With the recession over and the employment outlook improving, life can begin to get back to normal for the workers of Britain. Yet with this stability comes a new dilemma for the average employee – to remain in their job or begin searching for new opportunities which may prove more profitable in the long run.
According to research by business performance consultants Lane4, a third of British people who are currently employed are not entirely satisfied with their current positions and as a result keep their eyes peeled for opportunities to switch jobs.
A third of the UK workforce dream of switching jobs
Lane4 believes that the reasons for this are largely down to communication between the upper echelons of companies and their staff. Also highlighted in the research was the fact that three quarters of the workforce do not believe that their employers or managers communicate with them in a way that could help boost their performance in the workplace.
This lack of communication can leave workers feeling demotivated or confused, as they are unable to determine exactly what is being asked of them. By giving clear and concise instructions, as well as keeping staff updated on developments within the company regarding goals and achievements, employers could be pleasantly surprised by a significant rise in employee output.
However, not all communication issues are solved as easily as this, as the study of 1,500 UK workers revealed that almost nine in ten participants did not feel that they are currently being given adequate training and instruction by the management of their company. Proper training is essential in making staff feel confident about their role and task list, plus it has the added benefit of reducing stress levels within the workforce. This means that the average employee is less likely to take sick days on a regular basis or spend their lunch hour frantically scanning jobs pages.
Yet training every member of staff in your organisation can be both costly and time consuming, especially if you run a large and diverse business. Instead of simply throwing new staff members in at the deep end, allowing them to have a few days of training with a more senior member of staff before officially starting their job could save another lengthy recruitment period when your overwhelmed new employee bolts for the door.
A lack of communication from management regarding career progression was a cause for complaint by 50 per cent of participants, with the future of the company employing them causing many others to become stressed.
Finally, office morale played a huge role in the number of workers wishing to jump ship at the first chance they got, as more than a third of employees questioned said they did not have a particularly strong bond within their company. This was especially apparent with those who work as part of a team, which can greatly affect staff output.
Participants stated that, should management inform them of particular achievements the company has made in the past month or offered an incentive to work together more closely – such as team building experiences, for example – they would feel more motivated to put in extra effort at work and feel more appreciated on the whole.
Adrian Moorhouse, managing director of Lane4, believes that, if management worked more closely with their staff and set clear objectives, fewer employees would feel unhappy in their job and therefore stop searching for alternative employment.
He said; “Ineffective communication between employees and management has serious consequences on both morale and performance.
“With over three quarters of workers reporting they don’t feel like they are being communicated to by their senior management, there’s a real opportunity for business leaders to develop a line of sight between the visions and strategies created by senior levels.
“This will ultimately help to drive employee engagement, which we know has a direct impact on business results.”
Of course, not all businesses fail to communicate on all levels, with the survey indicating that certain areas of the UK perform better in this field than others. More than 50 per cent of employees from the West Midlands, for example, praised the senior management at their companies for their communication skills, while Northern Ireland featured at the other end of the scale. Less than 50 per cent of workers here claimed to know what was happening in their company resulting in greater apathy.
It seems, then, that in order to keep staff members happy and in their jobs, UK management must improve their communication skills or risk their employees rushing off at the first opportunity that arises. And with Christmas coming up fast, the season of goodwill may be the perfect time to put these changes in place.
Do you manage a team and feel that your communication skills could use a bit of a revamp? How do you think you could pass on positive results to your staff as a means of boosting morale? Conversely, do you work for a company which communicates particularly well or badly with you? Let us know your thoughts on this article in the comments section below.
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