Communication and culture

Workplaces with poor or no culture are (and perhaps not coincidentally) also workplaces where communication breakdowns are a daily occurrence. Some employers try to justify this gap as “flexibility at work” and argue that by taking a hands-off approach, they’re allowing employees to dictate how things are done on their terms. Sounds about good, right?

However, and unfortunately, employees not knowing what to work on, who to report to, and how to complete a task (ultimately leading to delays or the work plainly not being done) are just a few ways you fail your employees when communication isn’t prioritized in your company. All of this can build over time, and create frustration and resentment that’s hard to ignore. Culture can’t flourish when people feel like they have nobody to talk to, or the people they talk to don’t understand or listen to them. Compound this daily, and you’re setting your corporate culture up for failure.

How communication affects your company culture?

We already know that effective communication is the key to a good company culture . Let’s understand this better with a simple example:

Two scenarios, one workplace

Put yourself in your employees’ shoes for a moment. If you were to go to them and say, “I’d like to see you in my office,” how do you think they’ll react?

Is your workplace culture one where fear washes over them and they’ll start to run through an inventory of the day’s, week’s and month’s events trying to pinpoint why you’re singling them out and what you’re going to say to them? Are they in fear of being reprimanded for something they’re unaware of, or worse yet, afraid of being let go from the company? Do they feel anxious, nervous, and almost as if you’re picking on them? This is an example of a poor workplace culture, where communication isn’t prioritized and employees have been left to languish, only seeing you when they’re in trouble or something major happens.

Now, let’s consider a different situation in the same workplace, one where communication is regular, open, and honest. In this scenario, the employees would have no problem coming to your office to speak with you, because they have no reason to worry. You regularly communicate with them, and everyone else, and it isn’t too far out of the ordinary for you to interact with them. They come to your office for a chat, and don’t walk in carrying a load of anxiety or fear of reprisal.

Which workplace is yours? The first, where you barely interact with your employees and when you do, they always seem nervous or under a microscope? Or the second, where you’re a fixture in their normal interactions and they have nothing to worry about when speaking to you?

Communication goes a long way in determining which workplace culture applies to you, but, at the same, there are several other things you need to consider when communicating with your employees, such as:

Different communication styles

Not everyone communicates the same way. Some employees prefer direct, face-to-face conversation while others may be more introverted and would prefer a phone call or email. Some employees like to keep things strictly business and maintain an air of professionalism in everything they do, while others are more uncomfortable when things are too buttoned up and would prefer a more personal touch. Some may even speak English as a second or third language, and are unfamiliar with euphemisms, expressions and colloquialisms that seem all too familiar to you.

So, in any event, you need to tailor the way you communicate depending on who you are communicating with, based on their preferred communication style. It is through these small, deliberate tweaks of how you communicate that you’re able to shape a culture and hire and compensate accordingly. Do you allow dysfunction? Do you prize professionalism? Or do you like to keep things light and friendly? Setting the tone clearly, and early on in an employment relationship, will let everyone know what to expect.

Different experiences

Our pasts can influence how we interpret messages, too. Take the example of an employee who was in the military before entering the corporate world. They may address you with “sir” or “ma’am” and maintain relationships and communication through the lens of hierarchy. Now, consider an employee who joined the company straight out of trade school or an apprenticeship. Being in a more blue-collar environment has gifted them with exceptional technical abilities, but their communication skills might not be up to the level you expect.

It’s important to look beyond these superficial differences and find ways to make sure everyone feels like they’re able to get their point across to one another. Consider this when hiring, when forming teams and committees, and especially in written communications to your company. What one person considers appropriate, another might not.

Different expectations

Depending on the role, some of your employees won’t communicate to anyone at all during a shift. Others might communicate only with people outside of your company. Some might only communicate to others when they need something, or to give orders. Your employees all have different expectations of how much, to whom, and why they communicate at work. If you were to suddenly add “email communications” to a production line worker’s job expectation, they’ll need training or more resources to do it properly.

Conversely, if you remove a customer service representative’s role of communicating with clients, and make them a manager of their department, you’ll need to train them on an entirely different way to communicate. Not everyone is comfortable speaking or writing a certain way, so to put your employees in a position to succeed, you’ll need to make sure you’re clear with them on what the expectations of their role are.

If you feel an employee isn’t communicating well, and their position requires it, the onus is on you as the employer to address it before it throws your team into turmoil. On the other hand, if employees are complaining about being micromanaged and constantly distracted by an overzealous manager bent on over-communicating every last detail, you need to step in and make sure they don’t hinder your employees’ ability to do their work.

The point is: Don’t thrust people into positions they’re ill-equipped to handle from a communications point of view, and don’t try and force too much communication where it doesn’t belong.

Cultural side-effects of poor communication

When communication isn’t important to your workplace, or flat-out ignored, employees are left in limbo. They’ll be surprised by announcements you make, your likability can suffer mightily and people won’t feel like they can speak their mind. Important information can go unspoken, people can begin to feel ostracized for holding certain beliefs and worst of all, nobody knows what’s really going on with the company.

Moreover, it’s hard to take pride in a company constantly shrouded in mystery, where nobody feels like they can properly communicate with one another or with you. That’s why your company culture needs to promote open and bias-free communication. People want to focus on doing their jobs well, and they can’t do that if they need to fill in the blanks because of an inability or unwillingness to communicate. Speak to everyone. Make it a habit to know what’s happening with your company, your employees, and your clients.

All things considered, it all boils down to one thing: when you foster a culture of open, clear communication, everyone knows what to expect, and can perform to their absolute best – ultimately fostering the foundation for your company’s success.