Workplace communication refers to the flow of information both horizontally and vertically within the organization. The interaction of the workers and employers is vital for the success of the business. Communication directly affects productivity and achievement of business objectives. Following this, entrepreneurs have invested resources in the workplace to ensure that the right channels of communication are incorporated. E-mail is one of the crucial tools of workplace communication that have been used over the years (Banerjee, Adhikari, & Nigam, 2016). However, with the advancements in technology, e-mail is rapidly becoming obsolete and an inefficient form of communicating. Businesses have been forced to keep up with emerging trends and adopt innovations that boost communication. The cellphone technology is preferred to the e-mails. This is because of its convenience and the benefits it has to the management and their subordinates.
Importance of Effective Communication
Communicating within the organization goes beyond mere interaction between two or more parties. The various business functions are carried out by different departments, and coordination is necessary to ensure smooth operations. This can only be achieved if the employees and the management are on the same level when it comes to access to information. The messages have to be conveyed with the proper channels. Any chances of distortion will be eliminated as it flows from the management to the supervisor and finally to the workers. Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace because of the pressure of meeting objectives and the difference in ideologies among the staff. Workplace communication has been attributed to mitigating such disagreements that may disrupt the execution of tasks (Kirilova, & Angouri, 2017). Furthermore, most of the conflicts between workers are caused by a breakdown in communication.
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For the management, having the employees function as a team could lead to an improvement in its overall performance. An active communication channel builds strong relationships between individuals, especially in a diverse working environment. The difference in cultural norms can affect the motivation and commitment of the worker to the set objectives. Communicating helps in identifying the unique characteristics of the different cultures to avoid any misunderstanding that may arise. Furthermore, the interaction between people leads to better connections that create good rapport in the workplace. Employee engagement increases when the organization maintains open communication channels. It ensures that the workers align their interests with the goals of the enterprise. A profit-oriented entrepreneur will not overlook the benefits of having a culture of excellent communication in the workplace. Therefore, the choice of the best tool for internal communication to be implemented will heavily rely on how well it meets the needs of the organization.
Problems with E-mail Communication
The e-mail era dates back to the 1970s and has been the leading choice when it comes to business communication. Organizations have, over the years, used e-mail to communicate important information to the employees and investors. According to the statistics, more than two hundred billion e-mails are sent daily. This easily qualifies e-mail as the preferred choice for most corporations, but innovations of the modern age are catching up.
Additionally, the job market also has changed, whereby the majority of the individuals seeking employment are millennials and Generation Z (Hall, 2016). The E-mail was mainly popular among baby boomers, and with time, it has become an outdated technology. Today, companies are demanding proper communication channels that are faster and convenient to match up with the trends. Furthermore, there are many tools of communication, and businesses are usually faced with the problem of indecision on technology to introduce to the workplace.
E-mails have been associated with information overload. The majority of individuals have complained inboxes are packed with many messages that it becomes difficult to read all of them. Moreover, a significant portion of the messages received are spam because they serve no purpose to the user. They fill the inbox with a lot of irrelevant information that, in some instances, may prevent the workers from reading important ones among the bunch. The burden of the overload can be overwhelming, leading to frustrations that may have a detrimental impact on the morale of the workers. Effective communication is inclusive of the rapid feedback of the sent messages. Managers expect the staff to react to any new information, and having feedback will help them in identifying how the data was interpreted. Sometimes, office workload can distract the employee from reading e-mail, eliminating any chances of the receive responding to the sender. This culminates in the breakdown in the communication process.
The trends in the corporate world call for a fast communication channel that reduces the time taken to respond to messages. E-mails must follow a specific format depending on whether the letter is formal or informal. This makes them unfit for conveying a short message when the speed of the communication process is a priority (Jaatinen, & Rautanen, 2016). As mentioned earlier, the job market is changing, and millennials and Generation Z will provide the workforce in the future. For these generations, e-mail is outdated technology, and they would instead use social media or smartphones.
Furthermore, the current trend in communication among this workforce is instant messaging that has been facilitated by apps found in smartphones. Since businesses require employees to achieve set goals, they will be forced to incorporate communication channels preferred by the millennials to attract the workforce when hiring. A survey conducted revealed that more than 80% of Generation Z uses social media and already have active online accounts. E-mail is one-dimensional, and this makes it unable to accommodate some of the features offered by the new technologies.
Advantages of Cellphones in workplace communication
The advancements in technology have paved the way for the growth of the mobile phone industry. Although there are disadvantages linked to the technology, the benefits cannot be overlooked. The invention of the device was a game-changer to internal communication within organizations because it incorporated the newest features and improvements to the conveyance of messages. Unlike e-mails, more than half the global population owns cellphones making it the cheapest and most effective form of communication outside and within the workplace. The popularity of the phones has been linked to their portability, implying that the information can be accessed wherever considering the region has connectivity. Moreover, they are convenient for conveying information because they have platforms that allow users to send messages to a group of people.
The demographic data on the labor force shows that the majority of the baby boomers are nearing the retirement age. This implies that the millennials will fill the gap created in the job market by replacing their parents in the workplace. The generation Z and the millennials are a new breed of workers and a challenge to the employer. Businesses have been forced to study the millennials to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of the modern workforce (Kick, Contacos-Sawyer, & Thomas, 2015). Smartphones are one of the valuable possessions of the young generations, and in the context of the workplace, could be a useful tool for communicating the organization's goals.
Cellphones come with added features that make them the ideal for communicating when compared to e-mails. For instance, they allow access to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that connect millions of users who have downloaded the software on their phones. Companies have, therefore, sought to own their social media accounts where they can communicate events, meetings, and any other vital messages linked to the success of the enterprise. Posting the information on the sites can ensure that it reaches as many people as possible within the shorted time (Guerin, 2017). Workplace communication is shifting towards establishing open channels that facilitate feedback between the sender and the respondent. Cellphones have features that support instant messaging such as the SMS, Hangouts, and WhatsApp that ensure rapid response to the messages. With reliable internet connectivity, the organization can organize group conferencing using software without the staff having a physical meeting. The virtual interaction saves time and as more effective than e-mail.
On-call availability is another feature associated with mobile phone technology whereby the management can interact with workers without being on the same premises. The device is, therefore, the best alternative for a company that supports remote working (Boswell e al. 2016). In countries such as China, the cellphone is an asset, and it is practically impossible to survive the day without one. The benefits that can be accrued by the organization for concentrating on cellphone technology in its internal communication are endless. Furthermore, smartphones are receptive to upcoming technologies exhibiting flexibility regardless of the trends in the industry.
Guerin, L. (2017)
References
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Boswell, W. R., Olson-Buchanan, J. B., Butts, M. M., & Becker, W. J. (2016). Managing" after hours" electronic work communication. Organizational Dynamics , 45 (4), 291-297.
Guerin, L. (2017). Smart policies for workplace technologies: Email, social media, cell phones & more . Nolo.
Hall, A. (2016). Exploring the workplace communication preferences of millennials. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict , 20 , 35.
Jaatinen, T., & Rautanen, E. (2016). Accessing Employees' Email in the Workplace-A Gordian Knot. Eur. Data Prot. L. Rev. , 2 , 384.
Kick, A. L., Contacos-Sawyer, J., & Thomas, B. (2015, July). How Generation Z's reliance on digital communication can affect future workplace relationships. In Competition Forum (Vol. 13, No. 2, p. 214). American Society for Competitiveness.
Kirilova, M., & Angouri, J. (2017). Communication practices and policies in workplace mobility. In The Routledge handbook of migration and language (pp. 540-557). Routledge.
