Don’t clam up during difficult times

In times of economic crisis, the more communication from leadership, the better

American workers are worried about the economy and it’s affecting their productivity, according to a survey by work-life services provider Workplace Options. Half of those polled said they are stressed out because of financial concerns and 48 percent said their worries are getting in the way of work.

If this isn’t enough of a reason for companies to communicate with their employees, I don’t know what is. Yet, many companies clam up during difficult times for a variety of reasons. Corporate lawyers advise against saying anything that might be used in a lawsuit (a reasonable concern, yet not insurmountable). Leaders feel they have nothing new to say (which might be true, but is no reason to be silent). Leaders fear communicating about the financial crisis will cause employees to focus on it instead of work (news flash: they’re focusing on the crisis whether or not business leaders talk about it).