How Should I be Working?

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30 May 2022

A survey of 2,000 employees has revealed that just over half do not describe their employer as a good communicator, and 70 per cent cannot agree that their employer is clear about the company’s work policy now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased.

"To discover that such a significant number of employees wouldn’t describe their employer as a good communicator is concerning, particularly at such a crucial time in what is an evolving world of work."

 

– Jo Sutherland
Managing Director, Magenta Associates

Hectic Hybrid Working

The research, conducted by Magenta Associates, the integrated communications consultancy for the built environment, also found that two-thirds of employees do not know how, when and where they are supposed to work. 

What’s more, one in three employees do not believe their views are considered before their employer makes decisions that affect them in the workplace. These findings have emerged while organisations are still redefining, refining or reimagining the employee experience and the workplace offering in light of the increasing popularity of hybrid working. It still appears that the majority of companies have no plans to reduce office space, according to an ISS survey, however this also found those that do plan to reduce are at the same time investing significantly in enabling better innovation and collaboration among their employees.

Instilling Confidence During Changes

Magenta’s findings also reveal that 56 per cent of employees believe effective communication is important to an organisation’s success because it builds relationships – 53 per cent believe this efficient information sharing promotes team spirit and 50 per cent believe it enhances employee wellbeing.

This desire to build a good team relationship through this medium is growing with younger employees as they engage with the benefits of our transparent technological age. 100 per cent of Generation Z respondents aged between 18-24 said that poor communication impacts their “job satisfaction and enjoyment”.

Jo Sutherland, Magenta Associates managing director, said: “We noticed a shift in business communications priorities in the wake of the pandemic with more focus on keeping in touch with and engaging employees. We discovered that our experience also reflected what was going on more widely. Most business leaders we surveyed and interviewed stated that business-to-employee communications is more important now than ever.

“However, to discover that such a significant number of employees wouldn’t describe their employer as a good communicator is concerning, particularly at such a crucial time in what is an evolving world of work. Our research suggests this is because there is confusion over where internal communications sits, be it in HR, marketing or workplace management. 

“Effective communication offers numerous business benefits, such as improving employee loyalty, work ethic, health and wellness and morale, which not only helps with talent attraction and retention, but also new ideas.”

Making the New Workplace "Work"

So how can we can ensure that employees operate better in the evolving dynamics? Karl Breeze recently laid out his recommendations in our Opinion category for reviewing workspaces so that they are fit for purpose for a hybrid working future. Karl Breeze is the Chief Executive Office at Matrix Booking. He is a technologist, cloud computing evangelist and entrepreneur. His passion centres around the ‘new-normal’ office environment and helping organisations to adapt to and embrace the changes and challenges the global pandemic has presented. Take a look at his five top tops to review real estate in lieu of this.

Picture: a person working from their bed. Image credit: Unsplash.

Article written by Bailey Sparkes | Published 30 May 2022

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