The only thing employees want to know

Yesterday communication veteran Robert Holland published his list of "Things Employees Want from Communication."

Robert Holland's Opus, in a nutshell: Employees want to be treated like adults, and to be communicated with by adults, through modern communication media and also direct contact with both senior management and direct supervisors.

Rookie communicators ought to have that sentence laminated for their wallet.

But once they've got that down, the question is: What exactly do employees want to know? (Don't go asking them, because they don't know themselves.)

We'll call it Murray's Manifesto:

They want to know what kind of people they are working for.

Let me repeat: They want to know what kind of people they are working for.

That's all they want to know: What kind of people they are working for.

But that's a lot: They want to know how smart are the people they're working for. How honest. How empathetic. How interested in new ideas. How down to earth. How consistent. How careful. How generous of spirit. How forward-looking. And how committed to the welfare of the employees.

Seriously. That's all they want to know. You may want to give them other kinds of information, and they may be pleased to get it.

But if you can convince your employees that the people who run the organization are solid human beings who care about what they're doing ... well, that's a team employees will find a way to help.

And if you lack the communication ability to get that across (virtuous executives not included)?

You'd better dance fast.

Comments

[Glynn]

Amen.

Amen.

Did I say Amen?

Amen.

[Rueben]

I'll see Glynn's Amens and raise him a Hallelujah.

[David Rupert]

That is so true. I wish my boss would read this ;)