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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – 22 May 2008 – Face-to-face, direct communication is the most common form of employee communication used by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to recent research commissioned by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation and the Gevity Institute. Eighty-seven percent of survey respondents used face-to-face conversations; 81 percent had an open-door policy; and 79 percent held management meetings to communicate with employees.
The IABC study titled The Human Element: Employee Communication in Small and Medium-sized Businesses, was undertaken to identify current and emerging employee communication practices and their impact on the bottom line in SMEs. The research was conducted by Insightrix Research Services in 2007, and examined in-person, print and electronic forms of employee communication in 609 organizations from around the world. In addition to collecting quantitative and qualitative survey data, in-depth interviews were conducted with SME owners and managers.
In-person practices
According to the study, small businesses may rely more heavily than larger businesses on face-to-face communication practices because of their small populations and employees’ proximity to one another. Direct, face-to-face employee communication practices were identified as the most valuable for building employee engagement and increasing productivity. In addition to the face-to-face conversations, open-door policies and management meetings mentioned above, other in-person practices used included staff meetings (77 percent), management by walking around (66 percent) and employee forums (42 percent). ( See detailed chart on current use of in-person practices)
Electronic practices
In the organizations surveyed, electronic and print practices were used to supplement and reinforce the messages of face-to-face communication exchanges. E-mail is currently the most commonly used electronic communication practice (78 percent) followed by portable devices such as cell phones or laptops (75 percent) and a company web site (74 percent). Interestingly, employee blogs were the least common of all the practices reviewed in the study, used by less than 10 percent of respondents. Furthermore, the majority of SMEs surveyed (76 percent) had no plans to use employee blogs in the future. ( See detailed chart on current use of electronic practices)
Print practices
The majority of respondents currently use traditional printed employee manuals and handbooks (61 percent). Forty-one percent used open book management and 36 percent used printed newspapers and magazines to communicate with their employees. The least-used print vehicles were anonymous suggestion systems (22 percent) and letters mailed to employees’ homes (22 percent). ( See detailed chart on current use of print practices)
About the report
The Human Element includes a literature review of employee communication in SMEs, verbatim responses to survey questions from 609 communication professionals working in SMEs around the world, case studies of employee communication excellence in SMEs, and recommendations for developing successful communication in small and medium-sized enterprises. Visit the IABC Knowledge Centre to order online or call +1 415.544.4700 or 800.776.4222. The executive summary of The Human Element, with accompanying charts, is available free of charge at the IABC News Centre.
About IABC
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 15,000 members in 70 countries and 100 chapters. For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com.
About the IABC Research Foundation
The IABC Research Foundation translates communication theory into practice, providing real-world knowledge and applications for the communication profession. Established in 1982, the Foundation is a tax-exempt organization with benefits to the donor under U.S. tax law. For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com/rf
