Effective Communication in the Workplace

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Effective Communication in the Workplace The workplace is an environment where more and more Americans are spending significant portions of their time. In fact, 25 million workers reported spending at least 49 hours a week at work, (Schabner, 2013). This means that having effective communication in the workplace is becoming increasingly important. Not just to improve business practices, but to improve the quality of both employer AND employee satisfaction. Effective interpersonal communication is the most important aspect in determining the success of workplace practices. Effective interpersonal communication includes practices such as honesty, clarity, and mutual respect. Honesty is absolutely necessary in order to foster healthy and functioning workplace environments. Honesty breeds transparency, and according to a 2013 study, management transparency is THE number one factor in determining long-term employee happiness, (Shannon, 2013). Honesty between employers and employees about workplace expectations is essential to fostering effective relationships. Complete transparency in the workplace also creates loyalty between employers and employees. The reason for this is because employees have a stake in how well the company does, so when they are trusted with information it creates a sense of loyalty that strengthens relationships between everybody in the company. This is why some people advocate for mandatory disclosure sessions, in order to strengthen bonds between employers and employees, (Estklund, 2011). Clarity is the second important aspect in effective workplace communication, because clarity fosters understanding, and if everybody in the workplace has a clear understanding of each other, miscommunication happens muc... ... middle of paper ... .... 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. . Schabner, Dean. "Americans Work More Than Anyone." ABC News. ABC News Network, 01 May 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. . Shannon, B.J. "New Research Reveals 7 Trends Disrupting Today's Workplace." -- SEATTLE, Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --. PRnewswire, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. . Sias, Patricia M., Hannah Pedersen, Erin B. Gallagher, and Irina Kopaneva. "Workplace Friendship in the Electronically Connected Organization." Human Communication Research 38.3 (2012): 253-79. Print. Suler, John. "The Online Disinhibition Effect." CyberPsychology & Behavior 7.3 (2004): 321-26. Print.

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