The Cost of Poor Communication (and Why It’s Worse for Deskless Employees)

Strong communication is the backbone of a successful work environment. Without a sense of accountability, clear expectations, and accessible communication platforms, employees often feel unmotivated and disconnected from leaders and peers alike. Since communication is such an important element for any successful business, poor communication can have extremely negative effects on productivity and company culture.

Without the central hub of an office space, deskless workers face increased communication challenges. Wondering how poor communication is affecting your deskless workforce? Here’s what you need to know about the true cost of poor communication and how to change the way your team communicates.

Why Is Communication so Important?

No matter what industry you’re in, it’s essential for employees and leaders to share ideas and hold one another accountable during projects. Without the structure of an in-person office space, deskless workers often feel disconnected from management and company culture is nonexistent.

According to a study done by Grammerly, one in five companies have lost business due to the impact of poor communication “with the vast majority (86%) estimating the value to be $10,000 or higher, and we estimate poor communication costs US businesses as much as $1.2 trillion every year.” Additionally, the same study found that 82% of business leaders are concerned with the efficacy of their communication with deskless employees.

What is the Impact of Poor Communication?

The ripple effect of poor communication reaches all facets of business from productivity to employee satisfaction.

Wasted Time

Since deskless employees aren’t able to pop over to their neighbor’s cubicle when they have a question, they’re reliant on virtual communication methods like email and text. Unfortunately, poorly organized threads may cause employees to spend hours sifting through old conversations trying to find what they’re looking for. Needless to say, this time could be spent doing other productive tasks instead of dredging up old memos from disorganized text archives.

Lower Productivity

When the channels of communication aren’t streamlined, it may take much longer for employees to get the “go-ahead” to complete simple tasks. Deskless workers are constantly coordinating tasks, shifts, and deadlines online, and a lack of clarity may lead to mix-ups and delays.

Compromised Customer Retention

Poor communication may cost you more than just time. When communication between employees lapses, it’s easy for vital information to get lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, this may start to influence the quality of customer experience and engagement. If customers feel like they aren’t receiving clear and consistent information, they may take their business elsewhere.

Poor Morale

Employees who feel disenfranchised by a company aren’t going to contribute to a positive company culture. Bad communication is frustrating for everyone involved, and may lead to higher employee turnover rates and low morale among remaining employees.

How To Improve Communication for Deskless Employees

Effective communication strategies are essential for all companies, but particularly companies with a significant percentage of deskless employees.

Here are a few ways to improve internal communications for company-wide results:

• Establish Standards and Expectations: start by establishing some basic rules for communication between employees and leaders. Set clear expectations about when to communicate, what to expect, and what channels to use for continuity and ease of access.
• Promote an Open Environment: If employees feel intimidated or anxious about job security, they probably won’t share their feedback with leaders. Create an environment that encourages open communication and lead by example.
• Hold Others Accountable: Hold employees and leaders accountable for maintaining clarity and transparency. Work to promote an environment where open communication is the norm and employees are expected to participate in discussions.
• Use Technology: Establish a cloud-based communication platform where employees can share project updates and schedule shifts. The easier it is to send and view messages, manage projects, and view schedules, the more employees will utilize online resources.

Partner with Konverse to Change the Way Your Team Communicates

Konverse is a communication platform designed for the modern deskless workplace. Konverse is the app that does it all, from scheduling, to email management, to corporate alignment. Konverse’s intuitive platform consolidates all communication into one place, and allows employees to get in touch, anytime, anywhere. Plus, Konverse’s employee hub offers features like smart search, keeping all past communications accessible and organized.

Interested in changing the way you communicate? Contact us today for a free demo.