Internal communications vital to retention

Companies with highly effective internal communication programs are better placed to keep employees engaged and retain key talent, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt.

“As the economy continues to shift, keeping employees up-to-date on how the company is responding, and how they are affected, will help insure against their becoming demoralised and disconnected,” said Kathryn Yates, global leader of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. “Effective communication helps engage employees, and that has positive implications for productivity and the bottom line.”

The survey found that 61 per cent of companies that are highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at dealing openly with resistance to change. Similarly, 64 percent of highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at addressing the needs and concerns of their current employees

Effective communicators will let employees know how the they will be affected as the business changes, will trust and train leaders to talk about change, and will follow up with measurements and metrics.

“Communication does not exist in a vacuum - it always serves a larger business purpose,” said John Finney, senior communication consultant. “The best-performing companies plan communication strategically, like any other business area.”