Employees value open communication more than benefits but only 15 per cent are “very satisfied” with their company’s current standard.
HR professionals who undervalue open communication are letting a free employee perk pass them by as workers reveal they’d rather join a company with open values over one that offers an impressive benefits package.
Eighty-one per cent of employees said they’d pick an organization with an open culture over one which offered perks such as health insurance, free food and gym memberships, according to the survey by 15Five.
However, the survey also found that employers – and managers in particular – are failing workers in this area. Just 15 per cent of more than 1,000 respondents said they were “very satisfied” with the quality of communication within their companies.
Managers took somewhat of a lambasting in the online poll, with 31 per cent of employees saying their superiors didn’t create enough transparency, 24 per cent saying their managers are too busy to listen and 23 per cent saying their higher-ups simply aren’t good at communicating.
Respondents also said having a manager check in with them on a regular basis – even for as little as five minutes a week – is extremely important to them.
So what’s to blame? – According to respondents, generational gaps are a big roadblock when it comes to communication.
The survey pointed out specific communication faults prevalent in each of the generational groups in today’s workforce:
Baby boomers: these older employees were identified as the group that struggles to adapt to new communication technologies like text and chat.
Gen Xers: tend to be labelled as less open and more guarded
Millennials: while younger workers are considered more honest, they’re also too brash and opinionated. The age group was also criticised for being unable to talk face-to-face due to its over reliance on technological tools.