The way we communicate and behave at work matters. It establishes a culture that perpetuates itself. That culture indicates to employees what matters and what doesn’t.
How well you manage corporate culture and communications can impact employee engagement in many ways, including how your employees feel about recognition, trust, teamwork, equality, liking the people they work with, and the humanization of the workplace.
In fact, an entire area of our employee engagement survey is dedicated to corporate communications and culture. As an employee, being informed and able to trust what you’re told by leadership is an important part of the employee experience.
The Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey
Our Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey is comprised of 78 questions, rated on a 5-point Likert scale, that measure attitudes in eight core focus areas. Additionally, there are two open-ended questions at the end of the survey in which respondents can share what they love about working for their employer as well as what they’d like to see improve.
We surveyed more than one million employees in the last 12 months and we asked them each a standard set of thirteen questions to measure satisfaction with corporate communications and culture at their roughly 6,000 respective organizations. Over the past 15 years, we’ve learned that when employees agree with the statements below, they’re satisfied with corporate culture and communications at their organization.
Survey Statements in this Area
- This organization’s corporate communications are frequent enough.
- This organization’s corporate communications are detailed enough.
- I have a good understanding of how this organization is doing financially.
- I can trust what this organization tells me.
- This organization treats me like a person, not a number.
- This organization gives me enough recognition for work that is well done.
- Staffing levels are adequate to provide quality products/services.
- Quality is a top priority with this organization.
- Safety is a top priority with this organization.
- I believe there is a spirit of cooperation within this organization.
- Employees are treated fairly here regardless of race, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation.
- I like the people I work with at this organization.
- Changes that may affect me are communicated to me prior to implementation.
You can begin making a positive impact on your organization’s communications and culture, as well as establish best practices, by paying close attention to the above statements. Follow this up by surveying and analyzing your employees’ feedback. Read on for strategy and tips to begin your journey for improvement.
Being Clear Breeds Trust
When we tell our teams what’s going to happen next and then it does, it has a calming effect. Our employees trust us when we communicate frequently, including enough detail for folks to understand how the content may affect them. They need to know about changes that may affect them before those changes are implemented.
Interestingly, we’ve learned that good communication practices are essential in all exchanges, but especially in the area of financials. Organizations with the highest levels of employee engagement have employees who have a good understanding of how the organization is doing financially.
Clear communication goes both ways and employees want to feel that they can express their honest opinions without fear of negative consequences.
Sometimes in Business, it’s Personal
People feel happy when they’re regarded and celebrated for being people, not assets. Specifically, employees who work for award-winning workplace cultures report that the organization “treats me like a person, not a number.” Interestingly, feeling valued is the number one driver of engagement amongst the Best Places to Work in our awards programs. Employees feel that their employers give them enough recognition for a job well done.
An Emphasis on Excellence
When staffing levels are adequate to provide quality products or services to customers, and both safety and quality feel like a top priority, employees feel they work for a great company. If excellence is part of your company’s values, deciding to relentlessly pursue that end will attract employees that share the same value.
Belonging to a Team
When employees believe there’s a spirit of cooperation and a culture of diversity, they are free to bring their best work to the table. The kinds of organizations that are great at hiring people who fit within the culture tend to have employees who have fun at work and like the people they work with.
