Workplace Communication Barriers: Types, Effects, and Minimisation Strategies

Workplace communication hinges on the ability for employees and employers to navigate through countless barriers and find methods to ensure messages are delivered successfully. Failure to do so can result in serious repercussions to the companies and their employees. This small-scale study aims to identify the types of communication barriers within the workplaces, the effects of communication barriers, and the strategies for minimising communication barriers. Using a qualitative research design, the data were collected via interviews with three participants from various workplaces with varying degrees of experience. The responses were recorded and later transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed thematically using Nvivo software. The themes that emerged for communication barriers were language, physical, personal, and hierarchical. Meanwhile, the effects of communication barriers were reduced work efficiency, low employee morale, and misaligned interpretations. Finally, it was discovered that the strategies employed to cope with communication barriers were to encourage open dialogue, implement team-building exercises, and conduct regular reviews of workplace progress. Companies need to consider various steps to ensure clear communication is maintained in the workplaces to reduce the risk of losses.

Communication barriers; Workplace communication; Effects; Strategies

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