2020 has hindered the lives of many businesses and how they function dramatically. From recessionary and financial problems to increased absenteeism in the workplace, employers and employees have severely impacted their processes. However, communication is an essential part of the functioning of any business. Thankfully, it has been sustained between employers and employees without any trouble—the reason behind this: Technology. 
The rise of technology has been observable for decades, particularly in the world of business. But the impact that technology has brought about in the field of communication is simply remarkable. From the invention of the telephone to the development of wireless technology, communication doesn’t require the physical presence of messengers anymore. So, how important is communication and technology in improving efficiency in the workplace?
Importance of Communication in the Workplace
The importance of communication in the workplace has often been disregarded. Companies often ignore the losses that arise due to inadequate or ineffective communications. In monetary terms, they may add up to as over $420,000 per year. Poor communication can have detrimental effects on an organization in terms of productivity and revenue but also on culture. However, these indirect and unknown costs are diminishing, and effective communication within the workplace plays a massive role. How so?
A business often attempts to look for the right environment for the workplace. Fostering effective communication between employers and employees is the key to a positive environment. There must be a clear understanding of the five components of any communication to create such an environment. They are:
- The sender who presents the message
- The receiver who is listening to the message
- The delivery method of the message
- The context behind the message
- The content of the message
To facilitate effective communication, the sender must use a delivery method that is both efficient and accessible to the receiver. Moreover, the message should be concise and straightforward to improve its clarity. Lastly, the message needs to have the proper context and be communicated at the right time. Thus, Clarity and Timeliness are critical aspects in achieving effective communication.
Remote Workplaces and Communication
To put this in perspective, the recent pandemic has led to a shift towards mobile working. Through mobile working, a workplace may no longer remain a physical workplace but rather a virtual workplace. The rules and guidelines of a physical workplace now no longer stand, and the same professionalism becomes a lower priority. As a result, the clarity and timeliness of messages are often lost, especially with new employees who might feel isolated. Often, employers cannot convey an easily understandable message or address issues on time with their new employees who require some time and guidance to settle in with the new company. Subsequently, communication can only be considered effective if these two aspects are maintained.
Last but not least, companies have transitioned to make the workplace more open by encouraging new ideas, suggestions, changes, and perhaps even constructive criticisms. When a business has a relaxed and welcoming communication culture, it allows people to engage in their work and connect with the company as a whole. The benefit of using open communication and thus engaging employees is that higher workplace engagement leads to a nearly 40% reduction in absenteeism and 21% higher productivity. Therefore, communicating in a way that engages employees is also of key importance in any organization.
The Role of Technology in Communication
When reviewing the essential aspects of communication mentioned above, it’s worth considering the role of technology. Technology is evolving rapidly, and to compete in a fast-paced business environment, organizations need to utilize suitable technology and software. Softwares like Slack, Teams, and Zoom are flourishing in business environments where communication is essential but often not possible. Any accessibility or communication-based problem arising from remote working is now solved through these revolutionary technologies.
Specifically, regarding business environments, the impact of communication technology on the employer-employee relationship has been groundbreaking. Oftentimes, the reasons for a communication breakdown may be due to one of the following:
- Lack of Clarity in the message
- Poor Timeliness of the message
- Lack of Openness in the workplace
A workplace can completely eradicate all these problems through technology if the proper thought and guidelines are applied. Some of the ways that technology is improving communication are:
Connecting all employees
With companies starting to have multiple offices and employees starting to work remotely, the workplace is getting disconnected. But with the help of Skype, Slack and Zoom, companies are beginning to reconnect. Accessibility to video calls with your co-workers makes miscommunication less likely as these software platforms make it seem like everyone’s sitting in the same room. Subsequently, geographical factors no more remain an issue for miscommunication as all employees are connected through these inexpensive platforms. With the right guidance and the right technology, employees can now work from all over the world without worrying about changing the way they work.
Documenting Conversations
One of the underlying reasons behind the success of Slack is its ability to log every chat and be used as a reference tool for documentation. Documenting conversations has never been easier, and the problem of clarity and timeliness in communication should no longer exist with the implementation of the right technology. The right technology here would perform as an organizational tool and reduce the possibility of lost or buried information that often took place from traditional communication methods.
Managing Projects
The key to effective communication within a company is having the right tools to macro and micro manage any project at any time. If an employer cannot examine the problems within the processes and flows of the project, then the project management tool is inefficient.
Modern technology has been incorporated within companies so that projects can be tracked and assessed rapidly and efficiently. The growing trends in remote working due to the pandemic made these mentioned technologies necessary for any project, large or small. Project leaders have been increasingly successful in finding and attracting the right talent for their projects from anywhere in the world with the click of a button. Thus, technology is now the epicentre for communication in the business world.
Communication in Scheduling
As with any aspect of a business, scheduling is often improved with increased communication. Scheduling software creates multiple new ways to communicate with your workforce in order to improve schedule quality and employee satisfaction. Celayix’s purpose is to make scheduling easy, and our employee scheduling, time & attendance software do precisely that. Our success lies in communicating instantly between employers and employees, coordinating shifts as per the company and the workforce’s needs, and giving accuracy and automation in time-tracking.
The most obvious feature used to improve communication is our in-app messaging tool. It makes sense to have a chat feature built into your scheduling software. It allows for quick communication between employers and employees around schedule creation and saves time writing emails or sending texts. Our shift bidding and self-scheduling features allow the scheduler to retain total control while also giving employees more autonomy over their schedule, and allows for 2-way communication when scheduling shifts. With Celayix, employees can also use the Mobile App to highlight their availability to employers, which can improve schedule quality and reduce absenteeism.
Moreover, our shift confirmations feature is the most simple yet useful feature that gives the ability to improve communication around shift scheduling. Traditionally, employers make the schedule, distribute it, and assume employees have seen it and know their shifts. With Celayix however, employers can request that employees confirm that they acknowledge the shifts they have been assigned. Just by tapping a button on our Mobile App, an employee can confirm (or deny) their shifts instantly, making scheduling flexible and communication between employers and employees easier than ever before. If you’d like to see how Celayix can improve communication in the workplace, get in touch with one of our solution advisors today!
