Your staff know exactly where communication breaks down. They experience the missed messages, the confusing announcements, and the last-minute surprises that make their jobs harder. As you plan improvements for the new year, their feedback is the most valuable resource you have. Gathering and acting on this input transforms communication from a source of frustration into a competitive advantage through better staff communication.
This guide covers how to gather meaningful feedback about workplace communication, analyse patterns to identify priority improvements, and create an action plan for better communication in the year ahead. Good communication supports compliance with Fair Work requirements around rostering notice and keeps your team informed, engaged, and productive.
Quick summary
- Staff feedback reveals communication gaps that management may not see
- Use multiple feedback methods: surveys, conversations, and observation
- Analyse patterns to identify highest-impact improvement opportunities
- Create action plans with clear ownership and measurable outcomes
Why staff feedback on communication matters
Employees experience communication from a different perspective than management:
They know what gets missed
Managers may think communication is working because they're sending messages. Staff know what actually reaches them, what gets lost in the noise, and what arrives too late to be useful. Their perspective reveals the gap between intended and received communication.
They understand channel preferences
Different teams and roles have different communication preferences. What works for office-based staff may fail for those working shifts or remotely. Feedback reveals which channels actually work for different groups and where messages fall through the cracks.
They experience the consequences
When communication fails, staff deal with the fallout: arriving for cancelled shifts, missing important policy changes, feeling uninformed about decisions that affect them. This experience makes them experts on what needs fixing. Proper rostering software with integrated notifications prevents many of these communication failures.
They can identify practical solutions
Staff often have simple, practical ideas for improvement that management wouldn't think of. Someone struggling with current systems may know exactly what would help. Tapping this insight accelerates finding workable solutions.
Methods for gathering communication feedback
Use multiple approaches to get comprehensive feedback:
Anonymous surveys
Surveys enable honest feedback without fear of consequences. Ask specific questions about communication channels, timing, clarity, and responsiveness. Include open-ended questions for detailed input. Keep surveys focused and brief to encourage completion.
One-on-one conversations
Individual discussions allow deeper exploration of issues. Use regular check-ins to ask about communication. Follow up on survey themes. Create psychological safety so people feel comfortable sharing concerns honestly.
Team discussions
Group conversations reveal shared experiences and generate collective solutions. Team members often build on each other's ideas. Help to ensure all voices are heard, not just the loudest. Document themes that emerge across discussions.
Incident analysis
When communication failures cause problems—missed shifts, policy violations, operational disruptions—analyse what went wrong. These incidents reveal systemic issues. Track patterns across incidents to identify recurring problems.
Behaviour observation
Watch how people actually communicate. Do they check official channels or ask colleagues? Do messages get read? Where do informal workarounds develop? Behaviour reveals what systems people trust and what they bypass.
Suggestion channels
Create ongoing ways for staff to submit communication feedback: suggestion boxes, dedicated email addresses, or feedback tools. Regular input catches issues as they arise rather than waiting for annual surveys.
Analysing feedback to identify priorities
Raw feedback needs analysis to become actionable:
Categorise by theme
Group feedback into categories: channel issues, timing problems, clarity concerns, responsiveness gaps, and information accessibility. Themes reveal systemic issues beyond individual complaints. Similar feedback from multiple sources indicates widespread problems.
Assess frequency and severity
Determine how often each issue occurs and its impact when it does. A problem affecting everyone daily deserves more attention than one affecting few people occasionally. Severe consequences (compliance breaches, safety issues) elevate priority regardless of frequency.
Identify root causes
Look beyond symptoms to underlying causes. Multiple complaints about different issues may trace to a single root cause. Fixing root causes addresses multiple symptoms simultaneously. Ask "why" repeatedly until you reach addressable causes.
Map to business impact
Connect communication issues to business outcomes. Poor shift communication leads to no-shows. Unclear policy updates create compliance risk. Delayed responses frustrate staff and increase turnover. Business impact justifies investment in solutions.
Evaluate solution feasibility
Consider what's required to address each issue: technology changes, process updates, training, or cultural shifts. Some improvements are quick wins; others require significant investment. Match solutions to available resources and timeframes.
Common communication gaps staff identify
These issues appear frequently in staff feedback:
Late roster notifications
Shift information arrives too late for planning. Changes come at the last minute. Staff can't organise personal commitments because they don't know their work schedule far enough ahead. This is especially common in fast-paced retail and hospitality environments.
Information overload
Important messages get lost in floods of communication. Staff can't distinguish urgent from routine. Critical updates compete with trivial announcements for attention.
Inconsistent channels
Information arrives through different channels with no clear pattern. Staff don't know where to look for what. Important updates might be in email, text, notice boards, or word-of-mouth.
Slow response times
Questions and requests go unanswered for too long. Staff feel ignored when they don't get timely responses. Issues escalate because initial queries weren't addressed.
Feeling uninformed
Staff learn about changes affecting them through rumour rather than official channels. Decisions seem to happen without explanation. They feel like the last to know about important matters.
Unclear messaging
Communications are confusing or ambiguous. Staff interpret messages differently. Important details are buried or missing. Action items aren't clear.
Creating a communication improvement action plan
Turn feedback analysis into concrete improvements:
Set specific goals
Define what success looks like: reduce roster communication complaints by 50%, achieve 90% read rates on important announcements, respond to staff queries within 24 hours. Specific, measurable goals enable progress tracking.
Assign ownership
Each improvement needs a responsible owner. Without clear accountability, initiatives stall. Owners should have authority to implement changes and resources to support them. Regular check-ins maintain momentum.
Establish timelines
Set realistic deadlines for implementation. Break large initiatives into milestones. Quick wins should happen in weeks; larger changes may take months. Communicate timelines to staff so they know when to expect improvements.
Close the feedback loop
Tell staff what you learned from their feedback and what you're doing about it. This demonstrates that input matters and encourages future participation. Update them on progress and outcomes.
Technology to support better communication
Modern communication tools address many common issues identified in staff feedback:
Automated notifications
Roster changes, shift reminders, and important updates reach staff automatically through their preferred channels. No more relying on managers to remember to pass on information. Consistent, timely delivery every time.
Centralised messaging
One platform for all work communication eliminates the "where should I look" problem. Staff know where to find information. Message history provides a searchable record. No more scattered emails and texts.
Read receipts
Know who has seen important communications. Follow up with those who haven't. Provides accountability and ensures critical information actually reaches people rather than sitting unread.
Mobile accessibility
Staff without desk access can receive and respond to communications on their phones. Essential for shift workers, field teams, and anyone not sitting at a computer all day. Integration with payroll and time tracking creates a complete mobile workforce management solution.
Frequently asked questions
How do you gather meaningful staff feedback on communication?
Use multiple methods: anonymous surveys for honest feedback, one-on-one conversations for detailed insights, team discussions for group perspectives, and observation of where communication breaks down. Ask specific questions about channels, timing, clarity, and responsiveness rather than general satisfaction.
What communication issues do employees commonly report?
Common complaints include last-minute roster changes without adequate notice, important information buried in lengthy messages, inconsistent communication channels making it hard to find information, slow responses to questions and requests, and feeling uninformed about business decisions that affect their work.
How often should businesses collect communication feedback?
Conduct formal feedback collection at least annually, with more frequent pulse checks on specific initiatives. After implementing communication changes, gather feedback within weeks to assess effectiveness. Ongoing informal feedback through regular conversations supplements formal surveys.
How do you prioritise which communication issues to address?
Prioritise based on impact and frequency. Issues affecting many employees or causing significant operational problems deserve immediate attention. Consider compliance implications, as communication failures affecting rostering notice periods or policy distribution carry legal risk. Understanding award requirements helps identify compliance-critical communication issues. Quick wins build credibility for larger changes.
What role does technology play in improving staff communication?
Technology enables consistent, timely communication through automated notifications, centralised information sharing, and mobile accessibility. Staff communication platforms ensure messages reach the right people, provide read receipts, and create searchable records. Integration with rostering systems enables contextual communication.
Related RosterElf features
Improve staff communication with RosterElf
RosterElf provides integrated communication tools that keep your team informed and connected.
- Automated shift notifications and reminders
- Centralised team messaging
- Mobile app for on-the-go communication
Disclaimer: This article provides general guidance only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Communication requirements may vary based on industry and circumstances. Always verify current requirements using official Fair Work Ombudsman resources, particularly regarding rostering notice periods and employee communication obligations.
