A significant gap between the effectiveness of traditional communication channels and the needs of today’s contemporary workforce, was revealed according to a recent study by Navera Inc.

Entitled “The Missing Piece in the HR Technology Landscape,” the study is based on a recent survey of human resources executives regarding their companies’ communications strategies and the effectiveness of current channels of communication.

The study suggests that companies too often find themselves delivering generic communications through traditional channels while employees want real-time, personalized, and contextual responses to their requests for information.

HR technology vendors, who create tools that make HR processes more efficient—from payroll and benefits administration; to recruiting and onboarding; to talent, performance, and learning management; to workforce planning and management—have responded with a host of tools addressing employee engagement. However, at the root of all employee engagement lies employee communications.

“From the study, we learned that HR professionals rely heavily on pushing information out using older technologies, such as email and intranet portals,” said Steve L. Adams, CEO of Navera. “And, despite a host of HR technology solutions aimed at creating more efficient processes, a comprehensive employee communications solution remains a missing piece in HR automation.”

The study points to the need for an employee-focused solution that will provide highly personalized communications and an integrated view of employee- and company-specific information from a single point of access.

Highlights from the report include:

• HR executives rank “provide open communications” as a top priority of their communications strategy with 74% of respondents ranking it in their top three priorities. Despite the prioritization of communications, more than half of the respondents (57%) have no companywide budget for employee communications.

See: Does Your HR Communication Mechanism Meet Employees’ Needs?

• HR departments rely upon traditional, one-way communication channels with 90% of respondents using multiple channels to communicate with employees.
• 71% of respondents are only “somewhat satisfied” or “not satisfied” with these channels of communication, and 60% rank email, the most frequently used channel, as “somewhat effective” to “not effective.”
• Despite a tremendous personal investment in employee communications by HR professionals, 75% are not using analytics to measure the impact or effectiveness of employee communications.
• Meanwhile, employees continue to push for one-on-one communications with 91% of respondents indicating that employees are making direct calls to HR, 89% sending emails to HR, and 74% scheduling face-to-face meetings — impacting HR professionals’ workload on a day-to-day basis in a profound way.
• Finally, multi-generational, geographically distributed workforces with flexible workplaces are driving the demand for a new way to communicate, and more than half of HR respondents (57%) would consider building or purchasing a mobile app for employee communications to reach this contemporary workforce.

In conclusion

Today’s tech savvy, multi-generational, and geographically dispersed workforce is driving the need for a new way to communicate and connect. Companies and their HR professionals require a new way to break through the noise, to get employees the information that the company wants to share and, especially, the information that matters most to their employees.

Therefore, contemporary employee communications strategies demand an employee-focused solution that provides highly personalized communications; the anytime, anywhere access and immediacy of self-service; and an integrated view of employee- and company-specific information from a single point of access.

Also read: Should HR and Internal Communications Collaborate for Better Employee Engagement?

Image credit: euromoneylearningsolutions.com