A huge number of employees don’t trust their bosses, and it’s not hard to figure out why.
Communication skills are vital to any workplace, and it should be found at all levels. A 2016 LinkedIn survey found that, according to the 291 hiring managers surveyed, communication skills are the most in-demand soft skill. When employers say communication is a necessity, they better have managers and supervisors who can communicate.
Unfortunately, higher-level employees often come up short. Significant results from an informal 2016 study by Comparably, reveal that communication is what leaders need to improve on the most.
Let’s take a look at what bad communication looks like and how leaders can improve their skills:
Using obscurity
There’s no reason to keep employees in the dark, and yet it still happens. A study from Leadership IQ found that fewer than half of employees know if they’re doing a good job.
When employees are unsure of where they stand, they can get stressed out and even start to disengage. A good rule in general — never assume employees know enough and avoid obscuring important information.
Tip: Create a culture of transparency. Be clear with everyone. Articulate what is expected of the staff and provide detailed descriptions when assigning tasks.
Keep employees in the loop, especially in terms of major company news and upcoming changes. Don’t leave them guessing and worrying about anything involving their job security.
To combat the issue of employees not knowing where they stand in the eyes of the company, focus on consistently providing them with constructive feedback. Do performance evaluations on a regular basis so they know where they are succeeding and where they need to make improvements.
Making feedback one-sided
Discussions during employee performance evaluations need to go both ways. When they don’t, employees feel disrespected because they aren’t given a voice. How are they supposed to react when they’re lectured and not heard?
Tip: Employees love giving their input, so make them feel comfortable doing this. Actively seek feedback so they start offering tips and insights into how things could run better.
Make sure to take their feedback into account and follow up with them on some of their top concerns. For example, if they suggest a new email policy to minimize distractions, announce a change and implement it to see if it’s effective. If it’s not, explain to them why it is counterproductive. No matter the result, alway express gratitude because their act of speaking up shows they care about the company and want to be part of its growth.
In addition to this, conduct surveys on a regular basis to keep two fingers on the pulse of employee engagement and job satisfaction. Gather some insights on how the team feels, and start to take action whenever there’s a noticeable dip in happiness and productivity. Make sure to remind employees that surveys give them the chance to maintain anonymity and to give an honest perspective on the organization.
Creating distance
Sometimes, managers are hardly ever seen by the staff. They live in a completely different world and rarely come out of their office. This distance is off-putting and can leave employees with a bad taste in their mouths, leading to feelings of distrust.
This is far more prevalent than one may think. The 2014 Work and Well-Being Survey from the American Psychological Association found that 25 percent of the 1,562 U.S. workers who responded don’t trust their employer. Less than half of them consider their employer to be upfront with them and open.
Tip: This is one of the simplest pieces of advice — be present. That means knowing how to manage workloads to create enough time to be on the frontlines. Being available to help with lower levels is not just a political move — it makes employees happy and shows an investment in helping them maintain productivity.
Jump in and help out when necessary. For managers and supervisors who struggle to change their bad habits, offer them courses on leadership. They will learn the basic elements of strong leadership, but also improve their time management.
When managers can control their workload and learn how to balance it interacting with their staff, employees will see their immediate supervisors more and feel a stronger sense of respect and trust of them. There will be more communication between department heads and workers.
Ignoring success
Employees don’t need constant praise, but when they are only called out for what they didn’t do, they can get frustrated. Turnover will climb when the only thing employees hear about is how they are falling short.
Tip: Use an employee recognition program to strategically reward employees for their successes. Create a culture of recognition by praising them publicly. The more often employees get patted on the back and the more they see their colleagues being rewarded, the more independent and engaged in their performance they will become.
Coordinate with other leaders and talk to employees about what motivates them most. Consider starting friendly competitions that everyone can participate in. Being outwardly grateful to employees is one of the best communication practices.
Job seekers today face an increasingly competitive job market, where finding the right fit isn’t just about having the right skills—it’s about making the right..
Management is key to the success of any organization. It involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to reach organizational goals. But what happens when..
The Changing Face of HR HR is going digital! More companies are using tools like AI and automation to manage employees better and faster. The..
From the Beach to the Office: Finding Balance to Go Back to Work Picture this: you’re lounging on a sun-soaked beach, the sound of waves..
Employee disengagement and quiet quitting are two big challenges that HR teams face today. Disengagement happens when employees lose interest in their work and stop..
As a recruitment agency, we know that In today's workplaces, two main groups stand out: Generation Z and Millennials. Generation Z, born from the late..
Human resources and recruitment are often not taken into serious consideration by different departments of the company. However, in this article, we would like to..
As a recruitment agency, here at Advance Career, we are aware of the challenges a newcomer may face in the Human Resources field. Whether you..
As an organizational psychologist, I look at the world through the prism of systems and structure. I’m curious about how organizations form, what goals a..
In today's dynamic job market, the role of HR leaders has undergone a profound transformation. No longer confined to managing benefits, training and compliance issues,..
A common question I get from clients is, “How many people should I involve in my hiring process?” My answer is usually, “As many as..
The role of a Human Resources (HR) professional can vary depending on the organization and the specific job title. From identifying the most suitable of..
Some could easily argue that the human resources (HR) department is not a "revenue-generating" service. We don't create new products, interface with the traditional customer daily, or..
Complex labour legislation is among the many reasons why more companies are choosing to outsource their human resource (HR) function to specialists while they focus..
One silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the surge in creative ways that organizations found to survive and succeed under dire circumstances. But..
Developing an active HR function in your business show that you value your employees and their business in your enterprise Growing startups and small and..
In this competitive market, companies are struggling to not only retain but also grow their talent pools as they expand. Attractive salaries are important, but..
Nothing is better for the bottom line than employees who are motivated to work for psychic benefits. Are you looking for ways to motivate your..
We’ve often talked about the importance of communication skills for startups. While there are many personal qualities and experiences that a founder needs to become..
Businesses used to have a relatively easy time finding talented employees to fill all their job vacancies. That changed in 2021 when 47.4 million workers voluntarily..
If you work in recruitment, you’ve probably heard the saying, “You need experience to get experience.” In job listings, we’re often guilty of writing “zero..
Wells Fargo recently found themselves in hot water after it was reported that some managers at the company were interviewing non-white candidates for jobs that had already..
As a startup founder, you’d usually spend a large part of your time trying to get various people to do new things. On one side,..
“Why do we keep following the process if it doesn’t work?” You’ve probably heard something to the effect of this before or have even said..
Since the pandemic started, HR professionals have had to juggle retaining their current employees while also attracting new talent. Employees have more options than ever..
HR activities at startups are often reactive in nature instead of proactive. That leaves gaps in the system. When starting their businesses, most entrepreneurs tend..
Not long ago, I received a call from an HR manager at a large corporation seeking an executive coach for one of their senior leaders...
I recently met with a group of managers to discuss ways to improve meetings. Our goal was to figure out how to create a space..
Extroversion and introversion are used to define two ends of a personality spectrum. People can have a mix of introverted and extroverted traits, and we..
Talking about office disasters is key to better productivity and healthy competition. We all have our share of office-related horror stories. From the incorrect market..
A reader asks: I recently got a new job in HR at a small (under 100 people) company. This is my first job in the HR..
Finding good people is hard, but it's the only way to build a company that can succeed in the long term. Not that long ago,..
In 2018, I came across a meme that was going viral on the Internet. It read, “You have the same number of hours in the day..
Creating a learning culture in the workplace is all about fostering an environment that empoweres people to pursue knowledge. This is important for individual evolution,..
When the world seems more divided than ever, uniting generations within the workplace can create an advantage for your business. Every night, I turn on..
Let’s face it: Failing sucks. But lately, I seem to be doing it more than usual. Okay, that’s dramatic. The truth is that I’m making..
Artificial intelligence (AI) might be the way of the future in tech, gaming and smart-device industries. When applied effectively, AI can save on human employment costs and,..
It is crucial to tap into the different personality traits in your workplace to cultivate a supportive, inclusive atmosphere. There are extensive studies in personality..
Through the turbulence of the past year, one of the constants for me has been my relationships with my colleagues. As a senior leader at..
If there’s one thing the pandemic has brought into clear focus, it’s what each of us considers important—especially at work. Diversity, equity and inclusion, and..
If you’re anything like me, you’ve found yourself in a situation like this a few times over the last year. A friend invites you to..
Summary. What’s the first thing you focus on when applying to a new role or looking for a job? If you said job title, you’re..
Your boss may be extremely clear in spelling out your job expectations, setting goals, adding to your do-list and measuring your performance, but she may..
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several changes in the workplace and future work behavior. With several countries going into lockdowns, every sector was required to..
People are checking you out on LinkedIn. Will you be embarrassed by what they find? Are you aware that 95 % of recruiters use LinkedIn..
I got into management earlier than many of my friends and colleagues, and now I find myself becoming the go-to resource for when they're struggling..
It’s time all organizations make what could be the most strategic decision in decades regarding organizational structure: Move the learning and talent development functions out..
How to adopt the “us versus the problem” rather than a “you versus me” mind-set. Your first step in resolving a conflict should be to..
You can hire the best team in the world, but if they can't communicate well, you won't get very far. A business owner I know..
Raising awareness is the key to inclusion. We’re all fighting against centuries of conscious and unconscious bias in the workplace. The first step is acknowledging..
Today’s organizations spend considerable time and energy selecting and recruiting creative talent. And rightly so. Creative employees help their organizations survive and remain relevant in..
As a member of a team, you have a responsibility to help your co-workers, just as you’d expect them to offer assistance when you need..
As adults, we spend the majority of our waking hours at work. That means our experience at work determines a great deal of our happiness,..
What do you do? It’s a question that comes up repeatedly at both virtual and in-person networking events. It’s a dreaded question. You tell people..
You walk through the revolving door of the lobby toward the elevator, soaking in your surroundings—there’s not a familiar face in the building. You straighten..
As we put July firmly in the rearview mirror and enter August, I can’t help but reflect on how unique this month is every year...
Consistency Is the One Rule in Building a Great Company Culture Company culture is a topic that’s been often explored by entrepreneurs and business analysts, but..
Your Words Have Impact, So Think Before You Speak Do you know of those people who fly off the handle without stopping to think about..
Why Empathy Is One of the Most Overlooked Skills in Business It was a sunny day in April. The air was crisp and the walk..
How The COVID-19 Crisis Has Made HR One Of The Most Important Jobs Today n a matter of only a few months, the world as..
The Key To Carrying Out A Productive And Effective Job Search In my experience as a career coach, I have found that people who are..
Your Company Might Offer High Salaries, But Does It Have Soul? It’s a well-established stereotype that large-scale companies are about as approachable as a concrete..
Retain More Employees With Stay Interviews Employees are quitting in droves, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, backed up by hard data from..
3 Things You Need To Know About A February Job Search There’s no bad time to look for a job, but there are seasonal trends..
Hire Without Looking At A Resume We’re all more than what’s on our resume. But while a lot of leaders pay lip service to that..
8 Things You Should Not Do In Meetings Meetings are perhaps the most powerful personal branding tool there is—when you master them. They also make..
How To Turn Down A Job Offer Without Burning Bridges Sometimes you have to make the difficult decision to turn down a job offer. It’s..
How To Spend Your Working Day Wisely And Actually Get Things Done Time doesn’t discriminate. The CEO of a Fortune 500 company with an overloaded..
What Is Your Super Power At Work? Do you know that every person who works for you has a super power? Well, they do. Superman..
The Interview Question You Need To Answer Right: ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ “I bombed the interview.” This was a message I got from a brand..
Belonging At Work Is Essential—Here Are 4 Ways To Foster It In the complex study of human psychology, one finding is remarkably consistent: our well-being..
11 Signs You're Not Managing Your Calendar Effectively Time to admit there's a better way to stay on top of your appointments. If you’re like..
How To Make A Great First Impression At Your New Job You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make it count...
How To Connect With Your Company's Purpose And Values Some employees feel fully inspired by their company's mission, vision and values. But they don’t just mindlessly glug the Kool-Aid—they connect on a deep,..
4 Reasons You Should Keep Up Your Job Search During the Holidays Now that the holidays are upon us, you may be considering taking a..
What Not To Do After A Job Interview The waiting period after a job interview can be one of the most stressful times. You’ve done..
3 Surprising Reasons Your Job Search Still Isn't Working It’s been months into your job search and you’re just about ready to pull your hair..
Overloaded And Overwhelmed? Four Things You Can Control When Your Workload Is Out Of Control Our research indicates a terrifying 43% of knowledge workers do..
4 Leadership Methods for Empowering Employees and Building Strong Teams Realizing your responsibility to lead can be scary, but done right, leadership breaks down to..
The Five Things Employees Really Want I haven't managed to catch all the episodes of Undercover Boss this season, but there was one I knew..
6 Steps To Unleash Your Inner Polymath And Thrive At Work In a previous article I explored some of the virtues of striving for a..
The One Daily Action That Will Make You More Successful And Happier At Work In our fast-paced world where we have more to do than..
What It Takes To Be A Great Employee: The Parable Of The Oranges Being a great employee pays off with better positions, higher pay, and..
10 Essential Strategies To Succeed In Your First Job Congratulations, graduate! After the exhausting and stressful process of finishing school, searching for and landing your..
When You Start a New Job, Pay Attention to These 5 Aspects of Company Culture When you join an organization, you have a short window..
How To Escape The Procrastination Doom Loop When you imagine a highly productive person, you likely think of someone who focuses effortlessly on the job..
8 Clues That a Candidate Will be an Exceptional Employee Over the past 40 years, I have reviewed at least 30,000 resumes and LinkedIn profiles..
4 Smart Ways to Increase Employee Retention Keeping your employees once you have them is a thorny problem in the staffing services industry. The difficulty..
Here's How To Recover From A Career Setback Whether you’ve botched an interview question, cancelled an important meeting last-minute or missed a typo in an..
How do you make sure you don’t lose out on those candidates who bring additional talents, interests, and unusual experiences that can be a real..
In an 8-Minute Animated Film, Pixar Just Captured Why Companies Still Struggle With Workplace Diversity Yes, it's a movie about a pink ball of yarn--but..
How to conduct an effective job interview As the employment market improves and candidates have more options, hiring the right person for the job has..
14 Ways to Stay Focused at Work Through the Holidays We’re in the midst of the holiday season, and as you try to juggle parties,..
Why Great Employees Leave “Great Cultures” “We have a great culture.” We have all heard it. We have all said it. But what does that..
Young Workers No Longer Get the On-the-Job Training They Need -- So They're Finding It Elsewhere With companies training people less, the most valuable path..
3 Ways You Can Help Your New Hires to Succeed Filling a vacant position is expensive, and unless you do these three things, it's liable..
Three Ways To Prevent Someone From Stealing Your Spotlight In A Meeting We've all been there at one point or another. You're in a meeting,..
That 'Bad' Interviewee You Just Talked to May Be the Perfect Match for Your Job Opening The 'pattern matching' that companies have long used to..
Why managers should overlook results in these situations By focusing on culture and people first, you can set your team up for success in the..
Recruitment in Cyprus - Thoughts and Ideas from Advance Career Team Read the detailed interview published on TopJobsCyprus website and share your comments and ideas!..
Are your employees integrators or segmentors? An organization has both integrators and segmentors. Being a segmentor is a tough ask. If you choose to be..
Help Your Team Members Succeed (Especially When They're Tempted to Leave) Help that valued employee being lured by another opportunity think through what they are..
Are You Hiring a 'Team' Player -- or Someone Just Looking out for No. 1? How can leaders make sure they're not unwittingly inviting a..
What Motivates You to Work? That paycheck will never be big enough if it's the only reason you're going to work. Each of us respond..
How To Bounce Back When The Job Search Gets You Down With a dream job in mind, an updated résumé in hand and responses to..
When 'What Happens In Vegas' Ends Up In Your Job Search What happens in Vegas really doesn’t stay there. That “funny” picture about that..
How To Improve Productivity For Yourself And Your Team This Summer July and August are historically bad months for productivity. It might be the warm..
How To Develop More Emotionally Intelligent Employees In the quest to develop leaders who will foster a culture of equity and inclusion in the workplace,..
5 Ways to Reward Employees When Raises Aren't an Option Many workers are doing double duty these days because employers either can’t afford to hire..
5 Steps to Hiring the Right People for Your Business "Hire slow, fire fast" is great advice, but it's not always easy to follow. The..
Work-Life Balance Is Simple. To Succeed at Work, Get a Life. With the right balance of health and business, entrepreneurs can maximize productivity. The Organization..
When to Hire Raw Talent vs. Job Experience Experience is a must for some jobs, but people with raw talent offer unique benefits. You have..
How to get back on track when you’re having an unproductive day A rocky start shouldn’t dictate your entire workday. Do these things to reverse..
The Negative Impacts of a High Turnover Rate High turnover rates can negatively affect a company and its employees in many ways. With the constant..
Five Final Checks To Ensure GDPR Compliance It is just one week until the EU update to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance deadline of..
Seven New Onboarding Strategies You'll See This Year According to a study from Equifax, more than half of all employees who left their job in..
AI will make HR more Human, Strategic and Innovated Artificial intelligence (AI) is a source of both huge excitement and fear across the HR function...
Is giving negative performance feedback really negative? Negative performance feedback is a difficult topic to talk about. Does it help the performance? This feature throws..
Inclusion Doesn’t Mean Including Everything and Everyone Inclusiveness is not about thought policing. It’s also not about turning everyone into a liberal. It’s a normal..
4 Ways To Inspire Change In Your Employees Have you ever listened to a speech that inspired you so much, you were ready to make..
7 Ways to Incent Employees to Feel and Act as Owners Building accountability into your business culture is a leadership process. It can't be driven..
Don't Shuffle People Into the Wrong Job Just Because They're Already on the Payroll You grow your company by putting proven performers where you need..
Why the Best Internal Candidate Might Be from an Unlikely Part of the Company Nearly a decade since Gallup released its bible, Strengths-Based Leadership, which..
Tips for Minimizing Workplace Negativity To Deal with Negativity in the Workplace, Use These 9 Tips Nothing affects employee morale more insidiously than persistent workplace..
Why a Coffee Shop Will Probably Be Your Workspace Within 10 Years As the gig economy grows, there are both social and scientific reasons why..
The Best Way to Set New Employees Up for Success Create an onboarding program that's both meaningful and memorable Congratulations; you've just hired a terrific..
Do This In Your First Hour, Day, Week, And Month Of Your New Job Getting settled into your new job is the ultimate act of..
7 Ways Modest Leadership Increases Team Success When we imagine the traits of successful leaders, whether they are managers, high level executives, CEO's or owners..
Grateful Workplaces and Engaged Employees All leaders need to ask themselves why happy and engaged employees are worth their weight in gold. If you’re a..
Managing employee stress during the festive period More than half of employees feel stressed in the weeks leading up to Christmas, with most calling for..
What's HR going to be in 2022? A Study sheds some light... A recent study shows us a glimpse of what HR might look like..
How to Avoid the No. 1 Reason People Leave Their Jobs William James, the father of psychology, stated that the most fundamental psychological need is..
Will You Be Leading an HR Function in 2024? Here are five things to look at to examine and determine if you’ve got what it..
Importance of Effective Employee Appraisals The performance appraisal may be one of the few times during the year where an employee and the reviewer, typically..
From Cubicle To Coffee Shop - How The Workplace As We Know It Is Changing In the past few years we have seen a major..
Employees don't see link between pay and performance Employers gave themselves only mediocre ratings on pay programme effectiveness. Employees are struggling to see the link..
Why You Should Consider Working For A Small Company Eighty-four percent of small-business employees are happy in their current job, according to the 2017 Aflac..
HR's key role in enlightened office design HR magazine and Landid's roundtable on the workspace of tomorrow explored how HR can positively influence facilities management..
Workplaces still hamper productivity Noise, lack of privacy and space are some of the factors causing the greatest dissatisfaction among office workers Nearly half of..
There’s Still a Gender Gap. How It Varies Depends on Who You Ask According to a survey, there’s a vast space between the views of..
Top 10 Benefits Of A Workplace Wellness Program When Google opened up in the 90s it took a unique approach to employee satisfaction. In an..
The Best Ways to Reward Employees. Having an effective reward program in place can help solve many of your HR issues. Every company needs a..
Burnout at Work Isn’t Just About Exhaustion. It’s Also About Loneliness More and more people are feeling tired and lonely at work. In analyzing the..
People Don’t Take HR Seriously; Here’s Why That’s Dangerous Legacy beliefs like being the bad guy and a lack of strategic vision isolates HR, and..
Congratulations to our Director Kyriacos Anastasiou who has been selected as one of the 200 entrepreneurs in Cyprus of the 21st Century!!
Bosses told to stop snooping on employees' Facebook profiles Bosses should not snoop on employees’ Facebook and Twitter profiles even if their accounts are publicly..
Diversity Doesn’t Stick Without Inclusion Leaders have long recognized that a diverse workforce of women, people of color, and LGBT individuals confers a competitive edge..
What causes burnout and how it can affect both the employees and the organisation How HR Can Help Prevent Employee Burnout An engaged workforce. It's..