Influences on intra-company communication satisfaction: working location and communication transparency

Internal communication is seen as a critical component in organisations due to the effect it has on employee engagement, organisational culture, and employee behaviours. The recent outbreak caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way organisations operate and in most cases altered the working location for many of their employees. This shift in working location has altered communication practices in organisations and changed how they communicate with their employees. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of working location on internal communication satisfaction and communication channel satisfaction. Additionally, the study will explore the relationship between transparent communication practices and internal communication satisfaction. Quantitative research was undertaken through an online survey. The survey was conducted with 781 employees in the Department of Social Protection during the last week in March and first week of April 2021. The findings from this research indicate that there is a difference between working location groups in relation to internal communication satisfaction and communication channel satisfaction. The results gathered also show that there is a strong positive relationship between transparent communication practices and internal communication satisfaction