New Poll Says "Office Water Cooler" Still Alive But Employees Want Better Workplace Communications

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 28, 2016) - Results from a new employee survey, conducted by Survata, revealed significant disconnects between companies and their employees, especially in the area of communications. The survey, which polled 1,001 U.S. employees across a range of industries, showed that over 70 percent of respondents want their companies to improve how they communicate information.

The types of communications employees expect from their employers vary widely, ranging from open enrollment details to those driven by Department of Labor regulations such as FLSA. For example, employees look to their employers for clarification on how changes to ACA will impact them and their families and whether the new overtime rule will entitle them to additional pay. Traditionally, these communications have been delivered to workforces via postal mail or mass emails that can be easily missed or ignored, or through line managers who do not specialize in HR topics. As a result, the intended recipient isn't effectively reached or properly engaged because the content was not compelling and specifically developed for consumption by employees.

The good news is that the survey found over 80 percent of employees felt the information they received from HR is very to somewhat important. This demonstrates that they do value the content, but traditional communication methods don't seem to be getting through. When asked how they learned about company announcements around people, products, policies or programs, 54 percent said through the proverbial watercooler: their colleagues. Unfortunately, this type of communication can be unreliable, inconsistent and doesn't reach everyone.

In fact, the survey polled employees on how they feel when there is a company announcement that they didn't know about. The most often cited feelings were of being "annoyed" and "uncertain." Apart from colleagues, the second-highest ranked method of getting information is through their managers. With today's distributed workforce, relying on face-to-face interactions to receive important news in a timely fashion is becoming more difficult. Global employees, led by Millennials and Gen Z in terms of demographics, also communicate using visually engaging and social tools, yet most companies continue to use word-of-mouth or traditional text-based communications that fail to inform or inspire employees.

According to Keith Kitani, Co-founder and CEO for GuideSpark, "Companies are investing substantial resources to create great corporate cultures and employee experiences, yet they are using outdated and ineffective methods to communicate with their employees. This survey shows that employees expect and need better connections to information from their companies."

This survey was conducted by Survata, an independent research firm in San Francisco, and was sponsored by GuideSpark, one of the only companies focused on transforming employee communications. Survata interviewed 1,001 online respondents between October 12, 2016 and October 17, 2016. Respondents were reached across the Survata publisher network, where they take a survey to unlock premium content, like articles and e-books. Respondents received no cash compensation for their participation. More information on Survata's methodology can be found at survata.com/methodology.

About GuideSpark
GuideSpark is leading the transformation of workplace communications. The robust SaaS platform delivers interactive video and mobile experiences, using each company's unique brand and voice, to inspire and engage their employees. GuideSpark serves 650+ enterprise customers, including 20% of the Fortune 500, with more than 10 million employees across all industries.

To learn more about how you can transform your employee communications, visit http://www.guidespark.com.

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