Why Is Communication Important in the Workplace? UK Guide

In Acas's estimate for 2018 to 2019, around 9.7 million employees experienced workplace conflict. The research estimates the costs of that conflict, not the effect of communication practices: Acas research on the estimated costs of workplace conflict. This article argues that workplace communication matters because it helps people understand decisions, raise problems early, complete handovers accurately and trust that concerns will be acted on. Together, these functions make communication an operational control for managers and HR, not merely a culture initiative.

Table of Contents

• Why Communication Matters at Work in Numbers
  • UK Evidence on the Business Impact of Workplace Communication
• How Communication Builds Engagement and Trust
  • Why Channel Redundancy Matters
• How Unclear Communication Turns Into Errors and Rework
  • The Skills Gap Behind the Rework
  • Turn Key Messages Into Operational Controls
• Keeping Hybrid and Remote Teams Informed
  • More Messages Don't Mean Better Communication
• Manager Habits That Make Communication Work
  • A Practical Manager Checklist
  • UK and EU Consultation Note
• Choosing the Right Channel When Conflict Arises
• Using Microsoft Teams and Outlook for HR Communication
  • Standard Microsoft Functionality Compared With HRManagement365 Extensions
• Speak to an HRManagement365 Specialist

Why Communication Matters at Work in Numbers

UK studies associate workplace communication with engagement, change adoption, productivity, conflict, wellbeing and employees' willingness to speak up. The evidence points to operational consequences, but the studies use different samples and methods, so the figures indicate patterns rather than proving that communication alone caused each outcome. None of the figures below measures workplace error rates directly.

UK Evidence on the Business Impact of Workplace Communication

The engagement result describes a point difference on the Employee Engagement Index, not a percentage increase. The 2024 Internal Communication Index findings on engaged organisations report that employees who rated internal communication as excellent had a 40-point higher engagement score. Separately, IoIC and Ipsos Karian and Box research on trust and change found 93% responded positively to organisational change when communication was excellent. For managers, the practical implication is to make change updates clear and provide a way for employees to respond, then record questions and follow-up actions.

Communication also has operational consequences when it fails. Acas estimated that conflict-related presenteeism reduced productivity by approximately £589 million annually. City & Guilds employer research on employability skills found one-third of employers had experienced reduced efficiency and productivity or restricted growth associated with employability-skill shortages. These findings do not isolate communication as the sole cause. They do show why HR teams should treat clear ownership, response times and written records as operating controls, rather than assuming that sending more messages will resolve uncertainty.

Communication is also linked to employee wellbeing and voice. Quinyx research on UK frontline workers found 16% said poor communication from management contributed to their stress. The University of Law research involving 2,000 working UK adults found 84% feared judgement based on how they communicate at work. These are survey findings, not evidence that communication alone caused stress or silence. Together, they suggest that employees need clear expectations and safe routes to raise concerns, with managers responsible for acknowledging and tracking them.

Read the figures as connected signals. Communication works as an operational control when information has an owner, employees know where to raise questions, and responses are recorded and followed through.

How Communication Builds Engagement and Trust

The CIPD defines employee voice as employees' ability to communicate their views and influence matters at work. That definition makes communication an operational control as well as a culture issue: employees need routes to raise concerns, and managers need clear responsibility for receiving, responding to and recording them. More messages alone do not create trust.

Information has to move in both directions. Managers share decisions and instructions; employees return concerns, practical knowledge and suggestions. If a channel has no named owner or expected response time, feedback can disappear even when employees are willing to speak.

Why Channel Redundancy Matters

A policy may sit in a controlled document without reaching the people expected to follow it. Using more than one suitable route can reduce reliance on a single meeting, inbox or manager. The aim is not to repeat every message everywhere. It is to make important information accessible and provide a reliable way to ask questions or flag problems.

The CIPD report's definition of employee voice centres on employees communicating their views and having an effect on work matters. In practice, that means a listening route must connect to a decision or response. Employees may be the first to identify an unsafe process, an unrealistic deadline or a customer issue. HR and managers need a process to capture those signals and show what happens next.

A policy change illustrates how to make communication accountable:

• Explain it in a team meeting: State what is changing, why, and when it takes effect.
• Confirm it in Microsoft Teams: Post a searchable written update employees can revisit.
• Record receipt: Track which relevant employees have received the information, without treating acknowledgement as proof of understanding.
• Invite questions: Use structured prompts or a short survey, assign someone to review responses, and set an expected reply time.

This creates a record of distribution and follow-up, rather than relying on informal assurances that everyone was told. The record also helps HR identify where questions remain unanswered. For a broader explanation of how employee engagement connects communication with participation, see the related discussion.

The practical test is to map each important message to a channel, an owner and a response process. If a message has only one route, or nobody is accountable for replies, the communication system has a gap. More channels help only when people know where to speak and can see that their input receives attention.

How Unclear Communication Turns Into Errors and Rework

A missing start date in an HR request can delay a new employee's first week. If a line manager asks HR to arrange a laptop and contract but leaves out the start date, working pattern and approver, the request may sit unresolved in a shared inbox. HR may assume the date has changed, payroll may receive incomplete details, and the employee may spend time correcting records instead of settling into the role.

No individual has to be careless for this process to fail. A handover can break down because it lacks one detail, a named owner or an agreed response time. Repeated across recruitment, absence, overtime and training, those gaps consume HR capacity through corrections and inconsistent handling.

The Skills Gap Behind the Rework

City & Guilds identifies face-to-face and digital communication as core employability skills. Its report also found that one-third of employers said poor communication reduced efficiency. These findings point to an operational issue: HR processes rely on clear written instructions, digital approvals and accurate handovers, including between people working in different locations.

Training may improve an individual's communication skills, but it cannot define an unclear process. Managers need to know what information to provide, where to record it and who should respond. HR needs a reliable record, not just a chain of forwarded messages.

Turn Key Messages Into Operational Controls

Standardise communication where errors can affect legal compliance, payroll or employee relations:

• Structured interview feedback: Record evidence against agreed criteria rather than informal impressions.
• Documented offer approvals: Confirm the role, salary, start date and approver before issuing a contract.
• Policy acknowledgement: Record which version employees received and when they confirmed receipt.
• Absence notifications: Route each message to the manager and HR, with follow-up responsibility assigned.
• Performance objectives and training records: Keep agreed actions visible to both the employee and manager.
• Right to Work expiry alerts: Set reminders early enough for employees to provide updated evidence.

Each transaction needs an owner, a defined response time, a system record and an escalation rule for missed deadlines. Capturing information once in a structured form can reduce re-keying and support approvals, reporting and follow-up. More messages alone will not improve control if no one is responsible for acting on them.

Operational rule: If an HR request has no owner, deadline or record, it remains a conversation rather than a controlled process.

Standard Power Automate functionality can support basic reminders and approvals. Organisations that need connected employee records, specialist HR workflows and consistent reporting can use HRManagement365, built on Microsoft Power Platform and Dataverse, with configured workflows, integrations and customer-specific HR applications. Microsoft supplies the platform components; HRManagement365 configuration applies the organisation's HR rules, data fields, approvals and escalation paths.

There is a limit to what software can do. It cannot clarify a vague instruction on its own. HR must first define the required information and accountability, then configure the workflow to apply those decisions consistently.

Keeping Hybrid and Remote Teams Informed

In autumn 2024, 28% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid workers, splitting their work between home and another location, according to Office for National Statistics data on hybrid workers in Great Britain. Hybrid work changes where employees encounter information and how quickly decisions reach colleagues who are not in the office.

A submission to a UK Parliament committee on hybrid working preferences reported that, among the office workers surveyed, 52% preferred hybrid working, 22% preferred fully home-based work and 22% preferred fully office-based work. The figures do not account for every response, so they describe reported preferences rather than a complete distribution. They indicate that hybrid working was the most commonly reported preference in this sample, not that it will remain the preferred arrangement for every worker or organisation.

The same research included a separate, narrower sample of graduate interns. Within that group, 15% of working time was spent co-located with peers, while 47% of communication took place through scheduled video meetings and 31% through online chat. These figures illustrate how communication can rely on digital channels in a particular early-career group; they should not be treated as a measure of all hybrid workers.

More Messages Don't Mean Better Communication

Adding meetings and messages is not a reliable fix for missed information. UK hybrid working research on video-call fatigue and technology found 55% of hybrid workers experienced video-call fatigue, and 27% believed their employer lacked suitable engagement and communication technology for effective home working. More volume can create duplicated updates and meeting overload, while informal office conversations still leave remote colleagues outside decisions.

Managers and HR teams should assign each communication a purpose, owner and record:

• Use synchronous communication for sensitive feedback, complex change, disagreement and decisions that need immediate questions.
• Use asynchronous records for policy updates, schedules, approvals and routine progress that employees may need to search and revisit.
• Record decisions and actions after meetings, including who is responsible and the deadline, so absent colleagues can access the same outcome.
• Distribute information consistently through channels employees can access, including development opportunities, compliance reminders and consultation information.

Different types of workplace communication need different records. A quick Teams chat may resolve a small query, but a contractual change or absence agreement needs a searchable HR record with clear ownership. Outlook, Teams, mobile and browser access can support inclusion when employees can find the current information and see who is responsible.

Assess communication by clarity, traceability, inclusion and completed action, not message volume. Late decisions or hard-to-find policies point to an information-governance gap, not a need for more meetings.

Manager Habits That Make Communication Work

Line managers carry most day-to-day communication because they're usually the first point of contact. That responsibility is visible in conflict data discussed later in relation to Acas. Managers therefore need habits that produce clarity before concerns become formal cases.

A Practical Manager Checklist

• State the decision in writing: Include what was decided, why it was decided, who owns the next step and when it's due.
• Ask for playback: Invite the employee to summarise the instruction in their own words so misunderstandings surface immediately.
• Agree response times: Confirm when requests will be acknowledged and when employees can expect a substantive answer.
• Hold purposeful one-to-ones: Use open questions about workload, obstacles and support rather than only reviewing task lists.
• Give feedback close to the event: Address specific behaviour and impact while both parties can still recall the details.
• Escalate unresolved concerns promptly: Route issues to HR within an agreed period instead of repeatedly revisiting them informally.

Psychological safety determines whether employees use those conversations. The University of Law finding cited earlier shows many workers fear judgement about how they communicate. Managers can reduce that barrier by inviting written questions before meetings, allowing time to respond, and separating challenge to an idea from criticism of the person raising it.

The short video below gives managers a useful prompt for reviewing how they listen and respond during everyday conversations.

UK and EU Consultation Note

Communication also has statutory triggers. CIPD research on collective employee voice and consultation found 52% of employers do not use employee representatives to inform and consult their workforce, even though UK employers have consultation obligations in situations including proposed contract changes, health and safety matters, business transfers, pensions and potential redundancies. In Great Britain, the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations apply to organisations with 50 or more employees and give employees the right to request information and consultation arrangements. Northern Ireland has separate arrangements.

For EU organisations, Directive 2002/14/EC sets a general information and consultation framework, but national implementation varies by member state. HR teams shouldn't assume a UK process can be copied unchanged across the EU. This summary is operational guidance, not legal advice, and organisations should confirm specific duties with qualified advisers.

The management implication is consistent across jurisdictions. HR needs reliable employee data, representative records, deadlines, documented responses and evidence showing how feedback was considered. Informal announcements scattered across inboxes don't provide that audit trail.

Choosing the Right Channel When Conflict Arises

Workplace conflict affects a substantial share of working-age adults. Recent Acas-commissioned research on workplace conflict in Great Britain found that 44% had experienced some form of workplace conflict in the previous 12 months. Among those who experienced conflict, 45% discussed it with their line manager and 30% spoke directly with the other person. These figures describe different response routes, not a reason to default to more messages.

Managers should match the channel to the issue and make ownership, response times and records clear:

1. Performance disagreement: Hold a documented one-to-one with the line manager, then record the summary and agreed review date.
2. Colleague relationship problem: Offer a facilitated conversation with HR or a neutral manager, and record the actions agreed.
3. Concern about a manager: Provide a route independent of that manager, such as HR or the formal grievance procedure.
4. Cross-team dependency: Name a decision owner, set a response time and identify a senior sponsor for unresolved issues.

The Acas helpline evaluation provides a separate picture of what respondents did after seeking support. Acas evaluation evidence from its 2023 to 2024 helpline reports more than 578,000 calls during the period. Separately, among evaluation respondents, 88% said they took some action afterwards, and 35% said they discussed the problem with management, employees or HR. The evaluation does not show that helpline accessibility caused people to act, or that discussion was more common than other actions.

Informal resolution can preserve working relationships, but it still needs a record and a clear owner. HR systems can retain relevant employee records, absence and performance context, agreed actions and escalation history, helping managers handle disputes fairly without treating every disagreement as a disciplinary matter. For formal cases, managers should follow current Acas dispute guidance and applicable GOV.UK statutory procedures.

Using Microsoft Teams and Outlook for HR Communication

Microsoft tools work best when HR separates the platform from the process rules. Teams, Outlook, Power Automate, Power BI and Dataverse provide communication, automation, reporting and data storage. An HR layer then defines required fields, approval routes, retention, escalation and reporting logic.

Standard Microsoft Functionality Compared With HRManagement365 Extensions

Consider an overtime request. Standard Microsoft functionality can deliver a Teams-linked task or Outlook notification, run a Power Automate approval and store data in Dataverse. HRManagement365 configuration can connect that approval to the correct employee record, apply the customer's overtime rules, retain the approval trail and pass approved hours into the agreed payroll or finance process.

That distinction helps buyers ask better questions. Which steps are native Microsoft capability, which are standard Hubdrive functionality, and which require HRManagement365 configuration, integration or custom development for your process? The answer affects scope, governance and support.

Employee access also matters. Well-designed employee self-service within familiar Microsoft tools lets employees submit requests and complete tasks without learning a separate HR interface for every action. Managers can approve in Teams or Outlook while HR retains the underlying record in a governed system.

This approach can help organisations manage communication trails and approval records. It doesn't guarantee compliance on its own. Policies, permissions, retention rules and local UK or EU requirements still need to be defined and reviewed by the organisation and its advisers.

Speak to an HRManagement365 Specialist

Start with a short operational review before buying more communication tools. First, list where HR requests, decisions and policy updates currently live, including shared inboxes, spreadsheets, Teams chats and individual manager files. That inventory usually reveals where ownership disappears and where employees receive inconsistent answers.

Next, choose one high-risk process, such as absence notifications, Right to Work expiry or overtime approval. Record a baseline for response times, rework, missed reminders and incomplete records. A baseline gives HR and IT a practical way to judge whether a redesigned workflow has improved communication or merely moved the problem into another application.

HRManagement365, a UK and EU HR solution powered by Hubdrive and Microsoft technology, is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Dataverse. It can help organisations improve, connect and automate HR processes through implementation and consultancy, customisation and configuration, custom workflows and approval processes, Power Apps and Power Automate solutions, integrations, custom HR applications, employee lifecycle automation and Power BI reporting. Business Central, Finance & Operations and wider Dynamics 365 integrations can also be configured where workforce data needs to move reliably between HR and finance.

HRManagement365 is a Hubdrive reseller and solution partner, but its role isn't limited to supplying standard software. Standard Hubdrive and Microsoft functionality should be distinguished clearly from functionality developed, configured or extended by HRManagement365 for a customer's specific process. That transparency helps organisations organise scope, optimise existing Microsoft investment and analyse results against the baseline they set.

Discover how HRManagement365, powered by Hubdrive and Microsoft, can help improve, connect and automate your HR processes across the UK and EU.

Phone +44 1522 508096 today

Send us a message: Contact HRManagement365 through the online form

If your HR communication still depends on inboxes, spreadsheets and managers remembering to follow up, HR Management 365 can help you connect employee records, approvals, self-service and reporting inside your Microsoft environment. Speak to the team about reviewing one priority workflow, defining its owners and response times, and configuring a traceable process that employees can use through familiar tools.

Chris Pickles Director | Dynamics 365, Power Platform & HR Solutions Architect

I help HR leaders get off the admin hamster wheel with a Dynamics-based HR Management solution built on Hubdrive. HRManagement365 gives organisations a flexible HR platform within the Microsoft ecosystem that can be easily customised around the way they already work — rather than forcing teams into rigid, one-size-fits-all processes. It can be tailored to your HR workflows, integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) and Finance & Operations (F&O), and extended with Microsoft Power Platform to automate processes and connect HR more closely with the wider business. For employees, the experience stays familiar. They can interact with HR processes through the Microsoft tools they already know and use every day, including Teams, Outlook, Word and Power BI, helping drive adoption without introducing another unfamiliar system. The goal is simple: less manual admin, better-connected processes and an HR solution that fits your organisation. If you’re using Microsoft Dynamics and want HR to work as part of the same ecosystem, ask me about HRManagement365.

See Full Bio

Digital Transformation Microsoft Power Platform Power Apps Power Automate Power BI Dynamics 365 HR / HR Systems Business Process Automation Hubdrive HR