2021 Communications statistics in the workplace
COVID-19 has brought drastic changes to the way we meet, work, and communicate with one another. As a result, more companies are hiring and working remotely.
As the future of work changes, executives and HR personnel are gearing up by revamping their internal communications strategies and investing in technology that promote collaboration and productivity for remote and hybrid teams.
It’s no surprise that a comprehensive video library and platform will be essential for work including employee onboarding, executive communications, and asynchronous collaboration.
To help you understand that value of video at work, we’ll take a look at communication statistics and trends in the workplace. We’ll review executive communications, employee engagement, training and onboarding, and internal comms video stats to give you a broad view of what’s happening in the workplace.
We’re highlighting reporting produced by Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex as well as other sources to get a comprehensive view workplace trends in the past year.
We hope these stats will help you understand the effect internal video communications can have on your business. We’ll also explore the perceptions and challenges that professionals are facing around strategic communication — and how embracing video media makes a positive impact.
Corporate communication stats
Communication between executives and employees is vital. However, findings show a gap exists between both parties as information gets lost in emails, messagings, and other forms of communication.
44% of executives consider the communication between leadership and staff to be excellent. In comparison, only 20% of employees agree. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
And with necessary information getting lost in the noise, more employees are likely to lose confidence in their companies.
For example, respondents from the State of Workplace Communications Report who rate their company poorly on communications were four times more likely to rate companies poorly around compliance in addition to rating them poorly on collaboration and productivity.
So what does this all mean? Employees need to be familiar with the company’s strategy because ineffective communication starves a company of growth and success.
Therein lies a big contrast in growth between companies that communicate effectively and those that need improvement. Companies with better video communication have more engaged employees and a more productive workforce. And with a more aligned workforce, companies can hit bigger goals, grow revenue, and build their brand.
Communication gap between executives and employees
There’s a distinct gap between how executives think they are communicating to their organization and how employees think that information is distributed.
According to the stats pulled from the Future of Workplace Communications Report, most executives think that their company communications are more frequent and effective than their employees do. Furthermore, with the move to remote work, many execs say that the company has been good at handling the transition – while their employees tell a different story.
For example, 48% of execs feel confident their company can effectively maintain communication from leadership to staff after COVID-19, while just 28% of employees share the same sentiment. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
While 44% of execs think that they can maintain employee engagement, only 25% of workers believe it’s possible. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
The biggest gap, though, is that 54% of executives believe that they stream major company updates at least every week – but only 20% of workers agree. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
Without a doubt, there’s a massive gap between what execs believe and what their employees think. With proper communication channels, companies can close the chasm, and keep executives and employees on the same page.
Employee engagement stats
In the past year, companies have shifted from in-person work to remote work to keep business moving. This has come with plenty of challenges when it comes to employee engagement.
More than half (51%) of employees are not engaged in the workplace, while 13% are actively disengaged. (Source: Gallup)
40% of employees have experienced mental exhaustion from video calls while working remotely. (Source: Twingate)
Despite the real challenges of remote work, reporting shows that embracing video communications can positively impact employee engagement.
Employees at video-savvy organizations are twice as likely to rate their companies highly when it comes to collaboration, and 75% more likely to rate them highly on employee engagement. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
The key is matching activities with the right technology. For example, in-person all hands meetings, product announcements, and training sessions can be replaced with corporate live streaming when teams are working remotely. Asynchronous collaboration through recorded video can help mitigate fatigue by allowing employees to consume information at their own pace.
Another survey by Gallup states that more leaders and executives are communicating with increased frequency than ever before – they provide a steady stream of messages to assist in message retention.
With the virus ravaging business, there has been a massive shift to remote working. And even when the pandemic is over, the signs indicate that many companies will prefer their employees to spend more time working remotely.
Therefore, to successfully transition to the future of distributed work, companies need to adopt video into their workflow.
Remote training, onboarding, and knowledge sharing stats
Workplace training is one of the hardest-hit business activities in the past year. Additionally, while remote work is more common, some employees report feeling disconnected or isolated from their peers.
35% of Human Resources professionals report that the pandemic has made employee training difficult. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
37% of survey participants faced serious issues during the remote onboarding process. (Source: Workable)
68% of companies have adopted or plan to adopt more flexible remote work policies. (Source: SHRM report)
41% of employees feel a disconnect from colleagues when working remotely, while 26% feel isolated. (Source: Gartner HR)
Companies can’t afford to put employee training and onboarding on hold. While we don’t know the long-term impact COVID-19 will have on the workplace, we do know employee onboarding will need to stay flexible and adapt to changing workplace circumstances. To help you prepare your remote workforce, check out the go-to guide for virtual training.
Despite the challenges, large and small companies have made adjustments to their training process and communications strategy. Companies like Splash and Rite Aid have moved internal meetings online to reach more employees across the world.
There are many ways organizations can adapt internal training programs and delivery, engage employees, and expand virtual learning resources.
Some of the new methods used in training employees and employee onboarding include:
- Live video and on demand training
- Internal town halls and all-hands meetings
- Asynchronous trainings with video recordings
- Team specific resource hubs
Internal communication video stats
It’s clear that when strategically implemented, video can make a positive impact on remote work.
A whopping 75% of video-savvy companies have high employee engagement. 65% of employees at video-savvy companies are more likely to rate the company’s overall health highly as well. (Source: Vimeo and GlobalWebIndex)
More than half (75%) of employees are more likely to watch a video than read an email or text. (Source: Ragan Communications)
Video communication reaches far into the minds of employees than most other channels. Early data shows collaboration is higher, employee engagement is improved, and companies will be better equipped to sail through challenging times.
Wrap up: reimagining workplace communications with video
The communication statistics in the workplace we have provided so far show that incorporating live streaming and video into your company’s communication channels will do a lot of good.
Learn more about how Vimeo’s video library solution can further your company’s communications, and learn how an internal communications solution can help your team stay engaged and productive.
Looking for more information about streaming for corporate internal communications?
Our free eBook, How to Stream Your Town Hall Meeting, is a great resource for businesses of any kind. Download the eBook to learn:
- How to connect with your employees using live video.
- How top-tier companies are using live video to drive employee engagement.
- Valuable statistics about the importance of internal communications.
DOWNLOAD THE STREAMING TOWN HALL MEETINGS GUIDE
Streaming your all-hands meetings, company-wide announcements, and product launches is an easy and cost-effective way to keep employees on message, wherever they are. And with Livestream’s Enterprise plan for businesses gives you complete control over who watches your live events.
With features like white-labeling, password protection, and geo-blocking your content stays secure. Our cross-platform analytics provide insight into who is watching, from where, and on which device. And our Customer Success team is available to assist you seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Originally published on March 15, 2017 by Caroline Golum. Updated May 18, 2021 by Nathan Ojaokomo.