With most U.S. businesses still holding off on returning in full to the office nine months into the COVID-19 outbreak, workplace communication has become a bit more challenging, even with the advancement of collaboration and videoconferencing platforms for both business and personal use.
Writer, a company that created an AI writing assistant, recently released the findings of a new survey that sheds light on the state of workplace communication during the pandemic—and it’s clear that some business leaders need to figure out a better way to deliver their most important messages.
The company surveyed more than 1,000 employees in October on how they interact with co-workers over media such as chat and videoconference, how changes in format have affected the quality and formality of their communications, and whether they have been on the receiving end of toxic messages.
The most significant finding is that respondents of color report a “far higher incidence of toxic communications such as racist, discriminatory, bullying and sexually inappropriate messages than white people do,” according to the survey.
Among the findings:
Toxic workplace communications
- 38% of respondents overall report experiencing toxic communications. That said, race accounts for a 17 percentage-point swing factor between white people (26%) and people of color (43%).
- People of color report receiving racist messages, posts, comments, or images at more than twice the rate than white people, especially over email and messaging applications.
- People of color also report being bullied at higher rates than white people, especially over messaging applications, and videoconference.
- Nearly one in five respondents report experiencing toxic communications related to balancing work and home responsibilities. Women (19%) experience this slightly less often than men (21%). However, that number jumps as much as ten percentage points, to 29%, for people of color.
Frequency and formality of communications
- 70% of workers report using videoconferencing more often since the pandemic began.
- 62% report a decline in in-person work communication.
- Respondents report an improvement in the quality of their videoconference. communications (52%), but a decline in the quality of their in-person communications (36%).
- More than one out of four (26%) workers report that their own written communications have gotten worse since COVID.
Professional milestones
Workers report on typically in-person professional milestones or activities occurring over communications media like videoconferencing and messaging applications.
- 21% report interviewing for a job over videoconference.
- 8% report being promoted over email.
- 5% report quitting over a messaging app such as Slack.
- 3% report being fired over videoconference.
“Nerves are frayed, and that’s seeped into the level of civility of communication at work,” said Writer CEO May Habib in the announcement.
“The data should give companies pause to consider how their own employees are handling stressful online interactions especially as so much of our communication goes to video and chat,” she said.
If you’re struggling to get your staff to understand and act on the messages you’re delivering to them especially during this tumultuous time, take a step back for a moment and reflect on the words you’re using and any unintended consequences that could read into those words.
Your employees need you more than ever to serve as guidepost for them, with an economy that’s struggling in many sectors and widespread layoffs likely stretching into the new year. Give them the certainty they need to believe in you and your company—and do it in a way that includes everyone.
