Findings show importance of staff engagement

Companies with highly effective internal communication programs are better placed to keep employees engaged and retain key talent, according to a new survey.

The study by consulting firm Watson Wyatt found that 61% of companies that are highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at dealing openly with resistance to change, compared with only 18% of low-effectiveness communicators. Similarly, 64% of highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at addressing the needs and concerns of their current employees, compared with only 22% of companies that are low-effectiveness communicators.

While the report’s findings only echo what internal communicators have long argued, the breadth of the survey adds credibility. It questioned 328 organisations representing 5 million employees around the world.

“As the economy continues to shift, keeping employees up-to-date on how the company is responding, and how they are affected, will help insure against their becoming demoralised and disconnected,” said Kathryn Yates, global leader of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. “Effective communication helps.”

The firm advises companies to communicate how employees will be affected by business changes, train leaders to discuss change and follow up with measurement and metrics.