Is Good Communication in the Workplace Important and Why?

Communication is a multifaceted process that entails a number of issues, such as voice volume and tone, body language, words, the topic being discussed, and predispositions that people associated with the topic being discussed among others. Communication is deemed effective or good when a person receiving the message comprehends its meaning and can articulate the meaning to the sender. On the other hand, communication is deemed ineffective or poor when the person receiving the message does not understand its meaning. Advances in communication technologies have hampered the ability of individuals to communicate at a more personal level with colleagues. In addition, these advances result in communication barriers since they eliminate a significant amount of pertinent information needed for effective communication, such as tone, speaking intonation and body language. Good communication in the workplace draws upon professional and interpersonal relationships that build by suitable body language depending on the situation, active participation, attentive listening, and being aware of courtesy. Current paper argues that good communication is important in the workplace, and provides reasons for the importance of good workplace communication. There is a widespread agreement that good communication practices are a core requirement for business success in the modern society. Good communication at the workplace helps in dissemination of the information required by employees to accomplish their tasks. In addition, good workplace communication helps in building relationships characterized by commitment and trust. Without good communication, employees will be working with vague goals and objectives, and will lack clear direction. Good communication in the workplace occurs when the communication leads to positive outcomes. Individuals flourish on information. Moreover, people are more productive and happier when they are informed of their expectations. The ability to communicate one’s thoughts in an effective manner has been considered a crucial requirement of success, both at the individual and organizational level. Individuals who are not able to communicate effectively are likely to endure frustration from co-workers because of constant misunderstandings. The importance of good communication in the workplace is underscored by the fact that every job description states good communication skills as a core requirement. Good communication is vital since it plays a crucial role in facilitating the functioning and thriving of an organization. Poor and ambiguous communication has been established to have a negative impact on employee morale. Employee morale denotes general spirit that people have around the workplace, which can be either bad or good. In this regard, communication has been reported to be a crucial driver of employee morale. Although pay is a concern for many employees, the manner in which the management communicates to employees is also an important issue of concern. Employees tend to value effective communication from the organization’s management. Good communication creates a healthy workplace environment characterized by high employee satisfaction and efficiency. Good two-way communication between employees and their managers has been found to increase staff morale. In addition, good communication can be used in optimizing employee satisfaction. Poor communication in the workplace can result in confusion and frustration among staff. A crucial aspect of workplace communication is the need for employees to feel valued and understood; it can result in strong morale leading to high retention. The effects of poor communication in the workplace may also spill to outsiders, such as suppliers and customers, who are more likely to feel alienated and decide to stop doing business with the company. Good communication in the workplace results in positive outcomes for the organization. First, good workplace communication plays a crucial role in promoting workplace diversity. It is for the reason that effective communication skills eliminate barriers to communication associated with cultural and language differences. Organizations offering communication training to its employees have reported the merits of effective communication in the workplace. For instance, by eliminating barriers to communication, information is shared in accurate and sufficient manner among employees, which in turn increases workplace productivity and guarantees the completion of crucial tasks. Organizations can prevent cultural miscommunication and confusion through providing training to its global employees on a regular basis. On a diverse workplace with good communication, productivity is high, errors are minimal, and operations run smoothly. The second advantage to the organization associated with good workplace communication relates to its significance in global business. There is no doubt that international business transactions are increasing, which has increased the demand for good communication. Employees and managers must be equipped to communicate effectively with employees and customers from other regions of the world. The cross-cultural differences require managers and employees to be able to develop their cross-cultural communication skills. Organizations having employees who are competent in cross-cultural communication face fewer difficulties when entering international marketplaces when compared to organizations with employees who are incompetent in cross-cultural communication. Good communication in the workplace can be used in preventing common problems experienced in the workplace. Problems associated with conflict, miscommunication and misunderstanding can be addressed using good workplace communication. Poor communication in the workplace contributes tension among employees, which reduces productivity. Misunderstandings among co-workers are rarely forgotten, even when both parties decide to forgive each other. Miscommunication can result in severe and perceptual consequences. Tension in the workplace attributed to poor communication usually emerges during future communication between the individuals involved, especially in instances where their work needs them to communicate constantly. In addition, tension is usually infectious since it can spill to other employees unrelated to the initial problem that caused tension. Good communication in the workplace also contributes to team building because effective communication has been found to be a core requirement for the establishment of extremely efficient teams. Through good communication, employees are in a position to trust the management and trust one another. In addition, good communication eliminates unhealthy competition and helps staff to collaborate. The outcome of having a highly collaborative team is improved responsibility, integrity and productivity. Effective communication ensures that employees are informed of their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, managers are in a position to highlight the areas that need improvement without necessarily producing a harsh work environment. Open communication between the manager and his/her subordinates can strengthen positive relationships, which is an advantage to the organization. The business impacts associated with poor communication can also be used to emphasize the importance of good workplace communication. A high employee turnover is one of the business costs associated with poor communication in the workplace. One of the most common reasons why people quit their job is poor communication. Employees quitting can be costly to the organization – the costs associated with replacing an employee has been estimated to be three times the annual salary of the employee leaving. The second business cost associated with poor communication is increased absenteeism because insensitive communication has a negative effect on employee motivation, resulting in absenteeism. Poor customer service is also a business cost associated with poor communication, which can result in customers being frustrated with the company. In conclusion, it is evident from the discussion that good communication in the workplace is important. Moreover, good communication practices are a critical success factor for organizations in the current business environment. The benefits to organizations associated with good communication include increased employee morale, facilitated workplace diversity, and help in global business. Good workplace communication also helps in preventing tensions and conflicts that may arise because of poor communication. Moreover, the business costs of poor communication in the workplace, such as high employee turnover, increased absenteeism and poor customer service, can be used to underscore the importance of good communication. Sofia Woodstone, a blogger and a writer at Order-essays.com