xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Communication Audit

Kahlan Foland-Hollinger, Kierstyn Johnson, and Ashlee Shipley

Department of Communication, Evangel University

COMS 346 Organizational Communication

Dr. Mark B. Kelton

December 6, 2022
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Between the dates of October 12th and December 5th, students from the Evangel

University Communication Department performed a communication audit of xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxx. All employees were sent a survey concerning internal communication practices, and a

selection of employees were personally interviewed for feedback on the efficacy of xxxxxxxxx’s

internal communication management.

Strengths revealed through the course of the audit included overall satisfaction with

internal communications (with 51.1% of survey participants giving positive feedback in this

area–see Appendix B), employee satisfaction with home office to field office communications

(with 44.4% of participants being very satisfied in this area–see Appendix C), and high employee

willingness to suggest and try implementing new communication practices.

Opportunities for improvement were found in the use of the employee portal, employees

becoming inundated with excess digital communication, and employee desire for improved

top-down conflict management. Employees expressed desire for easier navigability on the portal

allowing for the separation of important information and personal updates. Twenty-one percent

of participants expressed frustration with the use of ‘reply all’ on group emails. Participants also

expressed complaints about home office transparency and lack of appropriate attention paid to

employee concerns (see Appendix B).

Recommendations for success moving forward are to address portal concerns through

moderation of content, to mitigate oversaturation of digital exchange by streamlining information

pathways, and to encourage upper management to respond to concerns brought to them with

careful listening and an attitude of resolution. This plan will uphold xxxxxxxxx’s mission of

working together, finding options, and bettering lives.

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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

This communication audit will provide xxxxxxxxx with internal communication insight

necessary to make positive improvements to the messages and methods of communication within

the organization. The research highlights key components of xxxxxxxxx’s current

communication environment, and provides insight into the internal communication viewpoints

and opinions of the people they employ. The evaluation provides an overview of the situation as

a whole, and what areas are in need of refinement. Evaluating the findings and implementing the

recommendations will result in a more satisfactory communication environment for both the

leadership and the staff. Overall, the communication audit will provide the information necessary

to make immediate decisions that will benefit xxxxxxxxx now and in the future.

METHODOLOGY

Data collection for this audit was accomplished through personal interviews and

surveying of employees with xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx. Initial information for this audit was obtained

by meeting with xxxxxxxxx’s Chief Resource Officer and the Employee engagement director.

After this initial meeting, we were provided with a list of all xxxxxxxxx employees, access to the

employee portal, and an organizational chart which allowed us to trace paths of reporting within

the organization.

Personal interview candidates were chosen from various branches of the organization and

various levels of leadership. Our objectives for the personal interview were 1) to determine how

employees in various positions in the organization view the current communication systems 2) to

find out how often employees make use of the communication systems in place 3) to find out

employee level of satisfaction with the communication systems 4) to find out how well

employees think communication flows between locations and levels of the organization and 5) to
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find out what employees would like to see improvement in related to internal communication.

These objective statements guided our questions in interviews lasting approximately 30 minutes

each. Each interviewee was assured of anonymity and invited to give open feedback over any

concerns the employee had concerning the state of xxxxxxxxx’s internal communications.

Surveying was accomplished through Google forms with a combination of multiple

choice, Likert scale, and written response questions. The objectives for the survey were to gauge

employee usage of available communications channels, employee perception of communication

between xxxxxxxxx branch locations, and obtain employee feedback on desired changes. A link

to the survey was posted in the employee portal as well as emailed to every employee in the

email list provided to us at the beginning of the audit. In total, the survey was sent to 162

full-time and part-time employees, and 90 responses were received. Long answer responses were

sorted according to statements which were positive, negative, neutral, and positive with caveats.

FINDINGS

The research highlights key aspects within the organization that were significant in

response and data. Significant data points have been analyzed and are presented as follows.

STRENGTHS

Finding 1: Employees are generally satisfied with communication overall.

The data showed that an overwhelming 51.1% of those that participated in the survey felt

positively about the communication environment

(see Appendix B). One participant commented on

their satisfaction with the communication

environment, “Excellent! I think information is

passed between home and field effectively and

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timely on a regular basis.”

In addition, the research revealed on the Likert scale that 35.6% over 10% found the level of

overall communication effectiveness to be satisfactory (see Appendix B).

Finding 2: General satisfaction with home office communication effectiveness overall. The

survey revealed that on a scale from 1-5,

44.4% of participants were satisfied with

the overall effectiveness of

communication from the home office (see

Appendix C).

Finding 3: Employees are willing to suggest and try new ideas.

Both the survey and the personal interviews indicated that xxxxxxxxx’s communication

environment was open to new ideas, methods, and tactics of communication. The following

responses are as follows:

● “I think the home office communicates well through emails . I would like to see people

from the home office more often at cooking sites.’

● “Everyone should update their signatures to include numbers for quickest follow up. It is

nice to have a number to access easily at the bottom of the email.”

In general, the attitude of the xxxxxxxxx community is open to change and new

improvements to the communication frustrations they are facing.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Finding 1: Portal Problems

The survey revealed many different thoughts and opinions on the portal. Of those

thoughts and opinions, a few key concerns were mentioned. Comments like, “ Some struggle

with checking it daily,” and “It is good if people will read,” seemed to be common trends. When

asked about the overall

effectiveness of

communication employees

voted in favor of the portal

communication, however, the

comments revealed that

positive improvements could

be made (see Appendix B).

1. Portal Notification Issues

Many of the participants acknowledged that sometimes it was easy to miss

announcements or posts and that an email notification would be appreciated.“If there was

a way to add email "Notifications" for new portal posts, it may trigger everyone to check

more often.” Another said the following about the issue, “Maybe an automatic email

when the CEO's post something.” In general, the survey showed that many struggled with

visiting the portal because the notification did not get their attention. In addition, as a

team we were locked out of the portal and had a difficult time getting back in. This could

be an issue that other employees are facing, making them less active on the portal.

2. Personal vs. Professional on the Portal

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Of the comments and suggestions given, the recommendation to separate professional

posts and personal on the portal was significant. One participant commented:

“I think the portal is 90% unnecessary info, so it makes it inconvenient for those who are

pressed for time to skim through the kudos and other non-work related stuff to get to the

info they need. However, I do see the benefit of the portal as well.”

Others stated something similar, “CEO/News/Trainings are important, I really do not

have time for the "extras". A suggestion was given on the issue. “I think news should be

monitored by supervisors. I see a lot of employees posting info that isn't "news" in the

news section. I think it's great for employees to want to connect to each other, but not

everyone wants that or has time for that.” It was evident that while some employees

enjoyed the portal function as a place to see what was going on in their co-workers'

personal lives, others found that it interrupted their work and was more of a distraction.

3. Portal Overall Improvements

Of the survey and the interviews that were recorded, many of the responses indicated

their approval of the portal, but offered some suggestions for improvement. Employees

were 24.4% positive about the portal,

however, 14.4% indicated that while the

portal was a positive element to their

work, it could use some improvement

(see Appendix D).

The suggestions were as follows:

a. Create a mobile app to access the portal

b. There needs to be a better way to search topics/post by certain people.

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c. Being able to tag someone in a post conversation or somehow make a relative

reply.

Finding 2: Over Saturation of Digital Communication

The communication environment overall rated positively, and employees expressed that

they felt well communicated on all levels. However, many comments suggested that they felt a

sense of ‘over communication’ and were exhausted by the levels of digital communication they

were receiving. A participant said the following,“We use email too much like instant messaging.

Sometimes it is critical for all of us to turn off email notifications in order to focus on the task at

hand.” Other responses indicated the same thing, saying that they were receiving emails that did

not always pertain to them, crowding their in-box and making tracking of their work more

difficult. “Due to the volume of emails received it is often very difficult to wade through them all

and get to what is important.” Another had the following to say about the issue:

“Direct communication with those that are directly affected by or are responsible for the

topic of the communication. Misunderstandings happen because someone was told to let

someone else know...it’s silly. Just email the person who needs the information.

The communication environment overall is saturated with digital messaging and many have

become exhausted by the overload of information.

Key Issues with Digital Saturation

a. People being included in emails that do not pertain to them.

b. Portal message replies filling up the mailbox.

Email Issue: Stop, Reply All

Many participants expressed their frustration when their fellow employees used the
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function, ‘reply all.’ Of the suggestions given, nineteen addressed this particular issue,

and some had suggestions as to how to resolve this,“Emails sent to all do not need to be

forwarded again, and can we reinforce that replying to all is not always necessary.”

Finding 3: Conflict Management

The survey and interviews conducted highlighted recurring conflicts in the workplace and

indicated a divide between management communication styles. Some indicated that they felt a

lack of direct communication, while others felt the communication to be too direct. The most

prominent complaints can be broken down as follows:

● Employees feel the communication is not transparent enough. They feel lost when

decisions are made. The comments from the survey suggests that people desire the why

and how behind decisions being made by their supervisors.

● Employees feel the communication is too direct. Participants feel isolated from upper

management and feel like their thoughts and opinions do not matter. People feel a lack of

relationship with employees in high management.

xxxxxxxxx employees shared some of their experiences, and offered solutions to the

issues they had encountered.

1. Communication is not transparent enough

Both the survey and interviews showed that many employees at xxxxxxxxx are

negatively affected by the lack of direct communication. While overall, the participants

indicated that they were satisfied overall with the communication between home office

and centers (see Strength Finding 2). There were many comments indicating specific

issues with direct communication. “There seems to be a large disconnect. It is very hard
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to know what is expected and if you are reaching any goals or what the goals are for the

centers themselves.” Other comments stated that while the home office communicated

well and in a timely manner, some felt isolated in decision making, “The home office

seems to operate in a bubble. There seems to be too much "need to know" or decision

making without input from the field offices.” In an interview, a participant shared the

issues they were facing with the relational dynamics of the offices and how a lack of

direct communication was making them feel. They stated,“Sometimes, I feel like things

that need to be addressed don’t actually get to the higher ups, and when they do they are

not taken seriously.” The participants shared that they felt as though the higher

management was distant and the chain of command distorted the message they were

trying to send.

“I have difficulty with the chain of command and feel as though my concerns aren’t taken

seriously. I would like to take my concerns to the higher ups without the need of a middle

man.” Overall, the survey and interviews revealed that the lack of direct communication

has had a negative impact on employees.

2. Communication is too direct.

The survey asked participants of their opinion on the relationship between home offices

and centers, and 51.1% indicated they felt positively, while 23.3% felt negatively and

10% responded positively but with

suggestions of improvement (see

Appendix B). While survey respondents

expressed satisfaction with how effective

communication is between the offices

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and centers, comments shared later in the survey showed dissatisfaction with the

relational element between offices and centers. One participant had the following to say

about announcements made from upper management to the rest of the staff,“If people can

understand why they are being asked to change how they're doing something or add a

task to their plate it is critical that they understand why it was important.”

Other comments are as followed:

- “I would like to see more transparency and genuine communication. I think the

current tone of communication is not genuine and unhelpful. My conversations

with certain leaders have left me distraught or just as confused as when I went

in.”

-“I want less fluff. Manipulation is never a good form of communication in the

workplace.”

-“Transparency on what and why decisions are made for the field offices where

we have no say.

One particular comment had the following to say, “There is a bit too much of the

"because I said so" mindset and not enough genuine understanding and care for one another. I

would love to see some form of "roundtable" discussions implemented where we give people a

chance to ask management questions of management and for management to explain things that

are upcoming and may be valuable for the staff to know.” This remark was reinforced by another

participant over an interview. The participant stated that many times, things are put forth bluntly,

with little to no room for questions or conversations. “I was left feeling helpless, and in a panic

as to what was happening and how it was going to affect me.”

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Finding 4. Strained communications with the kitchen staff.

The survey that was put out among xxxxxxxxx staff revealed some issues with the

kitchen staff. These problems were shared in the comments section for the questions,

“What would you like to see more of from xxxxxxxxx regarding internal

communications?” and, “Please list any comments you have on email communication

with xxxxxxxxx.” Some of the responses included the following:

“More direct-contact with kitchen staff. I see that across the board kitchen staff

feels ostracized like they are at the 'bottom' of the chain - but our food programs

would be in big trouble without them!”

“I feel that some of the kitchen staff struggle with keeping up on emails.”

Unfortunately, we were unable to conduct a further investigation into the issues present

with the kitchen staff. However, based on the responses given in the survey, it is assumed

that the kitchen staff struggle to keep up with digital communications across the board

because of the nature of their jobs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1: Portal Problems

The issues on the portal are not urgent in nature, but it is recommended that these changes be

implemented within the next few months.

1. Portal Notification Issues

The first recommendation that should be considered for improving the portal

communication experience is to provide a brief training on how to change

notification settings on the portal. Survey respondents expressed a struggle with

sifting through all that gets posted on the portal to find the most important posts
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pertaining to work. Being educated on how to control which posts send email

notifications would ease this issue for users.

2. Personal vs. Professional on the Portal

There are already separate areas of the employee portal for making posts

pertaining to different personal or work-relevant topics. Some survey respondents

complained that the lines between personal and professional can be blurred at

times, once again making it difficult to identify important information.

Administrator moderation is recommended to ensure posts are made in the

relevant category. To support this goal, a memo reminding employees to keep

posts in the appropriate category is also recommended. For the most important

posts related to work, it may help to have a "pinned posts" system which allows

that important information to remain at the top of the news feed.1

3. Portal Improvement Suggestions

Participants shared some of their suggestions for improving the portal overall.

1. Create a mobile app to allow those without office positions easier access to the

portal while away from the computer.

2. Create a search bar in the posting section of the portal to allow employees to

search within topics and find particular posts.

3. Implement a method of tagging people in post conversations and respond to

threaded replies.

Recommendation 2: Oversaturation of Digital Communication

The oversaturation of digital communication is somewhat urgent. It is recommended that these

1
"Your Internal Communication Newsfeed & Employee Content." 5 Mar. 2019,
https://www.sociabble.com/blog/control-newsfeed-employee-content/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2022.
 13

changes be implemented within the next few weeks.

1. Key Issues with Digital Saturation

a. People are being included in emails that do not pertain to them.

A viable solution for this issue starts with narrowing down the necessary

recipients. Rather than sending everyone an email, sending the information to the

supervisors and allowing them to disseminate information to necessary

employees. This would eliminate the overload of digital information some receive

and make the message that is being shared more clear and concise.

2. Stop Reply All

With over a fifth of respondents complaining about 'reply all’ in email

communications, it is recommended to take steps to reduce instances of

employees replying all to emails. To resolve this issue, all employees should be

advised to use the "blind carbon copy" or bcc function on mass emails.2 To

prevent accidental reply alls, an administrator

for the Google email system may change

settings for all employees so that single reply

becomes the default and reply all is only accessible through the “more options”

menu. In addition to this, a company wide memo instructing on only replying to

all when necessary may be beneficial.

Recommendation 3: Conflict Management

These issues are not urgent in terms of how they affect the procedures of xxxxxxxxx, but it is

urgent in terms of how it affects those they employ. It is recommended that these issues be

2
"A Guide to Emailing CC vs. BCC To Maintain Professionalism - Indeed." 3 May. 2021,
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/email-cc-vs-bcc. Accessed 9 Dec. 2022.
 14

addressed within the next few months.

1. Communication transparency and conflict.

There is a desire from xxxxxxxxx employees to be informed about the reasons

why decisions have been and how they will be implemented. Implementing an

outline of the decisions that are being made, and why they are being made and

then sharing that information with employees would communicate transparency

and ease any questions or concerns.3 This solution would require the leadership

to compile appropriate information into a document and distribute prior to the

decision going into effect. In addition, posting this outline on the portal would

provide easy access for employees looking to follow the decisions that are being

made.

The respondents from the survey expressed a desire to share their problems with

xxxxxxxxx’s leadership. Some shared that they feel as though the urgency behind

their issues is not always properly expressed or that the 'higher ups'' have a

“because I said so'' mindset. This leaves employees feeling disconnected.

Creating a round table discussion platform would give employees the chance to

express their questions and concerns. The leadership would need to allow for

questions, thoughts and concerns to be sent in, and then address them as directly

as possible. Allowing for employees to schedule meetings with supervisors above

their supervisors would give employees the chance to personally voice their

concerns.4

3
"The Importance of Transparency in Leadership - BambooHR Blog." 23 Jan. 2020,
https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/importance-of-transparency-in-leadership. Accessed 10 Dec. 2022.
4
"Creating Transparency in the Workplace: How to Get Started." 22 Aug. 2019,
https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/creating-transparency-in-workplace. Accessed 10 Dec. 2022.
 15

2. Kitchen Staff

As we were unable to investigate the issues reported with the kitchen staff, there

are not any action steps that we can provide that will absolutely fix the problem.

However, we suggest that a supervisor–or supervisors–from the home office visit

the kitchen staff and observe how they run on the day-to-day. It may even be

beneficial for the supervisors to engage in a “walk-in-your-shoes” day where they

work how the kitchen staff works. This strategy should provide the leaders with

some understanding of how the kitchen staff run and better equip them to

understand how to improve the current situation. A suggestion that was proposed

in the survey was, “Instead of only communicating with the SCA, I believe, DTLs

should include the Culinary Lead so that we have 1st hand knowledge. This would

eliminate a lot of misunderstanding.”

Conclusion

Overall, the communication efforts made by xxxxxxxxx are considered satisfactory by

those they employ. However, there is always room for improvement. Some of those areas include

portal communication, oversaturation of digital communication, and relations between home

offices and field offices. The report offered different solutions and recommendations to

implement in order to foster an even better communication environment at xxxxxxxxx.

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REFERENCES

H., D. (2019, March 5). Internal communication platform benchmarks: Do you have control of

your Newsfeed & Employee Content? Sociabble. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from

https://www.sociabble.com/blog/control-newsfeed-employee-content/

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, May 3). A guide to emailing CC vs. BCC to maintain

professionalism. Indeed. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/email-cc-vs-bcc

Perucci, D. (2019, August 22). Creating transparency in the workplace: How to get started. HR

Software with Heart. Focus on people, not processes. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from

https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/creating-transparency-in-workplace

Perucci, D. (2020, January 23). The importance of transparency in leadership -What you need to

know. The Importance of Transparency in Leadership - BambooHR Blog. Retrieved

December 10, 2022, from

https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/importance-of-transparency-in-leadership
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APPENDICES

All information from these appendices may be accessed at this link.

Appendix A
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Appendix B

How do you perceive the relationship between the home office and the field offices?
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Appendix C

Once a week: 1.1%

Please list any comments you have on email communication with xxxxxxxxx.
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Appendix D

Never: 1.1%; Once a week: 6.7%

Please add any comments or suggestions you have about communication through the employee

portal.
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Appendix E