Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) October 09, 2013
Tribe, Inc., recently concluded a nationwide study with employees of large companies. Both the qualitative and quantitative research indicate that employees at all levels want to know the other people in their companies as individuals, and that they see internal communications as a way to build human connections. Research also found that employees, dependent upon their generation, want face-to-face communication with the corporate leadership team, and timely, honest news about major happenings within their company.
“This year’s survey demonstrates that companies need to look for ways to create human connections and provide channels for employees to interact and communicate – with corporate management and with one other,” says Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin, CEO and Executive Creative Director of Tribe.
Atlanta-based Tribe is an internal communications agency which partners with internal communications and human resources departments as well as the C-suite to help set and execute communications strategy. At least once each year it conducts national research to benchmark various aspects of internal communications and employee engagement.
In the survey, in terms of communications with corporate management:
- 84% believe it’s “extremely” or “very” important for companies to provide a way for employees to communicate with corporate management.
- 68% reported they did have a way to give feedback and voice opinions to corporate management.
- 55% reported their company needed a platform such as an intranet for two-way communications with corporate management.
Fifty-one percent of Boomers and Gen X selected “face-to-face” as a preferred communication channel, with only 43 percent of Gen Y preferring face-to-face as their preferred channel.
What did direct managers have to say about communicating with their employees?
- 66% of respondents indicated they would like communication training.
- 44% would like talking points from corporate to help them communicate with their direct reports.
More than 64 percent of survey respondents said they preferred to hear about mergers, acquisitions, layoffs and other major changes from top corporate management, rather than hearing via managers or rumor, with honesty and timeliness being two major concerns.
When asked about features they would find most beneficial in a company intranet:
- 81% of respondents selected employee directory.
- 46% selected collaboration space.
- 58% selected innovative idea sharing.
Survey respondents were also asked which features they would be likely to read in a company magazine for and about employees:
- 68% selected Employee Spotlight.
- 63% selected Best Practices.
- 51% selected Location Highlights.
About Tribe, Inc.
Tribe (http://www.TribeInc.com) is an internal communications agency that develops strategic plans and designs creative vehicles to build employee engagement and the internal brand. It works with national and global brands including Porsche, Target and Coca-Cola Refreshments. Baskin frequently writes about employee engagement, internal communications, entrepreneurs and women in business. She and other key Tribe team members also regularly blog about internal communications and related issues at http://blog.tribeinc.com/.
