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Job Satisfaction at a High Thanks to Work/Life Balance Strides

Female employees less satisfied, job switchers happiest

​Pandemic concerns, persistent inflation, burnout and more have wreaked havoc on employee well-being in recent years—but thanks to gains in pay, benefits and work/life balance, workers are actually happier than they have been in decades.

New data out from The Conference Board, a research organization, shows that overall job satisfaction among U.S. workers—particularly those who recently changed jobs—hit its highest levels on record last year. Overall, 62.3 percent of U.S. workers were satisfied in 2022—up from 60.2 percent in 2021 and 56.8 percent in 2020 and the highest level recorded since The Conference Board started conducting its annual job satisfaction survey in 1987.

"With unemployment at record lows, it's a seller's market for labor, and U.S. workers are reaping the rewards," said Eren Selcuk, senior economist at The Conference Board.

The Conference Board's annual survey , which asked workers about 26 components of their jobs, including work/life balance, health benefits, leave policies, retirement plans, workload and leadership—finds that every aspect of work has improved since the previous year's survey. The largest jump from 2021 to 2022 was work/life balance, which grew 5.8 percentage points to reach 60.1 percent in 2022.

Caitlin Duffy, director in the Gartner HR practice, said she's not surprised that job satisfaction has increased over the past few years, as the COVID-19 pandemic "had a seismic impact on the dynamics of the talent market."

"As organizations have shifted toward more remote-work models and adoption of hybrid/remote jobs became more mainstream, employees gained unprecedented access to expanded opportunities," she said. "Many were no longer constrained by geographic availability of open roles and had the freedom to pursue jobs in a wider range of locations, which increased the probability of finding a role that best fit their interests and preferences."

The data comes as employers make advances in efforts to boost employee satisfaction. Employees have reeled from social and health stressors in the past few years, and employers are working to keep them put as many employees left for other opportunities in 2021 and 2022.

In tandem with rising employee expectations, employers have turned to more mental health benefits, flexible schedules, remote work opportunities and bigger pay increases. Recent data from consulting firm Mercer , for instance, found that employers are shelling out bigger pay boosts to employees in 2023 than they have in years.

Allan Schweyer, principal researcher of human capital at The Conference Board, said the results "reveal that once workers are paid competitively, a strong workplace culture is the most important factor for keeping workers."

"Leaders gain the most by offering flexible, hybrid work arrangements and by emphasizing work experience and culture factors such as interesting work, reasonable workloads and opportunities for career growth," he said.

However, The Conference Board's survey reveals a significant happiness gap between men and women in the workplace. Women are significantly less satisfied than men across almost all 26 job satisfaction components surveyed, with large gaps appearing in job security, promotion policy, bonus plans, and compensation and benefits, including pay, sick day policy, vacation policy and health plans. This means, the report's authors wrote, that "firms need to be more conscious and intentional about achieving pay equity and addressing gender gaps across numerous other factors of satisfaction."

Contrasting Data

Some of the findings from The Conference Board appear to be good news for organizations—but they run in contrast to other recent reports. Benefits firm MetLife, in its annual employee benefits report out in March, found that while overall job satisfaction increased year over year to 69 percent in 2023 from 66 percent in 2022, job satisfaction registered its second-lowest score in a decade. MetLife also found that employees' satisfaction with their benefits fell to 61 percent in 2023, down from 64 percent in 2022, reaching its lowest point in the past decade. MetLife's survey of some 2,840 benefits leaders and 2,884 full-time employees also revealed sharp declines in employees' overall well-being, particularly in financial and mental health.

Missy Plohr-Memming, senior vice president for national accounts sales and group benefits at MetLife, told SHRM Online in March that one likely reason for the decline in benefits and jobs satisfaction is higher employee expectations in the wake of significant financial and mental health struggles. "While employers have made efforts to expand their benefits offerings, they simply have not been able to meet employees' evolving expectations quickly enough," she said.

Job changes may account for some of the stark difference. The Conference Board, in its findings, highlighted and surveyed workers who switched jobs recently. Workers who voluntarily left their organizations and found new jobs since the pandemic began were the most satisfied among all workers, the survey found.

Compared to workers who had not left for another job, workers who had recently moved to another organization experienced significantly higher satisfaction—a difference in the double digits in percentage points—in aspects such as pay, bonuses, educational and job training programs, and mental health benefits. That's likely a result of the tight labor market, which has left employees able to leave for higher pay, better perks and more desired working arrangements.

Record-high inflation is leaving the majority of employees dissatisfied with their pay despite rising salaries, Duffy noted, so it makes sense that some employees who left for a significant pay boost at other organizations might feel more satisfied with their jobs.

It's also important to note that The Conference Board survey of 1,680 workers was conducted in November 2022. Since that time, layoffs and benefits cuts have been become increasingly common as recession fears grow.

"Looking ahead, the short recession that many anticipate in 2023 may temporarily ease labor shortages," The Conference Board's report noted. "We see some signs of softening labor markets with job openings and voluntary quits declining over the last few months after record highs in March 2022. Declining worker mobility could reduce job satisfaction in the coming 12 to 24 months. In the medium and long term, however, changing demographics and restricted immigration will likely expand skill and talent shortages."

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What Are Total Rewards and Why Do They Matter?

Written by Salary.com Staff

October 12, 2023

Have you ever heard your HR department discuss “total rewards” and wondered what it means? Total rewards refer to how your company compensates  and benefits you for your work. It includes not just your salary or hourly pay but also bonuses, paid time off, healthcare benefits, retirement plans, and all the other rewards that come with your job.

This article covers total rewards and why they’re essential for your career and job satisfaction.

Defining Total Rewards and Its Components

Total rewards refer to how a company compensates and benefits its employees. It includes a paycheck, healthcare, paid time off, retirement plans, and other perks.

As an employee, understanding your total rewards package helps you see the full value of your job. Some parts are apparent, like your salary. But other factors, like healthcare or retirement benefits, also come with monetary worth. Add it all up, and you may find your job more rewarding than you realized!

Several types of total rewards include:

• Compensation : This includes your base pay, pay raises, bonuses, and incentives. Compensation is the most direct form of reward for the work you do.
• Benefits: Health insurance, dental plans, paid time off, employee assistance programs, and retirement plans are all included in benefits. While not paid, they have financial value.
• Lifestyle: Perks like gym memberships, childcare, continuing education, and employee discounts are under lifestyle reward. They enhance your life in meaningful ways.
• Work-life balance: Flex time, job sharing, and telecommuting options give you more control over your schedule.  It does not come with monetary value, but work-life balance is rewarding.
• Performance and recognition: Opportunities for career advancement, appreciations, and rewards for a well-done job are part of performance and recognition. They motivate and engage employees.
• Development: These involve training, mentoring, and other chances to build your skills. They help you grow in your career and increase your value.

An excellent total rewards package offers a balanced combination of all these types. When done right, it attracts top talent, boosts employees’ satisfaction and loyalty, and gives companies a competitive edge.

The Importance of a Total Rewards Strategy for Employee Engagement and Retention

A total rewards strategy  is key to keeping your best employees engaged and sticking around in your company for many years. Here are a few reasons why total rewards are important:

Increased Motivation and Productivity

When employees feel their work and efforts are valued and appreciated through rewards like bonuses, gifts, or extra time off, it leads them to be more motivated and productive. Who doesn’t like being recognized and rewarded for a well-done job? Total rewards show your team that you notice and care for their hard work and contributions.

Stronger Loyalty and Retention

Employees who feel satisfied and taken care of are much more likely to stick with your company for years to come. Competitive pay, benefits, and incentives give people reasons to stay in their current roles and continue advancing their careers within your organization. The cost of losing and replacing employees is high, so robust total rewards are worth the investment.

Better Recruitment and Talent Attraction

Your total rewards help draw top talent in your industry. Candidates looking for new opportunities want to know what’s in it for them. An attractive, comprehensive rewards package is what they are searching for. When you prioritize total rewards, you will have an easier time bringing highly skilled individuals on board.

In summary, a compelling total rewards strategy helps create a more motivated and productive workforce. It also helps increase employee loyalty, retention, and access to better talent. And when you get it right, your business thrives.

Best Practices for Implementing an Effective Total Rewards Program

To have an effective total rewards program, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:

Focus on your employees’ needs and priorities.

Survey your employees to find out what rewards matter most to them: compensation, healthcare benefits, paid time off, career growth opportunities, flexible work schedules, etc. Develop a program emphasizing rewards that help motivate and engage your team.

Educate employees on the total value of their rewards.

Many employees do not realize how much their total compensation is worth when you add salary, bonuses, benefits, paid time off, and all other rewards. Communicate the full details of your rewards program so employees understand the total investment in them. This can boost satisfaction and retention.

Benchmark against industry standards.

Review what other companies in your industry and region offer compensation and benefits. It helps you determine if your total rewards program is competitive. You may need to adjust, attract, and keep top talent. But also consider your company’s culture and values to develop a program.

Revise and improve over time.

Gather managers’ and employees’ feedback to monitor how your total rewards program works.  Review metrics like employee satisfaction, productivity, and turnover. Make changes as needed to meet the needs of your workforce and company goals.

A well-designed  total rewards strategy   plays a crucial role in driving employee engagement and retention. This leads to employees’ increased motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction, which drives productivity to new heights. Try it out and reap the benefits of an amazing total rewards program for your team.

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How to identify employee disengagement

Managers, imagine a scenario in which five employees on your ten-person team are dissatisfied and disengaged at work, either mildly or acutely. What if a few of those five are acting as cranky force multipliers, wreaking havoc with your best performers’ morale?

That scenario is not a stretch, recent McKinsey research shows . 1 Aaron De Smet, Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi, Angelika Reich, and Bill Schaninger, “ Some employees are destroying value. Others are building it. Do you know the difference? ,” McKinsey Quarterly , September 11, 2023. In fact, more than half of employees we surveyed report being relatively dissatisfied with their jobs. That’s a big percentage that strikes at the heart of value creation for organizations that are already facing rising labor costs and declining worker productivity.

To help solve the problem, managers should first figure out where employees fall along a satisfaction spectrum (exhibit). Our short quiz gets at the core of which employee archetype best describes most employees. Giving the quiz to your team—for them to answer anonymously, for obvious reasons—may provide fodder for some interesting conversations and spur actions to improve engagement .

Five questions help discern the archetypes present on your team

1. how likely are you to quit your job in the next 3–6 months.

Very likely (1 point) Somewhat likely (2 points) Somewhat unlikely (3 points) Not at all likely (4 points)

(If you answered “very likely” or “somewhat likely,” answer questions 2 through 4 and then skip to the end; question 5, on well-being, is most relevant for helping employees who are staying. If you answered “somewhat unlikely” or “not at all likely,” answer questions 2 through 5.)

2. Do you currently hold two or more full-time, salaried jobs?

Yes (You are classified as a double-dipper.) No

3. How satisfied and committed are you to your job?

Mostly dissatisfied (1 point) Somewhat dissatisfied (2 points) Neutral (3 points) Somewhat satisfied (4 points) Mostly satisfied (5 points)

4. How would your supervisor rate your level of performance in relation to expectations for your role?

Well below average (1 point) Below average (2 points) Meeting job requirements (3 points) Going above expectations (4 points) Going well above expectations (5 points)

5. What is your level of well-being? (We define well-being as a person’s ability to experience enjoyable and consistent functioning without major obstacles in the physical, social, mental, and spiritual domains.)

Well below average (1 point) Below average (2 points) Average (3 points) Above average (4 points) High (5 points)

Tallying the score

3–8 points: quitter.

Quitters are very or somewhat likely to leave their jobs in the next three to six months, but they are not necessarily the lowest performers. Strong people leaders  who are connected to their teams can keep high-potential and high-performing workers in this group from leaving for greener pastures.

9–10 points: Disruptor

Disruptors may feel that their needs are not being met, so they rebel and start a vicious cycle that reinforces their behavior within the organization and negatively affects higher-performing teammates. Career development opportunities, as well as honing a sense of purpose at work , are essential for these employees.

7–19 points: Double-dipper

Double-dippers—who hold two or more full-time, salaried jobs (yes, they exist, and there are more of them than ever)—garner a wide range of points because they are spread throughout our categories depending on where they fall on the performance, satisfaction, and well-being spectrums. To ensure that these workers don’t feel trapped in jobs without advancement possibilities, managers can carefully map career paths  and role responsibilities.

11–13 points: Mildly disengaged

The mildly disengaged are neither satisfied nor disruptive in a way that harms the organization. They put in the time and effort to fulfill minimum job requirements, but leaders should not expect these workers to make sacrifices for the company over their personal lives. To elevate performance in this group, employers can focus on flexibility .

14–18 points: Reliable and committed

People in this group are on the positive side of the satisfaction spectrum. And they’re part of the organizational core of reliable performers who will also go above and beyond for an employer. People in this archetype are motivated by meaningful work , flexibility, and a workplace environment  that has supportive coworkers who are open to collaboration.

19 points: Thriving star

The top talent in any organization, these stars sport sustainably high levels of well-being and performance. This group also has a positive impact on team performance and productivity. To help prevent burnout and create sustainable conditions  for these (rare) value creators and drivers of innovation, managers should limit the number of projects these people are working on, since their input is in high demand.

Our research shows that better performance and higher well-being lead to healthier workplaces and more consistent organizational performance . Managers who move their employees up the satisfaction spectrum toward higher engagement are therefore making a strategic choice.

A final thought as the new year gets under way: an organization’s working model plays an important role in the engagement level of employees. Our research shows that while most thriving stars do best in a remote-working environment, a hybrid model can maximize the benefits for the highest number of people. Coming in last: working mostly in person. Caveat employer .

Aaron De Smet is a senior partner in McKinsey’s New Jersey office, Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi is a research science expert in the New York office, Angelika Reich is a partner in the Vienna office, and Bill Schaninger is a senior partner emeritus.

This article was edited by Barbara Tierney, a senior editor in the New York office.

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The Benefits of Investing in Employee Development

There’s a lot of emphasis on “hiring the right person” when looking to expand the talent and skills of a workforce. And there’s merit to that strategy. However, your capacity to grow, improve, and finetune the skills of your employees isn’t limited to adding headcount. 

Hiring smart, capable people is just the first step. Investing in the continuous development of your employees is what set excellent organizations apart from their competitors. 

Here are 4 key benefits of investing in your employees’ development: 

1. Employee development helps close the Skills Gap.

70% of employers say that finding candidates with the right skills is one of their biggest hiring challenges. The beauty of a robust employee development program means that you often don’t need to hire candidates who already possess the skills you’re looking for. 

Instead, you hire people who have the capacity to learn on the job, and then you equip them with the skills your business requires. This investment pays off – upskilling and reskilling your employees allows you to tailor their abilities to your organization’s current and future plans. 

The skills needed to stay successful are evolving faster than ever. Investing in employee development not only gives your employees the abilities they need to excel in their role today, but future-proofs your workforce for the challenges of tomorrow. 

2. Your workforce becomes fine-tuned to the needs of your specific business. 

Training and development opportunities give your employees the tools they need to do their job more effectively. And helping your employees reach their personal professional goals can ultimately help your organization meet their targets.

At the core of effective employee development is understanding. To fully understand your current workforce, Criteria created Talent Insights – a post-hire personality assessment that allows you to achieve strong team cohesion while also understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each employee at an individual level. 

When you can align your training and development opportunities with your overall business objectives, you’ll see fruitful synergy that will boost your bottom line.   

3. On-the-job training improves retention rates.

There’s a common fear that many employers have: if they spend the time, money, and effort to train their employees, they run the risk of that knowledge (and investment) walking out the door to a competitor. 

But that fear is largely unfounded. Employees who are given a chance to learn and grow on the job are more likely to stay with their organization longer than employees who don’t. In fact, 94% of employees say that they’d stay at a company longer if the organization invested in their development. 

It’s often that feeling of career stagnation that pushes capable people into looking for opportunities outside your organization. Research shows that a lack of growth opportunities contributes to 37% of turnover . Focusing on the training and education of your workforce directly drives improved retention. 

When you invest in your employees, they become more invested in your organization. By investing in employee development, you can cultivate a culture of continuous improvement that encourages your employees to stay for the long term.

4. Investing in your workers improves employee engagement and satisfaction. 

Giving your employees the ability to learn on the job will make them more productive. With this productivity comes increased workplace satisfaction. This satisfaction begets even greater productivity, and this positive feedback loop perpetuates itself.   

People know when they are valued by others. The psychology behind “tit for tat” stands strong, even in the workplace. Reciprocity is a powerful social norm that you can lean into as an organization. After all, when someone does something positive for you, you are significantly more likely to do something positive for them in return. 

If you apply this basic psychology to your training philosophy, you’ll see that an upfront investment in your employee’s development pays off: the resulting increase in employee engagement leads to a stronger bottom line for your business. 

  An investment that pays off

Spending time, money, and resources on employee development is a high-yield investment that doesn't take long to start paying you back. Your organization will see a bump in productivity, improved retention, and stronger business performance – all while boosting employee morale and future-proofing your organization. Employee development is an investment you can’t afford not to make. 

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Communication is key in the workplace. Here's how to improve

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Why is communication important in the workplace?

7 common types of communication in the workplace

The benefits of good communication in the workplace

8 reasons to work on your communication skills

8 ways to develop communication skills at work

How to improve communication when working remotely.

Communication, communication, communication. We all know it’s important, but communication skills can be challenging to develop and implement at work. The rise of remote and hybrid work hasn’t made it any easier, either. 

Yet, effective communication at work can be transformative for individuals, teams, and businesses. We’re here to show you why communication is important in the workplace and how to start building your and your team’s communication skills today. 

Why is effective communication important in the workplace?

Communication in the workplace is important because it boosts employee morale, engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. Communication is also key for better team collaboration and cooperation. Ultimately, effective workplace communication helps drive better results for individuals, teams, and organizations. 

To take it a step further, specifically as a manager, building good communication skills has profound short- and long-term benefits for your organization. An effective communicator is able to motivate their team to get more done with better results and fewer misunderstandings. And who doesn’t want fewer misunderstandings?

All of these things can contribute to the company’s success — and to your own personal success as a leader.

Not all work communication is made equal. We’ve all had the experience of sitting through a boring, lengthy meeting with the thought, “This should have been an email.” 

Different communication channels are ideal for different types of communication. Depending on the type of information being conveyed, those different channels can enhance — or detract — from how it is received. An effective communicator will develop different skills and tools to match the type of communication needed.

1. Leadership communication 

Leaders often deliver one-way communications to their teams. The goal may be to inform or update, such as a memo about a new company policy or a change in direction. Leaders also often communicate to persuade, encourage, and inspire commitment. They often communicate through stories more than data.

2. Upward communication 

Managers (and team members) often have to communicate with their own managers and with other leaders who are not in their direct chain of command. These may take the form of memos/emails, reports, or a slot in a standing meeting. Regardless of the format, these types of communications should be considered more formal. 

3. Updates 

Since they’re brief by nature, updates often fall short of being a type of strong communication. Use a visual tracker or dashboard to carry the load, and save your verbal or written commentary for drawing the audience’s attention to what is most important — typically, what requires action or further involvement from them. This might include surprises, obstacles, and potential risks, as well as wins.

4. Presentations

These formal communication events tend to receive the lion’s share of attention, for good reason. Presentations are communication tools that are typically aimed at a larger audience with higher stakes. They have objectives like informing, influencing, and persuading. In addition, many people fear public speaking , and thanks to TED and other series, we have a high expectation for entertainment as well as insight. 

5. Meetings 

Meetings, whether large or small, are a critical part of a workplace’s internal communication strategy . They’re also one of the least understood and most overused types of communication. Effective meetings build synergy between teams and quickly communicate information that would have a high potential to be misunderstood in another format (like email). The best meetings are highly collaborative and leave participants feeling energized, not drained.

6. Customer communications 

Communicating with customers can run the entire gamut discussed above, from one-offs to face-to-face , virtual, spoken, or written, formal to ad hoc. In general, all of the considerations of communication among employees go double for customers. Be deliberate and plan your messages to provide what your customer needs, in the way they prefer, and create a positive impression for the company and the product.

7. Informal interactions 

Informal communications include the emails and chats you engage in all day: making requests, asking for information, responding to requests, and giving or receiving support and guidance. In addition to moving the work of the organization forward, these informal communications have secondary objectives of forming social connections , building culture, establishing trust , and finding common ground.

When employees are directly involved in work products and initiatives, it helps to foster a sense of ownership in the company’s future. It also makes them want to work to improve things like the company’s profitability, customer satisfaction, and brand.

Let’s take a look at some ways that building your communication skills cascades down through your organization — and directly impacts its bottom line.

1. Better engagement

Better communication results in greater employee engagement , which is a key metric for employee productivity and potential retention. It reinforces that your people are key contributors and people who the company values for their unique skills and experience. In other words, their contribution — and input — truly make a difference. 

2. Increased morale

Team members with low job satisfaction take more time off of work, are less productive when in-office, and often negatively impact the productivity of other employees when they are present. However, when an employee has an understanding of the work that they have to do and how it connects to the overall success of the team, they bring more energy and pride to their work. 

3. Improved productivity

Better communication techniques help employees to better comprehend their roles, which in turn helps employees perform their assigned duties better. Resources and time can be saved through these techniques, therefore getting more work done and reducing stress .

4. Reduced churn

From customer support representatives to senior technical staff, experience equals value to customers and to the company. And no organization wants to waste the huge costs of recruiting and training good employees by having them leave quickly. As a key factor in employee satisfaction and engagement, communication adds value to the organization by reducing the turnover of skilled and seasoned staff members. 

5. Greater loyalty

Longer-term, keeping employees for many years can add strength to the company and impact the bottom line. Many jobs require years of experience before an employee has sufficient expertise to drive innovation, solve critical problems , and lead others. How an employee feels toward the company — based on how they feel they are treated and valued as individuals — impacts how loyal they will be.

6. Better collaboration

Most companies today use technologies that don’t require team members to be in the same room, the same building, or even the same country. This shift presents new communication challenges, which means managers can facilitate collaboration by helping groups communicate effectively when using the latest technologies. 

7. Fewer workplace conflicts

Many conflicts originate with miscommunication . Poor communication can create negative relationships or even toxic or hostile work environments . Building clear communication can improve company culture and prevent misunderstandings between managers and employees . This includes honing and refining communication styles that focus on listening to others, having empathy, and considering individual differences. 

8. Greater motivation

Psychologists have found that unless people understand the “why” of a concept, they will be less likely to understand or remember it. The same goes for many aspects of people’s work lives. As a manager, one key communication skill is hearing the “why” and following up with a “because.” This approach will help you motivate employees .

Now that you understand the importance of good communication at work, you need to know how to develop those skills. Remember: effective communication is about active listening — while it may seem counter-intuitive, a “listener-first” approach will often help you structure the delivery of your message. 

Here are 8 more tips for developing your communication skills .

1. Think it through

There are many communications frameworks, but if you want to improve your communication skills, start by getting in the habit of thinking through these 5 questions for any communication you create:

• Why are you communicating?
• Who is the receiver, audience, or participant? 
• What is your goal or objective? 
• What do you want the recipient to do as a result of the communication? 
• What format will best accomplish your goal? 

If you struggle to answer these five questions, you should spend some additional time thinking about how and why you’re communicating. Then, test your understanding with co-workers or your manager.   

2. Give it time

Plan what you want to say and review your communication to make sure it’s actually doing the job you need it to. For written communications, especially, this means: revise, revise, revise. Remember, great communication might seem effortless, but it rarely is.

3. Make it easy

Workplace communication almost always has a larger goal. People are busy. Don’t make them work too hard to understand what you are saying and what you need them to do. State your objective and main point from the beginning of a presentation or written communication so that your audience knows where you’re going. Then fill in the details.

4. Simplify

While you don’t want to condescend or “dumb it down,” in everyday work communications, be mindful of not making the other party work too hard to understand. Find a clear, simple phrasing to encapsulate your point. Repeat it at the beginning, middle, and end, and consider using a simple visual or metaphor to make your point clear and memorable.

5. Experiment and diversify

Work on developing different tactics for different communication needs. Focus on experimenting with one aspect of your communication at a time. For example, spend a week paying extra attention to how you structure informal communications. Then spend a week trying different structures for formal meetings or updates.

6. Practice and reflect

Be deliberate about reflecting on what goes well and what doesn’t in your day-to-day communications. Maybe an email to your manager didn’t go well. Can you see how it might have been misinterpreted? What would you do differently next time? Similarly, if a conversation with a co-worker didn’t yield the expected results, try to identify whether you clearly communicated what you needed. 

7. Consider the full package

Consider recording yourself through a few interactions to gain insight into what your full package is communicating in your daily interactions with your team. Do you make eye contact? Is your facial expression relaxed and confident, or tense? How’s your body language? Do you leave time for questions and clarification? 

8. Seek feedback

Ask a few trusted co-workers and your manager to rate your communication skills. Start by asking them to rate (i.e., on a scale of 1-10) your written and spoken communication separately. Then ask these 3 questions: 

• What one thing should I start doing to communicate better with you?
• What one thing should I stop doing in my communications with you?
• What one area or skill should I work on to improve how I communicate in this organization?

Communicating well is even more important for leaders and managers during remote work . Doing it well can help build trust and connection with your team and avoid some of the frustrations that come from miscommunication. 

Here are a few areas to consider to improve remote communication:

1. Clarify expectations 

State expectations upfront and repeat them at the end of a communication . Even better, ask the other person to restate their understanding of your expectations. 

2. Engage in 2-way flow 

Being remote can make it easier for employees to check out and disengage. Be deliberate and creative about giving others a role in communication. Ask questions, use polling and ranking tools, and solicit responses in the form of emojis, gifs, or one-word descriptors.   

3. Remember the power of in-person 

A lot can be misinterpreted in the flat space of text without additional cues like tone of voice and facial expression. Don’t default to communicating solely through text or chat. A well-crafted team Zoom call or in-person meeting can establish a better connection and shared understanding, giving others a chance to surface areas of misalignment.

4. Focus on quality 

People may feel protective of their time when working remotely, so make sure that live events are well-thought-out. Send agendas, meeting objectives, or background reading ahead of time to help people prepare to have productive conversations.

5. Create an informal space 

Assuming good intentions and a sharing culture are both foundational for effective day-to-day communication at work. That said, they’re hard to build and maintain without opportunities for casual interaction like happy hours or non-work Slack channels . 

6. Show you care 

You don’t have to spend a lot of time checking in with people and asking about their personal lives. But, now more than ever, it’s worth reminding yourself that the recipients of your communications are real people who have their own challenges, distractions, hopes, and fears. Before getting on a video call or firing off an email, try picturing that person on the other end.

Start communicating better today

Every year communication tops the list of skills in demand by employers. There's a reason. Communication is what makes our professional and personal relationships go smoothly. It's how we show care, catalyze change, and get things done. Business coaching for your team and yourself can help with this skill.

That's reason enough to improve — and keep improving — these important skills. Luckily, we can all learn to communicate better.

Boost your team's communication

Explore coaching techniques to enhance workplace dialogues and foster productivity.

Allaya Cooks-Campbell

With over 15 years of content experience, Allaya Cooks Campbell has written for outlets such as ScaryMommy, HRzone, and HuffPost. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a certified yoga instructor as well as a certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach. Allaya is passionate about whole-person wellness, yoga, and mental health.

7 Critical teamwork skills and how to develop them

How to handle gossip in the workplace and encourage communication, 10 essential workplace skills for success, leverage love languages at work to improve your office culture, foster strong communication skills to enjoy professional success, what is nonverbal communication 10 different types (with examples), improve your interpersonal communication skills with these 6 tips, 30 communication feedback examples, team collaboration 101: learning the art of working together, similar articles, 18 effective strategies to improve your communication skills, why workplace flexibility matters and 4 ways to offer it, what is asynchronous communication, 6 proven ways to create a culture of engagement, feedback in communication: 5 areas to become a better communicator, transparency in the workplace: what it is (and what to avoid), 8 types of internal communication (and 4 factors that matter most), stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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