What Happens When We Don't Communicate?

Failing to communicate can lead to a lack of accountability, misunderstandings, poor customer service and missed opportunities.

Business leaders and entrepreneurs know instinctively that communication is essential for their enterprises. After all, 86 percent cite lack of collaboration as the main cause of workplace failure. But if you ask them to pin down why communication is so bad, they might not be able to tell you.

Fortunately, this post is here to help. Here, we run through some of the effects that poor communication can have on your firm.

Lack Of Accountability

When communication starts to fail, it can lead to a lack of accountability. Employees and employers don’t keep each other in the loop, and standards start to slip.

Leaders themselves can get into the habit of failing their employees. For instance, executives who don’t listen to team members are unable to act on feedback and suggestions. This can then lead to low morale and even problems recruiting.

Misunderstandings

Lack of communication is a leading cause of misunderstandings in the workplace. But even if the original issue was minor, it can lead to serious morale problems, arguments, and wasted energy.

Suppose, for instance, an employee misunderstands their responsibilities. They spend all day performing one task when, in reality, they should be doing something else. In this case, it is not just a matter of lost productivity, but also harm to morale. The employee may have to backtrack and go through everything again from the start.

Something similar can happen if you fail to board an employee properly. A new hire might completely misunderstand the purpose of their role, wasting both their time and yours. A lack of adequate support might cause them to view your company in a negative light, or even leave entirely.

Poor Customer Service

Lack of communication can also impact customer service. When customers feel like they are out of the loop, they stop trusting brands and look for better treatment elsewhere.

For instance, suppose that you don’t have a live chat tool for website visitors up and running on your home page. When a user arrives on your homepage, they have no way of directly interacting with your firm. They either have to call or, worse still, send an email.

Lack of ongoing communication can also create mistrust. Firms that fail to keep their customers in the loop often have high churn rates.

Missed Opportunities

Lastly, a lack of communication at work can lead to missed opportunities. When employees don’t communicate with each other effectively, they fail to share their ideas and plans with each other.

For example, a company might employ a worker who is a good candidate for a management position. However, if senior management doesn’t communicate with them properly, they may mistakenly believe that they are happy to continue in their existing role. They might have no idea that they want to take on additional responsibilities.

Wrapping Up

Ultimately, lack of communication is bad for businesses. Because of this, enterprises need to invest in technologies and workplace practices that make communication more seamless.