confirmed that organizations are continuing to recalibrate their business strategy during this recession. The numbers indicate that sales are down (95% of respondents) and employees are worried about how the economic downturn will impact their jobs (70% of respondents).
What is very promising is that even though the “numbers” are worrisome, the good that’s coming out of all the bad is that employers are using this uncertain time to greatly increase company communications. A large majority (84% of respondents) are using department meetings and company-wide meetings to keep employees informed. People just want to know what’s going on; while they may not like the “numbers”, if you keep them informed it shows an environment of honesty, openness and respect. Does this mean the “company grapevine” has dried up? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, communicate and connect with your employees.
What is your company doing during these tough economic times to increase communication?