Employers at many of the UK’s biggest companies have little idea how their
staff view their organisation because of poor internal communication.
Research by Henley Management College and the Blue Rubicon consultancy
reveals that although almost 76 per cent of companies canvass opinion from the
workforce, most fail to get an accurate picture of staff perceptions about the
organisation.
The survey of 70 FTSE 250 firms finds 56 per cent do not know which
employees intend to stay with the company and 54 per cent are unaware how
company decisions affect staff behaviour.
Senior management still has little idea what most employees think, with 68
per cent of respondents unsure if staff are co-operative and 62 per cent
uncertain if employees feel loyal to the firm.
Blue Rubicon managing director Fraser Hardie said HR departments are not
asking the right questions in employee surveys and the process is one-sided.
"The most acute impact is felt during periods of major change or during
restructuring.
"The consequences are that strategy takes a lot longer to
deliver," he said.
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Despite this uncertain picture, almost half of the HR departments in the
study said they expect internal communication budgets to be frozen or cut.
