Fundamentals of Effective Communication in the Workplace
Jamaal Hawkins

Professor Dan Bailey
BUS-100 Introduction to Business
05/08/2016

My years as a part of the labor force have been spent primarily in manufacturing. The majority has been in Automotive Components but more recently Refractory Solutions. The chain of command at my job goes Plant Manager, Shift Supervisors, Line Operator, and Line Helpers. All of them oversee their respective subordinates. Over the past 30+ years, natural degradation and poor communication lead to low morale and low production. In an attempt to curb some of these issues, a simple and effective tool was implemented. A suggestion board. The board has several different sections. The first is for posting employee concerns. Once a post is put up it is determined by a committee to be “doable” or not. If “doable”, the post progresses to the next section which explains the plan of the action. If not, an explanation as to why is given. The plan of action lists an estimated start and finish time frame. Once that period begins the post is moved to the “in progress” section. Then finally the completed section. The board itself is bordered by employee family photos and encouraging quotes. This expresses to the employee that the company encourages a family oriented environment. It’s a non-verbal way of saying “the things that are important to you, are important to us”. Workers are also encouraged to put up silly photos as you are more likely to have a positive attitude after a good laugh. Promoting family also helps build trust between workers and upper management. Information about daily production, quarterly sales, and employee recognition can also be found on the suggestion board. Giving access to the “stats” immerses the employees in the day to day functions of the business. It can give a lower level employee a sense of pride that may not have been there before. He or she may not ever leave the machine they work on but there is a real time tally of what their efforts are bringing to the company. And they see it every day.

This new procedure eliminated the majority of verbal miscommunication when it came to low level employee grievances. No longer does a worker need to report his concerns to a supervisor who may or may not investigate or pass the information along. Now there is clear documentation of the issue. There is also clear correspondence from those addressing the issue. This eliminates the chance that body language, or attitude will be misinterpreted. The progress tracking addresses the feeling of dismissal. No need to feel forgotten because who and how they will handle the issue is always accessible. Gripes and grievances are not the only postings encouraged. New ideas for improvements in production have a home on the suggestion board as well. All completed postings are rewarded with employee recognition and a small cash bonus. This incentives workers to think of ways to improve production. This simple board addresses a variety of communication problems in the plant. Many times clearly conveying messages and ideas between individuals who never speak to one another yet share the same goals in the workplace. It says we (the company) want you to take pride and ownership in your workplace. It screams TEAMWORK! Offering an employee added value besides their salary is a definite morale booster. With this board in place, the culture of the department changed rapidly. Increased morale came first. Employees began to see their concerns materialize. Machines were repaired and new policies were being implemented. Soon production increased because mechanical and personal roadblocks were being overcame. Profits lost on customer rejects decreased because workers began to take pride in what they were making. Now, 3 years later, quarterly bonuses, annual wage increases, and a slew of expansion projects are enjoyed by the employees. The bonuses and wages increases had been discontinued for 7 years prior to the board being added. Although it was not the sole determining factor in the production increase, the suggestion board played a very major role in converting good communication into company profits.