Disengaged workers face communication ‘barrier’

Do your employees share your corporate philosophy?

In a social and political climate riddled with “polarizing” views, workers are likely to question their  employer’s values, new research from communications agency Zeno Group revealed.

Across the globe, 44% of employees are concerned about their company’s vision and mission while a significant number claim they do not know what their employers represent.

‘Out of touch’
Employees worldwide (70%) see their job as an “important part of their identity.” In fact, almost nine in 10 hope to work for a company that makes them “feel like part of a family,” the report said.

But companies are missing out on an opportunity to connect with their teams.

“Some employees think their company’s long-held values have grown out of touch in a changing world, while others claim the company values are no longer aligned with their own. The foundation has become unsteady,” said Mark Shadle, managing director at Zeno Global.

This difference creates a “barrier” to employee engagement, and much of it has to do with the communication gap between leaders and their teams. The study noted:

• 62% of workers believe they would perform better “if their bosses communicated more clearly”
• 63% claim they would perform better “if their companies articulated values, strategy and direction more clearly”

“This is becoming the perfect storm, as employees are saying ‘I don’t know what my company stands for, I’m not getting the information I need to do my job well, and I’m worried about my future,” says Shadle.

“We think it’s a wake-up call but also a real opportunity for management to reset the internal communications agenda, by proactively identifying the true barriers to engagement – the ones that matter most to employees – and addressing them directly.”