Barriers to Effective Communication in the Workplace Essay

Barriers to Effective Communication in the Workplace - Essay Example Communication in this context includes friendly and supportive staff, supportive and effective management, job satisfaction, and staff development including oppurtunities for new challenges (McCabe, 2005). In the healthcare facility of our concern, it was widely felt among the junior enlisted staff and the officers that they were not provided with sufficient advise as to what it takes to be competetive and acheive promotions in order to improve career advancement. The efforts of the senior management to assess officer demographics to determine the number and type of specialities was deemed insufficient. Wallis and Wolff (1988) had documented that the workload of the staff in public hospitals is not well differentiated and the various tasks such as rotation is not flexible. Private hospitals as well as speciality hospitals impart technical training to their staff helping them in their career enhancement. Also, the present generation of healthcare workers report opportunities for skill building and learning as key motivators in deciding to stay or leave an organization, reflecting their perceived commitment to continuing development and learning. Investment in mentoring programs and training and development programs can be an efective response to these needs (Curran, 2003). Much of the issues related to healthcare communication are related to the nature of micromanagement exercised in these institutions. For the success of any institution, the staff must be treated as unique individuals who can make unique contributions (McCabe, 2005). A decentralized decision making and shared governance system can make a huge difference in the way staff incorporate themselves into the organization. Autonomy to make decisions is necessary for job satisfaction (Upneiks, 2003). The senior management must make it their priority to provide a "climate free of miromanagement with equal and fair treatment for all" - implying an absence of favoritism as well as linguistic discrimination.