The weird connection between your boss listening more and the pandemic

The past year has been a learning experience for everyone. On that note, a new study just released by Baylor University set out to see what lessons the pandemic has taught communications professionals as they’ve attempted to navigate these uncertain times and maintain some semblance of normality and team cohesion.

Across the board (and various industries), interviewed communications professionals told researchers that the transition to remote work and Zoom meetings, as well as the general uncertainty of the pandemic, has made it more important than ever for managers and executives to speak less and listen more often to their employees.

Ethical listening

“There likely has never been a moment with such demand for ethical listening to employees,” says lead study author Marlene S. Neill, Ph.D., associate professor of journalism, public relations, and new media at Baylor.

“The research team defined “ethical listening” as “listening with an open mind and being able to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. Strategic listening is then taking the good and the bad and the ugly and knowing how to use the information.”

In all, 30 communication professionals were surveyed for this project. That group hailed from Washington, DC, as well as 13 other states (New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Arkansas, California, etc). Participants worked in and represented a diverse array of fields and industries including food and beverage, legal services, technology, finance, energy, hospitality, health care, and higher education.

Communication and cohesion have always been important aspects of building and maintaining a successful business. Unfortunately, yet predictably, COVID-19 and all of the working from home and video chats it brought with it have forced many companies to deprioritize inter-employee and manager-employee communications.

Even managers and CEOs who may have always gone out of their way to talk one-on-one with various employees during normal times have had no choice but to stop such habits.

Ironically, this all comes at a time when employees need a support base and line of dialogue with management more than ever before. Countless businesses have seen profits plummet during the pandemic, and many workers are justifiably scared for their job security. When you haven’t even spoken to your boss for months on end, it doesn’t exactly help put your mind at ease.

Even the interviewed communications workers themselves say remote work has made it much harder to build any type of meaningful or trusting relationship with workers.

“We heard that the pandemic posed challenges in internal communication due to the alienation many employees experienced, and it prompted us to reevaluate the moral responsibility communications holds for keeping employees feeling connected to their teams,” says co-researcher Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D., professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of South Carolina.

So, what can be done to improve communications these days? One participant working in the health care sector encourages managers to engage in 30-minute “walk around” sessions with their employees, whether that be virtually or while wearing face masks.

“Trust has to be built with actions and follow-through, not just words,” Bowen notes.

Notably, however, study authors also report that many managers and higher-ups seem to be having some difficulty using their ears more than their mouths. Most managers still do far more talking than listening to their employees, participants say.

“The desire and follow-through to ethically listen to employees appeared to be a challenge,” Neill explains.

Even if a manager were to engage in a short, casual chat with an employee over Zoom, they must take extra care to convey that they’re listening and attentive. The behavioral cues we take for granted in-person are often lost over video chat.

“I’m making sure that I have my eyes trained on the screen on the facial expressions,” comments a communication manager. “Part of active listening is also looking for visual cues of the reactions of your colleagues.”

In summation, study authors say the past year should serve as a learning experience for managers and executives of all kinds on the importance of keeping the lines of communication open, viral pandemic or not.

“We recommend that senior leadership and communication professionals seek ways to continue to improve moral sensitivity well after the global pandemic has receded, which can lead to more ethical decision-making,” Neill concludes.

The full study can be found here, published in the Journal of Communication Management.