I've only worked at 5 different places since I got my first job, and each has been drastically different in the methods of communication employed there.
My first job was at a Comic book store. I worked 4 shifts there, once a week until I got a higher-paying job during my last semester of high school. I was offered the job by the owner, Jeff, and most of my friends already worked there. I was given the "rules" in about 5 minutes while the young "customers" filed in and basically stood around all day making sure nobody wrote on anything. Not much was communicated to me except "smoke 'em if you got 'em" and... well actually, I think that was it.
My second job, what I consider my first "real" job, was, ironically enough, as a Communications Assistant for a New Mexico-based contractor providing deaf relay services for Sprint. This basically means I was talking for and typing to the deaf and hard of hearing. The job *was* communicating, or that's what I was getting paid for. There were strict rules regarding the content of each of the calls, rules to which I must still abide if I don't want to break federal law. Otherwise I would have already written at *least* two blogs citing specific reasons communicating with the hard of hearing can be incredibly frustrating if you're ignorant of their limitations.
Oddly enough, though, that was the only job where I had little to no communication with my coworkers at all. I was offered a promotion via voicemail, passive aggressive notes were posted and slipped into mailboxes by coworkers and managers alike, and it was there that I received some of the sweetest thank-you notes from people we raised funds for when they were hit with personal tragedy. At the time, I couldn't put a face to 90% of the names I'd known while I was there and it was by far the most unpleasant place I've ever had to work.
Right now, I work at the Technology Services Help Desk. We contact every single one of our customers via email so that there is documentation of all actions taken on the part of our staff. But even though many of us communicate important information like problem resolution and whether someone is going to be late or out sick via email, we also talk constantly. Across the room, over cubicles, down the hall and via instant messenger. I can't say it's the most stimulating job I've ever held, it's certainly not the highest paid, but the laid-back attitude of the entire place makes it a good place to be 20 hours out of the week. Maybe Gallup polls can deduce what this has to do with communication, but being able to put a face to a name is good enough for me.
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communication is essential for a good work environment. but the kind of communication is equally important. amy's blog really shows this. her first job at the comic book store had little to no communication and i get the sense it wasn't such a great job. The next job she had consisted of a great deal of communication but it was all wrong. Everything was impersonal and a little disembodied. Despite such a high level of communication, it was unpleasant. The job at the help desk seems like another job with an emphasis on copious amounts of communication. But this job keeps the human element intact. The people communicating aren't faceless and work more closely together. I think this is essential for healthy communication. But having the human element can work against you as well. Sometimes the people are so hard to deal with you'd rather only hear them through the glass of a computer monitor. Co-workers need to know how to communicate pleasantly with others. They also need to know how to communicate efficiently. Shouting over cubicles can keep something interesting, but you need to make sure stuff still gets done. I think the electronic communication really helps this as you can keep track of everything and keep some structure. My conclusion is that effective communication comes from blending face-to-face with rigid documented communications.
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