Business Communication: Improving Workplace Communication Strategies

This essay presents a case study of a business communication breakdown within a cafeteria setting, where an employee's request for a location change was mishandled due to ineffective communication channels. The student, working at Biker's Cafe, experienced delays and lack of response to their request sent via WhatsApp, highlighting the limitations of informal communication in professional contexts. The essay analyzes the problems, including the lack of professionalism, potential cultural differences, and the absence of an official record of communication. It then suggests implementing email communication and interpersonal communication as alternative strategies. It also proposes a three-step communication model involving casual conversation, official email correspondence, and interpersonal meetings to ensure effective communication and address workplace issues. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of effective communication for both employees and the organization, offering practical solutions for resolving communication challenges and improving workplace practices. The essay uses several research papers to support its arguments.

Running Head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

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I am working in a Cafeteria named Biker’s Café. The location of my job takes more than
2 hours to reach and I have to report to the manager of the café by 8 am. Therefore, it is a grave
challenge for me to come by 8 am and report to my supervisor because I live in a paying guest
apartment and have to do all the household tasks by own. Therefore, I had requested my
supervisor to kindly change my location to other café outlets of Biker’s Café which is near to my
apartment. I sent a WhatsApp message to the supervisor and forwarded it to the HR so that the
problem would be resolved as soon as possible. However, things were not working properly and
it has been a month since I sent the message but the management did not take it seriously even
after informing the senior manager. This essay is going to figure out the problems and gaps in
communication mode that I have used and suggested two alternative mode of communication
that can be helpful to resolve my problem.
I texted to my supervisor about the problem that I am facing regarding the location of my
job. The text was very detailed and touched all the important points that I was interested to share
with the management. As a matter of fact, I suggested two nearby locations of my apartment
where I could go and do the same job. The message was very clear and detailed enough so that
the supervisor can understand my situation and take necessary steps to switch my job location to
a more convenient location of my preference. However, I did not know the impact of the
message as the supervisor assured me to look into the matter on a priority basis. It was a very
optimistic reply that I got from my supervisor and expected to have a confirmation as soon as
possible. However, I did not get message after that and the decision was delayed by a month. I
pinged my supervisor again and the same response I had got last week. It seems very frustrating
and infuriating for me to continue my job with the same spree and zeal because I am no longer in
a position to afford more than a week for this.

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As per the research of Bonaccio et al. (2016) it can be stated that in professional spaces
people must learn to convince the superiors regarding any decision. The primary process must
accompany a professional mail send to the supervisor and the HR and senior management should
be attached in the mail chain. However, in my case I personally texted my supervisor. The
potential noise or interference related to the message can be lack of professional attitude. In a
business organisations the senior management is highly focused on the official mails and
decision making. There is no such place for considering personal messages as a part of the
professional communication practice unless the management orders to use social media for
official purpose also (Giroldi et al. 2017). The lack of professionalism in the chosen
communication channel perhaps made it impossible for the supervisor to convey it to the senior
management.
There are some potential cultural issues that are playing a pertinent role in this scenario.
For instance, the supervisor lives in the city so he had no such problem to take a cab or other
transportation easily whereas I live in downtown and the availability of transportation is limited
there. Moreover, I cannot afford cab or pricy transportation mode because I have to pay rent. The
cultural difference between the supervisor and me is basically based on the financial strengths.
Therefore, the supervisor failed to understand the importance of my request and showed less
value. From the research of Wisniewski (2018) the cultural difference is considered to be one of
the leading problem in communication and it fosters a communication gap between the interested
parties as well.
I have little doubt that the message was forwarded to the senior management. One of the
major reason was the less professional mode of communication. Doyle (2017) advocated that in
proper decision making and providing suggestions an official mail or chat must be commenced

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between the interested parties. The purpose of doing an official communication is that it can help
both the interested parties to have all the conversations recorded officially and future decision
making will be developed on the basis of the official communication (Müller et al. 2018).
However, using the whatsapp texting does not considered to be an official chat between the
employees and the organisation because the information lacks authentication and out of
professional approach. Therefore, I presume that the message was not forwarded to the senior
manager.
In this regard, two different communication element can be implemented. One is the
emailing and other is interpersonal communication. As far as the research of Holmes (2018) the
progress in digitisation has made it easier for the business companies to electronic
communication practice effectively. The electronic communication practice is very easy to
maintain and has a great emphasis on the user friendly approach. Therefore, for everyone it is
useful to access the emailing or electronic communication practice for better communication
(Taylor 2018). Moreover, the time effective measure of the emailing practice is also considered
to be an advantageous practice. Henceforth, for this scenario the email communication will be
highly relevant and effective to meet the expectation of the employee.
On the other hand, the interpersonal communication is referred as a traditional
communication practice where the role of the manager or supervisor is to communicate with the
employees verbally through meetings and induction. The interpersonal communication provide
immense understanding over the importance of the conversation and the real motive of both the
parties. It is possible due to the projection of both the verbal and non-verbal communication
between the interested parties. In addition to this, Lybarger, Rancer and Lin (2017) pointed out
that the interpersonal communication has a humane touch that provides a commitment of the

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managers to the employees and build up good relation within the organisation. It is also
identified as a driving factor for successful and profitable business practice within the
organisation (Newnam et al. 2016). Therefore, in the current context, it is pertinent for the
employee to make an interpersonal communication with the supervisor and shares the problem
so that the supervisor can understand the value of the request.
From the discussion, it can be stated that a proper model of communication has to be
developed in order to create better and effective communication practice within the organisation.
The communication will be based on a three layered structure from casual communication to
official communication and then makes it more personal through the meetings. The value of the
communication has to meet both the interests of the employees and the organisation so that both
the parties can get benefits from the process (Anderson and Morgan 2018).
The three step model will be started with preparing a casual conversation with the
supervisor. A casual conversation can be done by the employee regarding the issue or problem
that he is facing on a daily basis. It will be addressed to the supervisor and the HR manager so
that they can forward the issue to the senior management. However, it is not possible for the
supervisor or the HR manager to proceed without having any official mail from the employees.
In this regard, the employee has to enter into the second phase of communication where
he or she must make the concern or issue official. Therefore, focusing on the electronic
communication practice will be the best option for the employee to address the problem in a
professional fashion. The use of emailing can be the best option for the employee to transfer the
issue into an official statement. Therefore, it is important for the employee to highlight the

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problem specifically and forward it to the supervisor and HR manager so that they can convey
the issue to the senior management.
The final step will be associated with the interpersonal communication. If the employee
can see any delay in reply then he can approach to the supervisor and push him to look into the
matter again. The same process will be followed for the HR manager as well. Once the issue will
be acknowledged then the senior manager will make an interpersonal communication with the
employees and tries to understand the real problem. All the decisions will be made then with a
mutual confirmation from the senior management and the employee.
The essay clearly mentions the issue that I am facing in my organisation and the flaws in
the communication that leads to disruption in addressing the problem. Therefore, the essay
suggests electronic communication and interpersonal communication channels and recommends
a model of communication that I can use for resolving my problem with the help of the senior
management. The essay also elucidates the efficacy of communication in organisation and the
approaches that should be taken for making the communication effective. Therefore, it can be
concluded that the essay provides a deep insights into the real life problems and helps in
resolving the issue properly.

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Reference
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