The key to unlocking employee productivity is to cultivate a ‘connected culture’ in which staff find it easy to communicate with one another, business leaders have been told. Workplace communication experts at TelephoneSystems.Cloud have analysed the latest research on what holds businesses back from being highly productive. According to one study, 71% of those employees who said they were more productive feel well-connected to their colleagues.*
Well-connected teams see a productivity increase of 20-25% meaning UK businesses that fail to effectively adapt to hybrid working are massively underperforming. In real terms, disengaged employees cost the world an incredible $7.8 trillion in lost productivity in 2022. The problem of keeping employees connected with their colleagues and engaged with their work has become more difficult for businesses in recent years.
Pre-pandemic office workers went into the office 3.8 days per week but post-pandemic this has been reduced to just 1.4 days a week. Organisations that can put effective communication systems in place and minimise the silo effect that hybrid working can encourage are 3.5 times more likely to outperform the competition. Nothing hurts productivity more than high staff turnover and with 58% of UK workers expressing a desire to work in a hybrid model businesses need to adapt quickly to grow. With 21% of workers reportedly quitting their jobs because of a lack of an effective hybrid working solution, business leaders are under pressure to get their communication right.
The risk to businesses of losing staff in 2023 is born out by research that suggests that 43% of employees are somewhat or extremely likely to consider changing jobs. Effective communication increases employee retention by 4.5 times compared to businesses that don’t have connected workplace cultures. And with 52% of employees saying they stay in a job because they feel valued and supported, effectively connecting and communicating with employees is crucial for businesses that want to be productive and retain staff.
Juliet Moran, founder of TelephoneSystems.Cloud believes that having a connected workplace culture means cultivating a staff feeling of a deep sense of belonging, community and commitment to each other and the business – something that can’t be achieved without great communication. She said: “Easy and effective communication between staff has never been more important for businesses as we all adapt to a new normal of hybrid working post-pandemic.
“Multiple studies point to the direct relationship between effective communication and the kind of productivity increases that will supercharge growth. “Well-connected teams are the key to increased productivity and business growth – conversely disengaged employees cost business trillions each year.
“Nothing hurts productivity more than a high staff turnover and it’s clear that businesses that want to retain staff need to keep them feeling engaged and part of their teams and wider business. “Cloud-based phone systems bring together apps and versatile voip phones that keep the whole team connected no matter where and when they are in the world. “Retaining staff and allowing them to be as productive as they can be will help businesses to create connected cultures, be more productive and unlock profits.”
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