Communication for Better Relations in the Workplace: Basic Listening and Speaking Skills for Making the Multi Cultural Workforce Work- A Case Analysis of City Fresh Foods Company
Effective listening and speaking skills play a significant role in good making basic communication successful. In workplaces, basic communication is essential to ensure a good working environment, better work relations among employees and management and increased productivity.
Basic communication includes both the verbal skills and the non-verbal skills that every employee and management should possess to build an effective workforce in a company. Despite the advantages of good communication in the workplace, several employees do not have these crucial skills required in basic communication.
In reference to a city Fresh foods company case, the essay discusses some of the essential processes of basic communication, strategies, and its role in managing multicultural organizations effectively.The main role of communication is to pass a message from the sender to the receiver through an effective medium and get the required feedback or response that the message has been received and clearly understood.
Any factor hindering the flow of a message through the process is defined as a barrier (To achieve its goals, the company has introduced effective communication strategies to promote better listening and speaking among the employees, the company’s customers and the management.
Communication strategies entail how effectively and efficiently information is shared. They include verbal, non-verbal or visual strategies, written and oral strategies among others.To improve oral and verbal communication among employees, fresh city Foods Company had introduced 40hours of learning English as a second language to its employees. This helps the employees to master some of the terms used in the company’s operations like delivery tickets and check out tickets. The company also uses volunteer translators who help the new employees master basic communication in English.
The non-verbal strategies embraced by the company include the use of manuals that detail instructions using photos on some procedures in operating various process and equipment. For instance, to avoid drivers from reaching in deep in coolers and grab drinks, the manuals detail how contents in these coolers should be arranged.
In addition, in enhancing written communication, the company uses a checklist that helps employees track the meals that they have to produce. The checklists also help the employees know when the deliveries are due irrespective of the language they speak.
In addition to better listening and speaking skills among employees, effective upward communication is essential for a company’s success since it facilitates transfer of accurate information to the managers from the subordinate employees (Matveev, & Milter, 2004).
To improve upward communication, Glynn can improve upward communication by involving employees in decision making appreciating their feedback and contribution in forming policies that affect them. In addition, developing effective listening skills can also improve upward communication as it creates a good environment that subordinates can share information more easily with the management.
In my opinion, my rating for Glynn Lloyd is a good listener. He listens to the feedback of the employees and involving them while developing checklists together with his managers. In addition, Lloyd puts significant effort in understanding every employee helping them in learning English a second language.
I would be very comfortable managing a multicultural organization like City Fresh Foods Company. Such an environment is rich in cultural diversity and overcoming such challenge managing such a company as Lloyd to achieve the company’s goals and objectives.
In addition, a multicultural environment broadens my viewpoint knowledge as to learn to communicate effectively with different employees. Such a multicultural organization will significantly improve my interpersonal communication skills through overcoming language barriers and passing messages effectively.
In conclusion, effective listening and speaking is crucial to the success of a company. However, achieving these skills requires efforts and training especially for multicultural organizations like fresh city Fresh Foods Company (Chang, S., & Tharenou, 2004). These efforts aim at achieving better communication strategies and reducing barriers that hinder effective communication among employees, customers, and management.
References
Chang, S., & Tharenou, P. (2004). Competencies needed for managing a multicultural work group. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 42(1), 57-74
Lunenburg, F. C. (2010). Communication: The process, barriers, and improving effectiveness. Schooling, 1(1), 1-11.
Hyatt’s (2008). Found in translation: how to make multicultural workforce work. Mansueto Ventures.pg 41-42LLC.
Matveev, A. V., & Milter, R. G. (2004). The value of intercultural competence for performance of multicultural teams. Team Performance Management: An International
Jayne, M. E.,& Dipboye, R. L. (2004). Leveraging diversity to improve business performance: Research findings and recommendations for organizations. Human resource management, 43(4), 409-424.Journal, 10(5/6), 104-111.
Read a similar sample essay on employee management in a multicultural workplace