The Critical Role of Top-Down Communication

Management at all levels of an organization play a significant role in the communication that flows down to employees. Despite their best efforts, top-down communication continues to be an issue for many of the organizations we encounter.

According to our Employee Opinion Surveys, only 54.3 percent of the employees in our overall benchmark feel that communication flows effectively from upper management to employees, compared to 74.6 percent of employees in our Best of the Best benchmark.

This is unfortunate, because when management doesn’t consistently communicate openly with employees, the result is an unproductive work environment filled with speculative rumors and a loss of trust in management.

Senior management plays a significant role in the overall importance of business communication. When the CEO or senior manager regularly communicates with all employees, whether through e-mail, video, or a town hall meeting, most employees appreciate the top-down communication. But, senior managers will never be fully effective at getting communication down to the front lines unless they are supported by managers and supervisors who place a high value on making sure employees are “in the loop.”

What can leaders at various levels of the organization do to support top-down communication, and increase their effectiveness when communicating with employees? The following tips may sound simple, but they can make a world of difference in an organization. Employees notice not only better communication with their boss, but greater morale within their department.

Over-communicate
Increase the frequency of your communication, particularly during periods of rapid organizational change. Tell your employees what you know, even if you preface it with “This is based on what I know today…but it could change tomorrow.” Telling employees what you know, even if it may be subject to change, helps build trust. On the other hand, withholding information erodes trust levels between management and employees.

Keep Your Door Open
Whenever possible, keep your office door open. In addition, make sure your body language also tells employees that you have an “open door policy.” Crossing your arms, sighing over interruptions, and not looking at the speaker all say that you may be accessible, but not approachable. I wrote a related article, Open Doors and Closed Minds, which you can check out here.

Review Schedules
Keep your employees updated on your schedule. Knowing your schedule will help them prioritize their work and allow them to make better decisions to support you. On the flip side, knowing their schedules/deadlines will help you understand their current pressures.

Offer Assistance
Ask your employees on a regular basis, “What do you need from me?” Doing so gives employees the opportunity to update you on projects and communicate any challenges. It also prompts you to provide the information needed to keep those projects on schedule.

Check In Frequently
If you are away from the office, touch base with your support team on a regular basis. Doing so allows you to respond quickly to messages and troubleshoot potential issues that may have surfaced in your absence. It also says to your employees, indirectly, “I care enough to check in with you when I’m gone.”

Hold Regular Meetings
Keep employees informed about management decisions, goals, and direction. Allow employees time to question issues that impact them. Have employees update one another on the status of their projects. Scheduling short, well-planned departmental meetings on an ongoing basis will not only keep employees informed, but boost team effectiveness.

Conduct Quarterly Reviews
Want to make annual reviews less dreaded for both manager and employee? Conduct quarterly reviews. Doing so allows the employee time throughout the year to address performance issues. Meeting with an employee on a quarterly basis also conveys to the employee, “Your success is important to me.”

Tackle Tough Issues
Conflict is alive and well in most organizations. What differs from organization to organization is the way conflict is handled. Healthy organizations address conflict. We recently ran across the term “carefrontation.” It takes courage and guts to honestly communicate the real issues to people. When you do not honestly discuss, but instead sidestep the tough issues, employees may feel that you don’t care. If you do care, you will confront people with compassion. When you honestly communicate, even the tough issues, people trust you because they know you really value them.

Communication is an art, not a science. You can easily learn principles related to communication, but to become a master, you must practice. Monet wasn’t a great artist the first time he put brush to canvas. It took years of practice! With practice and commitment to effectively communicating with employees, you will eventually see the fruits of your labor – happy, productive and innovative employees committed to the success of your organization.