Every Generation Needs This From Your Communication Strategy
By Heather Huhman
Creating and nurturing meaningful connections with employees isn’t an easy task. But thanks to the continuing evolution of mobile technology, human resources professionals and business leaders everywhere can immediately touch base with everyone on their team. This makes it easier than ever to communicate crucial company information.
Unfortunately, the growth of improving technologies is stunted when communication strategies aren’t focused on the workforce’s various generations. Employees’ expectations are then left unmet and they become reluctant to engage with the technology. This is when important information falls through the cracks.
Employees of all ages believe communication in the workplace is important. So, it’s essential for HR pros and leaders to create the ideal collaborative and productive working environment. This will help to keep everyone informed and up-to-date. But first, organizations need to re-evaluate both their mobile communication strategy and each generation's communication needs.
To get you moving in the right direction, EmployeeChannel, Inc. -- a leading provider of mobile apps for employee engagement and communication -- compiled the infographic below.
Here’s a look at what they discovered about the multi-generational workforce:
Everyone wants leaders who communicate
A 2016 Randstad and Future Workplace report found that both millennials and Gen Z think communication skills are the most important leadership quality. For Baby Boomers, a 2016 study by the International Public Management Association for Human Resources discovered that those cohorts ranked “effective communication to keep employees informed” a 4.53 out of 5 on a scale of importance.
Leaders completely agree. In a 2016 study published in the Harvard Business Review, 56 percent of leaders said being able to communicate clear expectations was a top 10 leadership competency.
What this means is that leaders of all levels -- from first-time managers to executives -- need ongoing communication training. They should be reminded of the variety of tools at their disposal and be given thorough training on how to effectively use each technology. They need to know what methods are the most effective for communicating different types of information. For example, when is it necessary to call a meeting versus when a mass email will do.
Smartphones are ubiquitous for every generation
Many organizations make the mistake of believing that only younger generations embrace mobile devices. But that’s just not true.
The 2016 Nielsen Social Media Report found that 87 percent of adults over 18 have access to a smartphone. And people are using those devices a lot. On average, adults look at their phones 47 times a day, according to a 2017 Deloitte study.
If a company isn’t taking advantage of the popularity of mobile communication, then they will disappoint all employees. Nowadays there are apps that allow leaders to effectively communicate everything from benefits changes to performance feedback. Thanks to push notifications, employees will be alerted about new communications immediately. Which allows any questions or concerns to be voiced more efficiently.
Mobility equals productivity
Leaders often worry that having smartphones in the office will lead to employees wasting time on Facebook or playing games. However, employees themselves feel the devices actually improve their productivity.
A 2016 study from Samsung and Frost & Sullivan found that employees gain about a 34 percent increase in productivity thanks to smartphones. Furthermore, a 2016 report from The Economist Intelligence United found that mobile communication productivity gains are the same across all employees ages 18 to 65.
Be confident when you give employees the right mobile tools, they will use them for good. Plus, the cost of those resources will be offset by the increased productivity of your team.
Check out the full infographic below to see what other insights Employee Channel found in regards to communication in a multi-generational workplace:
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