Something to consider

Robin Bowden, from Kirkbrae Consultants, looks at the importance of communication in the workplace

Published:

ORGANISATIONS with more than 50 staff are now subject to the Information and Consultation Regulations 2004 – so why are they so important? Surely employers communicate already?

The good news is that more organisations are improving their communications. The not-so-good news is that a significant number are not informing or consulting their staff on subjects close to the needs of the organisation and staff, and also suggested by the regulations.

Effective communication is not a one-way, but a two-way, sharing process. If I send you an e-mail, am I communicating with you – a two-way process – or am I just giving you information, a one-way process?

The Information and Consultation Regulations require a two-way dialogue.

Does informing and consulting staff matter to your organisation’s success? The origins of the regulations are part of making Europe more competitive in world markets. Many research papers quote measurable organisational benefits from informing and consulting staff.

If your organisation accepts that there is a case for using effective employee communications processes, consider the recommendations of the regulations as a starting point and link them in with other processes such as performance appraisals, negotiation, news letters, and so on.

Design the processes to support your organisational needs – for example, what are you trying to achieve and how are you going to get there?

Ways to help the process:

Inform staff about the probable development of activities and the economic situation (what goals the organisation is trying to achieve). Where possible, consult staff about how they will support the goals.

Inform and consult staff about issues of substantial change, including threats to their employment.

Inform and consult about decisions likely to lead to substantial change in work organisation or in contractual relations.

When these requirements are met and your organisation gains experience in the processes, you will probably find that meetings are most effective when they become face-to-face, where possible, regular and relevant to staff and organisational success, and they are monitored for understanding.

Having these processes in place, it is more likely that staff will know and understand the business objectives and, therefore, more likely that they can contribute to these objectives. If you prefer a negative, when staff know the business objectives, it is much harder to opt out of contributing to them.

Organisations which view communicating with staff as a bit unrewarding – and which may not intend to take the Information and Consultation Regulations too seriously – should reflect on the case law concerning Amicus v Macmillan Publishers Ltd. The union put in a request for a forum which was ignored and the employer was fined £55,000.

For more information, e-mail Robin at Robin.Bowden@kirkbrae consultants.co.uk