Call for firms to tackle issue of women struggling with workplace communication issues

Workplaces are being encouraged to improve their communication, after a survey has revealed that a quarter of women feel they have no voice in the workplace, with knock-on implications for seeking a paypacket that truly recognises their worth.

Tech firm Rethinkly, which says it provides a “safe digital space for ambitious teams to explore problems, relationships, conflicts and dynamics”, is unveiling what it calls a nationally representative study addressing the struggles women face regarding difficult conversations in the workplace.

It found that the top challenge cited was holding onto all workplace tension and finding confrontation too difficult, cited by three in ten women polled, while 28 per cent said the inability to communicate in the relevant environment has had the largest impact on productivity, and about the same proportion reported encountering challenges with their speech when attempting to confront difficult work-related issues.

Rethinkly said its research highlights that miscommunication “might be at the heart of this pattern and, in turn, is not allowing women to navigate conversations about what they deserve”, amid what it says is a 9.4 per cent wage gap that remains between the sexes. A separate report published earlier this month by Close the Gap found that the average pay gap of employers in Scotland remains at 12 per cent, with 80 per cent of firms having a gender pay gap in favour of men, up from 78 per cent in 2021.

The survey found that the top challenge cited was holding onto all workplace tension and finding confrontation too difficult, cited by three in ten women polled (file image). Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto.

Andrew Jackson, co-founder of Rethinkly, said: “Most challenges at work stem from a lack of or just bad communication. Communication challenges are directly aligned with morale, productivity, and commitment, which have real business impact.

“If we think of the teams and groups we work in, why do some perform better than others? Well, it turns out that people being able to express themselves, say what they think, call out bad stuff, and feel connected to their colleagues are the things that really make a difference.

"Effective communication and building a strong culture based on healthy engagement are often talked about, but surprisingly difficult to achieve. But when organisations start to embed and grow critical communication skills and adopt them as a competitive advantage, they can start to see a significant shift in their trajectory.

Power

"For most, employee voice means sending out an annual survey and then trying to work out what to do with the results. Ambitious organisations are using tools like Rethinkly to discover what their talent really thinks and feels – only then do you have real power through more comprehensive data to make positive changes.”

“Metaverse platform” Rethinkly, whose customers include the NHS and IBM, says its “reframes problem-solving and communication in the workplace and beyond, in scenarios where people may feel uncomfortable expressing their feelings or opinions out loud”. It added that it enables users to create anonymous avatars that can express emotion and gestures, and address real world situations in a virtual reality space.

The use of visualisation “can help women depict their contribution to managers and peers and give them the autonomy to address [making sure they are being paid] what they deserve, all while being anonymous”, Rethinkly also said.