Introducing the Conversation Gap

Across industries and sectors, 70% of employees are routinely avoiding conversations about the situations they’re facing at work—particularly around issues surrounding performance, growth, interpersonal relationships, and company culture.

Studies point to a variety of factors that widen this conversation gap, as well as the financial costs associated with a lack of healthy dialogue. In this report, we explore a number of these causes and effects, including:

The lack of trust between employers and employees and how this impacts crucial conversations
The ways in which employee engagement is directly linked to productivity and retention, and how “conversational culture” plays a role
The power dynamics that discourage employees from speaking up, fearing retribution tied to opportunity or compensation
What employers can do to encourage proactive and productive dialogue, preparing employees for difficult conversations

Understanding the conversation gap:
Why employees aren't talking and what we can do about it

How to cultivate a workplace culture that supports open and honest dialogue—and why it will improve employee engagement, productivity, retention, and your bottom line.