CorpComms Magazine

Seventy two per cent of employees felt their employers kept them well informed about the company in 2009, according to newly published findings from last year's study Putting it in Perspective by market research consultancy Infogroup. This figure showed a rise of 15 percentage points on the previous year.

Even though UK companies have bumped up efforts to keep employees in the know in light of the upheaval of the recession, staff are more reluctant than ever to share their views with their employers. Just four out of ten employees feel confident proposing ideas to management.

UK employees' fear of speaking out also comes in spite of the fact that three quarters feel that their manager appreciates the work they do and acknowledges when they have done a good job. In the last two years, it has been more difficult to reward achievement financially so employers may have been particularly eager to motivate their staff by applauding work well done.

Kate Pritchard, director of employee research at Infogroup, ORC International, said: 'Although these figures show employers have definitely woken up to the importance of internal communications - particularly during the current economic turbulence - there is clearly still room for further improvement here. 

'Organisations that succeed in fostering a sense of trust between staff and management where issues can be addressed openly will be better able to deal with issues such as job security honestly, alleviate unnecessary fears and benefit from a better motivated workforce moving forwards.'

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