Workers Dissatisfied with Workplace Communication

Only 33 percent of employees are satisfied with the quantity and quality of communications from their employers, according to a study released Sept. 25 by New York-based Jack Morton Worldwide, a global experimental marketing agency.

“The best way to build a business is from the inside out,” said Josh McCall, CEO of Jack Morton.

“Companies spend a tremendous amount of money communicating externally about their business and their brand. However, they are missing a critically important audience when they don’t invest resources and creativity in communicating to their employees, who have the potential to be hugely influential ambassadors for their business.”

The need for employers to improve how they engage their employees was most notable among 38-49 and 50-65 year olds, among whom only 33 and 34 percent of employees respectively expressed satisfaction with the amount and usefulness of interactions from their employers.

The least need for improvement was found among 18-23 year olds, among whom 44 percent felt their companies corresponded enough.

Among U.S. workers, the preferred medium of communication which posed the opportunity for improved behavior was hearing directly from an immediate manager (30 percent), followed by live experiences at events or meetings (16 percent) and hearing from a co-worker (15 percent), followed by hearing from a CEO (13 percent).

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Communication via the internet or mail fell near the bottom of the list, with less than a 10 percent preference for each.

Globally, the satisfaction level was lowest in China, with 15 percent of respondents saying they were happy with communications from their bosses.

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