To communicate to your employees or not, that is the question

How much time should you spend talking and communicating to your people. At a CIPD event I attended the HR director of John Lewis said they spend 60% of their time doing exactly this.

Seems rather a lot – well here’s why you need to keep your people in the loop from a friend's true story

He recounts, how he  was waiting to checkin at Alicante Airport at 5.30 in the morning within a large queue.  No one likes queuing at the best of times but at stupid o’clock tempers can become frayed and patience is severely tested.

“ Probably with my frustration mounting I heard a passenger in front of me (whose Uncle works at my home airport) regaling to several passengers that landing fees were so expensive at my local airport and that the Spanish Airline Vueling would be pulling out. Needless to say I corrected her on several issues.”

My friend continued “ However it does rather beg the question how often are staff (at my local airport) briefed on improvements being made, the new routes coming on-stream and the negative impact of old myths like landing fees, if stories like this are still being  perpetuated”

Employees should be your biggest supporters and ambassadors for your brand and business. Communication is a key driver of employee engagement and successful change.

Still think communication is a waste of time ?