Employees as well as employers understand the importance and significance of internal communication. Internal communication within the company can range from employee to employee, between teams as well as between a boss and their subordinates. Positive internal communication can bring great change to a company, however, poor communication can bring just as bad of an effect, if not worse.
So, here is a quick rundown of what poor internal communication might be costing your company.
Unpredictable Environment
The one thing communication solves is people’s reactions. When a company has poor internal communication, this means employees aren't on the same page. Poor internal communication can get worse when collaborative teams are not on the same page with each other and their boss.
As a result, the work environment becomes unpredictable. Employees might not understand daily briefs or monthly objectives. This can damage the effectiveness of the company and the employees’ efficiency to get the job done.
Participation from people of all levels, as well as effective dialogue between team members, and their superiors is essential to maintain effective internal communication.
Ineffective Collaboration
It’s often said that collaboration and communication come and go together. When one is missing, the other falls out as well. In this case, due to a lack of proper communication within the company, the collaboration will decrease and eventually stop.
Employee and team collaboration is solely based on how well they can communicate, this is because two people or teams cannot work together without communicating the problem, solution, or progress to each other.
Most companies with poor internal communication are left with arguments between employees, tension, and a stressed environment where people are not willing to work with one another.
To have proper and effective communication in your company, it's vital to ensure that all messages are delivered properly and everyone understands the main objectives and goals of the task given. Only then can employees move on to the next stage, which is collaboration.
Increased Conflict
No company is perfect, and all of them have their fair share of problems, including conflicts. However, these conflicts can only get worse due to poor internal communication.
When a task or assignment is not explained properly, people working on it will not be able to meet the required deadlines and therefore fail at the task. These small or major failures will not be met nicely with the bosses and therefore cause conflicts.
Many times, conflicts aren't even intended, this means they arise simply because of poor communication and are issues that could have been resolved easily, without a problem only had it been for effective internal communication.
Leaders are not willing to accept their mistake of ineffective communication while briefing and employees are not willing to accept a lack of understanding, together it leads to conflict. Whether one or both parties are at fault, poor internal communication certainly affects the company’s environment.
Low Morale
Low morale is an obvious factor, with all the previous situations combined. When internal communication becomes poor, conflicts rise and the company starts to become an unpleasant environment.
Humans work the same way in any environment, and a conflict-packed environment is sure to bring down morale for the entire office. Low self-esteem, embarrassment, confusion, and stress are just some of the feelings that lead to a lack of confidence and low morale among employees.
Low morale can affect employees' personal lives as well, and lead to a completely unproductive and inefficient environment. Employees can also sometimes feel as if they’re left behind, due to a lack of proper communication.
Internal communication can damage the relationship between employees and even with their superiors. Low company morale is the result of all these conflicts.
Final Thoughts
With that said, poor communication within the company can have several negative effects and can eventually lead to an unproductive environment. Low morale, lack of understanding between employees and bosses, and conflict can all become major issues.
