The PR Academy released an updated version of its ‘Who’s Listening?’ report, first published in December 2019, to find out the best ways for organisations to listen and how listening needs to adapt as organisations respond to Covid-19.

The new research finds that Covid-19 has sped up the rate at which organisations are adopting new, online ways of listening to employees and listening will continue to grow in importance to connect people to organisations. However, the study also reveals that companies still undervalue listening as a leadership capability and often pay lip service to it.

“With the growing use of video, social media and an explosion of channels the danger is that organisations forget that good communication starts with the ability to listen. Listening is now more important than ever.  Leaders will be judged by how they listen to and care for their people,” says Dr Kevin Ruck of the PR Academy.

The 2019 report includes case studies and examples of good practice in listening plus a range of tools that leaders and communicators can use to improve the way they listen to employees. It reveals that five principles for good listening: openness, planning, distributed leadership, empathetic and creative, and human. Although the cases were gathered pre-Covid19, many can be adapted for an online environment, and the principles can apply to whatever method being used.

‘Who’s Listening?’ also sets out how organisations can assess their maturity in listening against a spectrum of approaches, ranging from passive (more opportunities for passive listening to check what people are thinking) to deep (listening exercises that can result in a change in the way that organisation do things).