Leading by Example: Case Studies of Effective Employer and Employee Communication

Clear communication (in any form – written or spoken) is the backbone of efficient operations for all companies.

This is demonstrated by the famous example of the 124-year-old Welsh engineering firm Taylor & Sons Ltd, which was unintentionally liquidated because of a typographical error by Companies House. The fiasco led to the firm’s demise and cost a total of £8.8 million.

Establishing seamless, clear communication in your organization helps prevent costly errors and provides a solid direction for the company to move forward on.

Let’s examine five important case studies that demonstrate how effective communication can create positivity and clarity at work.

Good Employer and Employee Communication: The Gold Standard

Let’s talk about what makes communication between employers and employees really work. It’s not just about sending messages back and forth—it’s about making sure both sides understand each other clearly (no room for second-guessing!) and can act on what they’ve learned. So, what does “good communication” in the workplace look like? Here are some key ingredients:

1. Relevance and Timeliness

Ever been bombarded with info that doesn’t matter to you? It’s the worst. Great communication means sharing what’s actually relevant to employees’ roles—and doing it fast. No one likes to feel left out of the loop.

2. Employee-Centric Approach

Think about this: when’s the last time you felt like a company’s message really spoke to you? Tailoring communications to employees’ needs and preferences shows you’re paying attention. It’s like saying, “Hey, we see you.”

3. Two-Way Conversations

Nobody wants to feel like they’re shouting into the void. A solid communication strategy gives employees a way to share their thoughts—anonymously if needed—whether it’s feedback, suggestions, or even venting.

4. Positive Reinforcement

Here’s a fun one: catching people doing something right. Highlighting employees’ wins and hard work isn’t just nice—it builds a positive vibe that can ripple across the workplace.

5. Transparency and Honesty

This one’s a biggie. Trust is built on being upfront about what’s going on—good or bad. Employees appreciate when leadership shares expectations, challenges, and decisions openly. It shows respect and fosters trust.

A good example of employer and employee communication would be the strategy adopted by Google with its “TGIF” meetings.

These weekly all-hands meetings create a platform where employees can directly ask questions, voice concerns, or provide feedback to leadership. Google’s commitment to transparency is evident in how they address even tough questions from employees, ensuring everyone feels heard.

By fostering open dialogue and sharing critical company updates, Google has set a benchmark for how clear, two-way communication can cultivate trust and collaboration across all levels of an organization.

5 Key Case Studies in Employee-Employer Communication

Here are some good examples of employer-employee communication and the positive effects they have on engagement and productivity:

1. H&M

H&M is a well-known brand name in fast fashion and accessories that deals worldwide. One day, H&M realized that they had over 22,000 employees working in 640 off-site locations spread over 7 countries. This amounted to a heavily distributed and diffused workforce, posing serious challenges for seamless communications.

H&M decided to employ the powers of internal communications in three key ways to unify their workforce and reinforce engagement and belonging to the brand:

Building a Community

The brand began to share locally relevant messaging and content to engage its employees and build a regional community. These messages showcased common brand goals and direction that helped create purpose between colleagues, even though they worked in different locations.

Storytelling

The North European offices of H&M leveraged employee stories and anecdotes to create engaging videos to share over company network. These stories involved a variety of aspects of their work, including engaging presentations they made, or results that they helped drive, etc. which helped establish a familiarity and relatability between employees and the employer.

Company Content

H&M shared various community-created content, such as success stories, campaign launches, training videos, seasonal messaging, recruitment videos, etc., to drive employee engagement and foster motivation.

Results

• Enhanced engagement.
• Improved sense of belonging to the brand.
• Building a community with common goals.

2. Lowe’s

Lowe’s is a well-known American brand in home improvement. Ever since their inception, they have worked on the philosophy that training needs to be continuous and uninterrupted. Lowe’s operates countless retail outlets where a lot of their staff is continuously on the shop floors, working. This is where they leveraged the power of internal communications to facilitate training and learning to these employees where they were:

Bite-Sized Training

Lowe’s created bite-sized training videos and company communications that were digitized and available for access on any device. This ensured that even employees engaged in work on the shop floor had access to training and company communications right on their devices.

Personalized Modules

Realizing that different departments required different types of training and information, Lowe’s personalized each module and communication available to employees according to the department they were deployed at.

Multimodal Content

To ensure that every employee had access to training and communication modules, Lowe’s provided this content in various modes, such as photos, quizzes, activities, illustrations, etc. It enhanced the inclusivity of internal communications and ensured the content was engaging.

Results

• Enhanced participation in training.
• Personalized and relevant communications.
• Quick and impactful training.

3. Nordstrom

A well-known luxury department store chain, Nordstrom is known for keeping its communications simple. It has established its internal communications on the same principle by using simple, direct, and succinct language to make a point.

The Code of Conduct and Ethics of this brand is neat, simple, and straightforward, eliminating any room for miscommunication or errors in comprehension. The entire document focuses on one rule: “Use good judgment in all situations.”

The power of simplicity in this internal communication can be seen in other instances where the code describes simple steps to determine what an “ethical decision” means. It uses simplicity and a logical flow of questions to create a guidebook-like document that is intuitive and engaging to read.

For example, the code asks employees to “Always report a concern,” but what happens after that? The document promptly answers, “What happens once I report a concern,” and follows up with an assurance, “We don’t tolerate retaliation against employees for reporting a concern.”

It is not just the code of ethics that follows this pattern at Nordstrom – all their internal communications are designed using the same principle.

Results

• Employees know exactly what to do and how to do it.
• Employees are assured that they won’t be at risk for doing the right thing.
• Employer-employee trust is reinforced.

4. RHI Magnesita

RHI Magnesita is a leading supplier of refractory materials and employs over 14,000 people, most of whom are plant workers. This brand demonstrates how an employee app can become the center of all information and clear communications to enhance revenue growth.

Employee App

After the merger between RHI and Magnesita, the company launched the MyRHIMagnesita app, which helped them easily replace outdated communication materials (like their printed newsletters).
The company also leveraged this app for change management after the merger and to keep its employees informed of the latest practices, policies, and developments.

Multilingual Support

The company published the MyRHIMagnesita app manual in eight languages, allowing all employees to access it in their preferred language. By removing language-based communication barriers, the company created an inclusive, considerate company culture.

Communications

The company also published press releases about their fact sheets, brochures, event registration forms, surveys, quizzes, etc. over the app to enhance participation and keep the employees informed. RHI Magnesita launched a company credits app over which they managed the cultural transformation.

Results

• The company credits app was able to drive 11% revenue growth post-merger.
• The employees eased into the new culture easily after the merger

5. Ardent Health Services

Ardent Health Services makes healthcare more accessible to communities by using consumer-friendly processes. To drive change, the company implemented a robust internal communications system to overhaul its traditional communication methods (emails and newsletters).

Reaching a Deskless Workforce

Ardent has a deskless workforce in the form of physicians, nurses, and clinical staff. When they are on the floor, it isn’t always possible for them to access work emails. The company leveraged an employee app to establish a direct line of communication with these frontline employees to keep them updated with the latest information.

Effective Communication

Ardent leveraged the employee app to communicate daily updates to on-ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, which proved instrumental in establishing clear communication during an emergency.

They also used the app to share uplifting stories that highlighted community support. The app also made the latest vaccine information available to employees, facilitating the drive and bringing change.

Wellness and Mental Health

In addition to sharing resources, Ardent also used the employee app to disseminate mental health bites and wellness practices to help employees overcome difficult times.

Results

• Increase in app adoption rate from 20% to 60% in one year due to simplified communications.
• 14% increase in content creation, followed by 18% in the subsequent year, owing to the easy information dissemination methods of the app.

Strategies for Improving Employer and Employee Communication

1. Implementing Regular Check-Ins

Consistent check-ins create a rhythm of communication that ensures employees feel supported and valued. These check-ins can take various forms:

• 1:1 Meetings:
  These are personalized interactions between managers and their team members. They provide an opportunity to discuss individual performance, address concerns, and offer guidance.
  • Best Practices:
    • Set a recurring schedule (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly).
    • Prepare an agenda beforehand to cover performance updates, feedback, and any challenges the employee may be facing.
    • End each meeting with clear action items for both parties.
• Team Meetings:
  Regular team meetings help align goals, share updates, and foster collaboration. These sessions allow employers to communicate company-wide priorities and encourage open discussions among team members.
  • Best Practices:
    • Keep the meetings concise and focused.
    • Encourage participation by assigning roles, like a note-taker or timekeeper.
    • Include a Q&A segment to address concerns or clarify issues.

2. Using Employee Surveys to Gather Feedback

Employee surveys are a powerful tool for understanding what employees think, need, and expect. Surveys can reveal insights into workplace culture, communication gaps, and employee satisfaction.

• Types of Surveys:
  • Engagement surveys: Gauge overall morale and satisfaction.
  • Pulse surveys: Quick, frequent surveys to monitor ongoing initiatives or changes.
  • Exit surveys: Gather feedback from departing employees to improve retention strategies.
• Best Practices:
  • Keep the surveys short and focused on specific topics.
  • Use a mix of quantitative (rating scales) and qualitative (open-ended) questions.
  • Share survey results transparently and follow up with actionable steps to address feedback.

3. Encouraging Two-Way Communication Through Anonymous Feedback Channels

Not all employees feel comfortable voicing their opinions publicly. Anonymous feedback channels provide a safe space for honest communication, enabling employees to share concerns, suggestions, or grievances without fear of retaliation.

• Tools for Anonymous Feedback:
  • Anonymous survey tools like Google Forms or dedicated platforms like Officevibe or TinyPulse.
  • Suggestion boxes (both physical and digital) for continuous input.
• Best Practices:
  • Assure employees that their feedback will be confidential.
  • Act on the feedback promptly and communicate what actions have been taken.
  • Encourage leadership to review and respond to feedback constructively.

4. Training Managers in Communication Skills

Managers play a critical role in bridging the gap between employers and employees. Investing in their communication skills can dramatically improve workplace dynamics.

• Key Areas of Training:
  • Active Listening: Teach managers to fully focus on employees’ words, clarify points, and provide thoughtful responses.
  • Constructive Feedback: Train managers to deliver feedback in a way that is specific, actionable, and respectful.
  • Conflict Resolution: Equip managers with strategies to handle disagreements or misunderstandings effectively.
  • Emotional Intelligence (EI): Enhance managers’ ability to empathize with employees and navigate sensitive situations.
• Best Practices:
  • Offer workshops, webinars, and role-playing exercises.
  • Encourage peer mentoring and knowledge-sharing among managers.
  • Measure the impact of training through employee feedback and manager performance reviews.

5. Leveraging Digital Tools

Technology can simplify and streamline communication across the organization, especially for remote or hybrid teams. Digital tools enhance accessibility, transparency, and collaboration.

• Popular Digital Tools:
  • Employee Communication Apps: Tools like Slack or theEMPLOYEEapp facilitate instant messaging, group discussions, and file sharing.
  • Intranets: Platforms like SharePoint or theEMPLOYEEapp provide centralized access to company updates, policies, and resources.
  • Project Management Tools: Tools like Asana or Trello keep teams aligned on tasks and deadlines while offering built-in communication features.
• Best Practices:
  • Choose tools that align with your organization’s size and communication needs.
  • Provide training to ensure employees and managers use the tools effectively.
  • Use analytics to track engagement and improve communication strategies.

Simplify Workplace Communication with The EMPLOYEE App

Did you know that poor communication at work has a tangible impact on your business? A 2023 report by Grammarly highlighted that poor communication raises stress levels in employees by 7%. It also presented that poor communication reduces productivity at work by 15%.

With use of simple technology like The EMPLOYEE App, you can immediately see improvements in these metrics at your workplace. theEMPLOYEEapp streamlines your internal communication by connecting your dispersed workforce on a single platform.

Leverage the app to set up and manage news feeds, send notifications, manage folders, calendars, and event dates, manage push notifications, and connect with other apps and web systems across your enterprise.

Visit the website now to learn more!

FAQs

Why is communication important?

Internal communication at a company establishes an efficient exchange of information between two individuals, teams, or departments, which helps enhance productivity and efficiency.

Can internal communication happen using apps?

Yes, employee apps are popular today as tools of internal communication. They allow widespread communication of important alerts, updates, notifications, and other company news to every employee.

What can I use an employee app for?

You can use an employee app to set up internal communications, distribute surveys, gather feedback, disseminate important training on the ground, check team availability, share events and timing, and much more.