The Role of Employee Communications in Employee Experiences: Case Company X
Ryynänen, Annika Karoliina (2020)
Ryynänen, Annika Karoliina
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020060416937
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020060416937
Tiivistelmä
In today´s world it is essential for organizations to create workplaces where people want to work at because the competition for talent is fierce and because it is the best way to overall organizational success. Today, people expect an engaging and enjoyable employee experience. It is not just about the physical workspace or benefits but about the company culture. It is generated by e.g. the technology provided, a clear vision and mission, coaching, meaningful work, feedback processes and great teams. Hence, communication in the workplace plays an enormous role in employee experience creation. However, the needs and wishes of different employees are unique and therefore, in order to design employee experiences, those needs and wishes must be understood. The objective of this Master´s thesis was to understand what kind of employee communications positively contribute to the employee experiences of employee group Y at Company X. It aimed at finding out how employee communications are experienced currently, what are the current strengths and how could employee communications be developed in order to enhance the employee experiences of employee group Y. Thus, the theoretical framework used in this Master´s thesis consists of Employee Experience (EX) and Employee Communication as well as of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), which was applied in carrying out the research. AI is a positive strengths-based philosophy and approach to organizational development in which the existing positive cores are discovered, dreams are discussed and the suggestions for action are designed together with the employees. A questionnaire and Appreciative Interviews were carried out. The findings revealed that the communications in local teams and with many of the supervisors is experienced as interactive and positive whereas the communication processes in macro level was experienced less positively. The employee communications currently are considered somewhat fragmented and complex and the communication channels too many from the employee group Y´s point of view. The interviews indicated that in order to develop employee communications in a way that would positively contribute to the employee experiences of employee group Y the mindset and practises should be more about two-way interaction. The matters that should primarily be focused on are participating the employees more in decision making and development work, especially in matters that have an impact on their daily work, ensuring that the processes and channels used for providing information regarding on-going and up-coming work shifts are prompt and simple, matching the needs of the employees. The information channels roles should also be clarified. This research can be taken advantage of as a benchmark for other departments of Company X and other organizations in developing employee communications and employee experiences by utilizing Appreciative Inquiry.