by Ed Barkum

Created on: May 14, 2008

Although communication between management and employees is a two-way street, the responsibility for ensuring a high level of quality communication clearly rests with management. Every manager within the organization from top to bottom owns a piece of this responsibility. An organization that pays little to no attention to how well it communicates with its employees, can suffer slumps in productivity and employee satisfaction, that can/will ultimately lead to customer dissatisfaction.

Good and open communication between management and employees is essential to the success of the organization, and starts from the top down. Senior managers are responsible for setting the tone and atmosphere of the overall work environment. Middle and junior managers as team leaders, must strive to foster and encourage candid and open communication at all levels. Also they should keep in mind that communication involves more than just conversation, memos, bulletins, and email. Management's overall attitude in the work place speaks volumes about it willingness to participate in open and honest dialogue with the workers. Approachable managers are far more likely to keep lines of communication open than that guy or gal who sits in the office with the door half-closed.

In situations where communication between management and the employee body has slipped to levels demanding attention, it becomes the job of management to find a cure. But don't panic. Improving communication is not rocket science or brain surgery. There are easy solutions, and affective methods of improving management/employee communication gaps, that won't cost an arm and a leg, and you don't need to bring in a team of consultants. The cure however will require sincere and genuine concern on the part of management.

Let's start with the most simplistic approach to the problem. What do you do when your spouse, brother, or friend, has been giving you the silent treatment for two days, and you don't know why? You simply approach the person and initiate communication by asking, "What's wrong, did I do something to offend you"? Employees are people too! So why not approach them as you would a friend whom you haven't had the best communication with for two days? If you do however, it is extremely critical that you listen; I said, "LISTEN" to what he/she has to say. Show concern, and commit to take action if appropriate. Above all, don't make any promises you don't fully intend to keep.

Too often managers are reluctant to approach

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