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Economic uncertainty may cause leaders to go into survival mode and look for ways to cut costs. It’s no wonder that one of the commonest strategies is to downsize.
On paper, the move makes sense. Reducing any organization’s workforce will have an immediate impact on the bottom line. But adopting the sort of lean “year of performance” practice—as Mark Zuckerberg got here up with this in 2023 — can backfire over time. What’s the alternative? Improve collaboration. Increased collaboration between teams and management can consistently increase productivity without requiring widespread layoffs.
Improving effective communication in the workplace won’t bring immediate results, which is why many leaders resolve to lay off employees. However, layoffs will be detrimental to a company’s success. First, they will destroy the culture of the organization and significantly reduce worker trust in management. Once that trust is broken, it is difficult to regain. As reported in an article by Harvard Business Review, losing a job is a concern for 85% of individuals, according to Edelman’s researchBy catering to these fears, employers are breaking the bonds of trust with the individuals who remain.
Let’s talk about those individuals who keep their jobs. Guilt tends to permeate those that are elected to stay. Yes, they might feel relieved, but they may live with a constant anxiety that they could be the next—or shouldn’t be the one to stay. This uncertainty slowly erodes their ability to focus on their jobs. It can even increase their suspicion that regardless of how much a company declares itself to be people-oriented, in difficult times it’s going to all the time return to the issue of shedding employees.
As these seeds of tension and worry spread, they will affect an employer’s brand and make it harder to attract and retain top talent. One Visier researcher explained that up to 8% of individuals may leave of your individual free will after a layoff, typically inside 105 days of the layoff announcement; and replacing these team members is probably not easy. Good job candidates will all the time think twice about applying for positions at firms known for layoffs.
These—and their related consequences—are why all organizations need to consider other approaches, resembling other ways to improve workplace communication, before they downsize their departments. After all, communication is essential, and as a rule, it doesn’t occur efficiently or effectively in any company, including yours.
The Relationship Between Human Communication and Business Profitability
Is poor communication in the workplace really hurting your bottom line? Yes. Eighty-eight percent of data staff’ time is spent communicating, according to Grammarly report 2024. With so much communication, any obstacle can disrupt productivity. And obstacles do occur. A whopping 55% of pros say they spend an inordinate period of time creating or deciphering messages, which causes 53% to struggle with anxiety.
Of course, many managers and teams try to mitigate communication failures through meetings. Unfortunately, as Otter.ai indicatesunnecessary and unproductive meetings can lead to tens of millions being lost each yr. This problem is exacerbated when you have a hybrid and distant workforce responsible for about 40% of all employees. Effectively coordinating team communications across geographic, time, and other boundaries without a plan will be difficult.
In other words, there are probably dozens of gaps in your communication machine. By closing those gaps, you may improve the worker experience and help them do higher work faster. This is not going to only improve the speed and quality of each worker’s output, but it’s going to also help keep costs down—all without having to lay off a single person.
How to improve communication in the workplace
If you want the idea of maintaining the morale you’ve built and the knowledge your employees bring to your organization, start by implementing recent approaches to communication.
1. Establish a deliberate rhythm for team meetings
Do you’re feeling such as you have unnecessary meetings? You’re probably right. We’ve turn out to be so accustomed to having face-to-face and virtual meetings at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, most meetings don’t have a clear purpose or conclusion.
The solution to this problem is to be very deliberate about scheduling meetings. For example, start the week on Monday or Tuesday with a team video or in-person meeting, depending on the structure of the workplace. Share what was achieved in the previous week, each person’s upcoming goals, and perhaps something personal. This meeting gives everyone a path forward.
At the end of the week, hold one-on-one meetings with your direct reports. These meetings are designed to check your “mood gauge.” They’re a likelihood to review project deadlines, goals, deliverables, and expectations. Remember, one-on-one meetings allow you to connect with people. For example, Adobe introduced Check-in approachwhich replaces annual reviews with regular, one-on-one feedback sessions. This setup has increased worker engagement and productivity by allowing for ongoing dialogue and feedback. Ultimately, establishing these personalized meetings has helped create a culture of growth and support in the workplace.
2. Use psychometric tools to reduce communication friction
Use AI and technology to help your people turn out to be higher communicators. There are now psychometric products that can assist employees communicate higher with each other. Remember, we don’t necessarily work side by side anymore. This means it may possibly be difficult to understand how a colleague likes to receive and interpret information. Psychometric solutions can break down this barrier.
For example, a psychometric assistant can provide specific suggestions on how to write an email to a specific colleague, based on the colleague’s psychometric data. The finished email shall be more comprehensible to the recipient, reducing the likelihood of confusion.
Psychometric tools can even help determine appropriate visualizations, audio cues, and other meeting considerations. By assessing the psychometric needs of all participants, the system can develop higher ways to engage all participants.
When you and your team use these leading solutions, it promotes empowerment, confidence, and authority. It also minimizes the need for micromanagement. As a result, everyone can collaborate more effectively each in real time and asynchronously. Ultimately, higher communication is also great for the bottom line, especially since Asana showed that 55% of employees in collaborative firms experience consistent revenue growth.
Cuts could also be vital, but they are not an inevitable solution to surviving an uncertain economy. Modify your communication practices before you lay people off. It could also be all you wish to win more, and you won’t have to deal with the consequences of layoffs. And better of all, everyone wins.