This summary is provided by the IPR Organizational Communication Research Center based on the original study. To learn more about this topic from Dr. Vercic, register for the IPR Master Class on Employee Engagement.

Dr. Verčič and Dr. Špoljarić investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees’ perceptions of their employers and changes in internal communication practices.

A survey of 3,457 employees was conducted. 1,805 participants completed the survey from May to October 2019 and 1,652 participants completed the survey from October 2020 to February 2021.

Key findings include:

1.) Specific aspects of internal communication were more significant during a crisis, such as satisfaction with information about the organization and the communication climate.
— Other aspects including satisfaction with feedback, informal communication, and quality of communication media, became less important.

2.) Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, satisfaction with information about the organization and the communication climate played significant roles in determining employer attractiveness.

3.) Horizontal communication emerged as a critical factor for internal employer attractiveness, both prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find the original study here.

Heidy Modarelli handles Growth & Marketing for IPR. She has previously written for Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, The Next Web, and VentureBeat.
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