Now we are seeing that the rate of redundancies is dropping and fewer organisations are going into administration, leadership teams are reminded to keep their board room doors fixed wide open and keep communicating with their staff.
Best Companies’ annual research of organisations that entered The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For process found leaders need to convince employees that it’s not just about the money. When respondents were asked if ‘Profit/Budget concerns are the only things driving this organisation’, of those that strongly disagreed with this statement, 57% of respondents stated that they are not worried about the organisation’s future.
A similar picture emerged for senior managers listening to staff feedback and not just telling. Of the respondents who firmly believe in the openness and two-way communication of their senior managers, again 57% of employees are less worried about the future.
Faye Bewley, Chief Operating Officer at Best Companies comments: ‘Being frank, open and honest in your communications, specifically around how you communicate financial data, will help embed trust in your leadership and start work towards allaying the fears of your employees. Don’t hide the truth, share a clear future plan, discuss it with employees and most importantly, get them involved’.
Communication is a two-way process but it can be easy to focus on top-down communication and overlook the importance of listening to feedback from staff (bottom-up communication). Listening to your staff sends out a strong message but what’s even more important is that you act on what they tell you.
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Best Companies are currently welcoming organisations to find out exactly what their staff are saying about their organisation by registering for Best Companies Accreditation and The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For competition.
