Considering the frequent use of email, videoconferencing, face-to-face meetings, text messages, phone calls, and hand-written notes, one could assume that employers as well as employees have mastered the art of communication in the workplace. However, for most, the frequency with which we use means of communication has no impact on how effectively we communicate.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently shared that small businesses lose an average of $420K and large businesses lose $62.4 million annually due to poor communication in the workplace.
As organizations continue to grow, many are leveraging HR automation technology and HR automation software to strengthen workforce communication, improve collaboration, and reduce costly communication breakdowns. Effective workforce communication is no longer limited to conversations between employees and managers. It also includes how information flows across recruiting, onboarding, compliance, reporting, verification of employment requests, and other critical business processes.
So, where does your company stand when it comes to communication? How effective and articulate are your leaders? How about your staff? The following ideas can help your business identify and address potential communication challenges while highlighting how automating HR processes, including Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) screening and workforce management activities, can support stronger workforce communication across the organization.
Leverage Communication as a Recruiting Tool
Before you make a hiring decision, be sure to put a candidate’s communication skills to the test. During the interview process, ask questions that provoke critical thinking and elicit articulate answers. You should also evaluate how well candidates listen and what questions they ask. Additionally, you may ask them to submit a draft response to a sample inquiry. This allows you to review and evaluate their writing style, tone, grammar, punctuation, and professionalism.
Strong communication skills remain essential regardless of role. Employers increasingly use workforce analytics to identify skill gaps, measure employee engagement, and support employee development initiatives. Organizations that are automating HR processes can also improve hiring efficiency through tools such as Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) screening, helping ensure important hiring information is collected accurately and on time.
Set Expectations – Establishing Standards
For existing employees, you should establish communication standards based on simple, common-sense concepts. Your communication standards should include the following components:
What Means to Use
Inform your staff when to use email versus a phone call, face-to-face meeting, video conference, or instant messaging platform. When writing an email, explain how to clearly state a request, call-to-action, and timing expectations when required.
Many businesses use HR automation technology and HR automation software to support communication standards through automated notifications, workflow tracking, and task reminders. These tools help improve workforce communication by ensuring that important information reaches the appropriate people at the right time.
Tone
Whether communicating verbally or in writing, the tone we use to express our thoughts is what matters most. Finding a balance between what you want to say and how you need to say it takes practice, but it is essential for strong communicators. Understanding your audience and their perception is vital to mastering this skill.
Strong workforce communication requires employees and leaders alike to remain respectful, professional, and mindful of how messages may be interpreted.
Responses
When communicating, stress the importance of clearly stating if and when a response is needed, and by when. For customer-facing staff, you may establish customer response time standards. Ambiguity can lead to misunderstandings and potential problems.
Organizations using HR automation software can improve accountability by implementing automated reminders and communication workflows that help employees meet deadlines and respond to expectations. By automating HR processes, businesses can reduce delays and create more efficient workforce communication practices.
Out-of-Office Procedures
Be clear on who does what when someone is out of the office, and make sure everyone is aware of their responsibilities during your time away. Make sure you never double out-of-office, meaning the person designated as a contact should not also have their own out-of-office reply active.
Businesses that use HR automation technology can improve continuity by routing requests, approvals, and employee inquiries to designated contacts when key personnel are unavailable. This is particularly important when handling verification of employment requests or responding to time-sensitive employee matters.
Organizations that automate verification of employment (VOE) processes can also reduce administrative burdens and ensure faster responses to lenders, government agencies, and other authorized parties.
Conflict Resolution and Flushing Out Concerns
Avoiding misunderstandings through strong communication is the best way to prevent conflicts altogether. However, it is important to establish a process for addressing concerns when they arise.
Workforce analytics can help managers identify recurring communication challenges, engagement concerns, and operational bottlenecks before they become larger workplace issues. Access to workforce analytics allows leaders to make more informed decisions and improve workforce communication throughout the organization.
Escalation Procedures
Make sure you outline a clear process for your staff to escalate matters that require attention or impartial intervention.
Technology-driven workflows can support escalation procedures by documenting communication history and ensuring important matters reach the appropriate decision-makers promptly. Businesses may also benefit from Unemployment Tax Planning strategies that help reduce tax liabilities while improving visibility into workforce-related compliance matters.
This is especially important when managing compliance-related matters, employee disputes, filing or responding to a UI claim, or handling unemployment-related documentation. Organizations that utilize unemployment claims management solutions often have greater visibility into claim activity, can improve response times, maintain proper documentation, and support broader unemployment insurance cost control efforts.
Peer-to-Peer Collaboration
Leveraging the skills of our peers can be a great way to collaborate and fine-tune our communication skills. Whenever you are unsure how to respond or communicate something, you can reach out to a colleague and solicit feedback.
You may choose to roll out communication training company-wide or by department through video meetings, workshops, or virtual conferences. Make communication training a standard part of onboarding for all new hires.
The Role of Technology in Workforce Communication
As workplaces become increasingly digital, communication depends not only on people but also on systems and processes. HR automation technology helps organizations improve workforce communication by reducing manual tasks, improving information sharing, and providing employees with access to timely and accurate information.
Modern HR automation software supports a wide range of business functions, including workforce analytics, verification of employment (VOE), unemployment claims management, unemployment insurance cost control, and Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) screening. These solutions help organizations streamline operations while supporting more effective workforce communication.
Businesses that are automating HR processes often experience improved efficiency, greater visibility into workforce data, and stronger communication across departments.
Lead by Example
Last, but not least, for this to work, it is important to not only keep it simple but also hold everyone in your organization accountable to your standards. This means starting from the top down. By doing so, you’ll send the most powerful message, backed by your actions and not just by words. As a result, your employees will appreciate executives and managers who lead by example and will be encouraged to improve their own communication skills in the workplace.
Organizations looking to strengthen workforce communication and improve operational efficiency can explore Walton’s workforce solutions. To see how HR automation technology can support your organization, book a Demo and learn more about available solutions. If you have questions about your workforce needs, contact us at Walton Management for additional information and guidance.
*The cost of poor communications. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/communication/pages/the-cost-of-poor-communications.aspx