Assessing Employee Communication Needs Kristen Wollin May 15 th, 2008

Minneapolis Convention Center National convention and tradeshow venue of the State of Minnesota 24/7 operation Most employees are union members Some employees are non-native English speakers

Primary Goals for Research Assess employee satisfaction regarding how personnel changes have been communicated Garner a better understanding of the needs of special audiences Guide future communications

Research Question “Are Minneapolis Convention Center employees satisfied with the amount and type of communication they have received regarding recent personnel changes?”

Research Methodology Preliminary Interviews  Helped formulate survey questions Paper survey with 14 closed-ended questions All full-time MCC employees invited to participate

Survey Results 104 out of 165 employees responded 63% response rate  Strong response rate aided by researcher’s relationship to employees

Demographic Responses Length of Employment  85%- more than two years  15%- two years or less  58%- access  42%- no access Work Shift  81%- daytime employees  19%- overnight employees

The personnel changes taking place at the Convention Center have affected me…

The frequency of information I receive about personnel changes at the Convention Center is…

Which sources do you use most often to learn about personnel changes at the Convention Center? 1 Most Often 234 Less Often Total Coworkers Bulletin Board Meetings Other20125 Newsletter Lunchroom TV

The Convention Center administration is open and honest about personnel changes.

Overall, how satisfied are you with the communication you have received about personnel changes at the Convention Center?

Addressing the needs of Special Audiences Overnight Employees  MCC overnight employees are more satisfied with communication than daytime employees (78% versus 54%)  However, they feel less affected by changes Non-Native English Speakers  Poorly worded question = incomplete data  7% of all respondents would like information in a language other than English

Review of Findings Over half of employees felt affected by changes and coworkers are most often used sources of information 57% satisfied with communication overall However… 47% said communication was not frequent enough Mixed feelings about openness and honesty

Research Question “Are Minneapolis Convention Center employees satisfied with the amount and type of communication they have received regarding recent personnel changes?” Yes, but…

Recommendations for Communicating Future Changes Engage employees through relevant messages Establish a recurrent schedule of communications Build employee trust through transparency

Assessing Employee Communication Needs Kristen Wollin May 15 th, 2008