Assuring Upstream Communication

Downstream communication—from management to employees—can be found in every organization. Managers/officers/owners make decisions about the business, and those decisions are conveyed to the workers using a variety of methods—memos, emails, newsletters, supervisors, company website, etc. Just as important for employee morale, productivity, company loyalty, and union avoidance is upstream communication. Of course, this will happen informally as employees converse with their supervisors in the normal course of business. But these conversations may be rushed and incomplete. The employee may even get the impression that the supervisor isn't interested. Methods such as individual employee conferences, informal conversations with supervisors and small group meetings.