Republic of the Philippines

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Pablo Borbon Main II
Alangilan, Batangas City

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE & FINE ARTS

Civil Engineering Department

Communication Barriers: Effects on Employee's Efficiency

Submitted by:

Baldiviano, Joren Q.
Balmes, Laurice B.
Berana, Jemelyn M.
Llanes, Angelique Joyce B.
Malabanan, Sheila Marie B.
Manalo, Ma. Geraldine P.
Salazar, John Rey R.
CE-3107
In
Engineering Management

Submitted to:

Engr. Marvill Jun C. Villanueva

December 04, 2021

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Communication comes in all human interactions. In the field of business industry,

good communication in the workplace is the most important aspect of growing a company.
Business nowadays can be very challenging and in order to stay at the top of the market
economy, all the factors of production must be properly handled and managed. In the view of
Keyton (2011), successful and meaningful communication at a workplace can be determined
by how each member of the organization understands and properly replies to one another.
Nothing can be accomplished without proper communication with employers, employees,
customers and suppliers. If the organization fails to properly communicate to one another and
misunderstandings and arguments occur between two parties, it is called communication
barrier. The greatest dilemma with communication is its deception to the employees which
traps them to being criticized by their employers as workers who are not following their
orders (Shaw, 2011).

Communication barriers can either be personal, physical and semantic. Among the
barriers of communication are: misinterpretation and language differences, the environment
of the workplace, and pronunciation. First, communication problems might occur in the
organization when the message addressed is unclear between the sender and the receiver.
Misinterpretation can often cause a failed communication (Adu-Oppong & Agyin-Birikorang,
2014). Second, the interior workplace design and sound disturbances often cause
unsuccessful communication in an organization. Lastly, communication sometimes fails
when two people speaking use the same language but are different in pronunciation (Evans &
Suklun, 2017).

After weeks of searching for facts, the result showed that the factors affecting the
communication process in the workplace relates to the people, words and the environment.
According to Williams (2011), barriers hinder effective communication and arises on several
levels starting from individual workers to the organization itself. In any case, communication
barriers highly affect the productivity and performance of the workers of an organization. As
cited in a study conducted by Valitherm (2014), the main reason for failed communication is
their difference in language that always bothers them while communicating and that subjects
to the disruption in the workplace.

Therefore, this study aims to determine the types of communication barriers often exist
in the workplace and how these communication barriers affect the efficiency of the
employees. This study intends to answer the following questions;

a.) What are the types of communication that is often used in the workplace?

b.) How do the barriers identified affect the performance rate, productivity as well as
efficiency of the employees?
 FINDINGS

In this section of the study, problems and all of the data collected which are related to
those will be presented.

Communication Barriers and its Types

Communication Barriers

Misunderstandings in communication are the occurrence of errors in the

communication process that is from the sender of the message to the recipient of the message
or the communication process that runs less or not well enough to cause information to be
submitted that is not in accordance with the expected. According to Liliweri (2014: 379),
obstacles or impaired communication are the effects of individuals or groups in the
environment that can harm the contents of messages to be delivered or received.

Incorrect use of words can sometimes cause miscommunication, which are both
connotative and denotative, Suryanto says (2015: 73). A pleasant and peaceful work
environment can have a significant impact on a company's performance. However, in reality,
a company's performance can be hampered by a less supportive work environment, such as
the condition of the office or workplace located close to other factories, resulting in noise that
interferes with the company's performance, so that at the time of the information to be
conveyed from the sender of the message an employee who was very clear and accurate.

However, when the message is received by the intended recipient (other employees),
the information becomes reduced or inaccurate, resulting in a misunderstanding in
communication and affecting the performance of the employee who was able to produce
work in accordance with the intent and purpose of the higher ups will not be in accordance
with the expectation of the leader.

Personal Barriers

Personal Barriers refer to factors that are unique to the sender and receiver and act as a
barrier to communication. These factors include life experiences, emotions, attitudes, and
behavior that impede a person's ability to communicate.

This could also include personal factors that have a negative impact on effective
communication as a result of experiences or factors such as attitude, emotion, and behavior.
This type of barrier could also include a lack of knowledge, listening skills, and vocabulary.
When a person lacks knowledge and awareness about a subject, it affects the communication
process. Personal communication barriers are common in people who either lack the patience
to be attentive or listen selectively. When a person uses incorrect words, it can have an
impact on interpretation. Communication suffers when the language is too complex for the
receiver to understand.

Personal communication barriers can exist at any level of an organization. It could

manifest as team leaders struggling to have faith in their team members. Junior employees
may be impacted by factors such as a lack of recognition.

Physical Barriers

Physical communication barriers are associated with the environment of the workplace.
Examples include an office layout that obstructs the views of other employee, the nature of
remote work, which can stymie communication efforts, and literal closed doors that
discourage interaction.

Physical Barriers to communication refer to the elements or factors that physically act
as a kind of distraction which obstructs the flow and effectiveness of communication. A
physical barrier can be both natural and man-made, and it is easy to identify. Physical barriers
to listening include noise, poor architecture, and closed doors. Even a network disruption
caused by a thunderstorm can be regarded as a physical barrier. Its formation is sometimes
caused by surroundings, physical distance between people, time differences, and faulty
modes of communication. Higher-ups must act quickly to identify these factors and address
their negative effects on productivity.

Semantic Barriers

Semantic barriers relating to aspects of language used by communicators as a tool to

channel thoughts and feelings to the communicant. Which is the disruption caused by
communicators who misspell, such as talking too quickly, stuttering, panicking, and so on
(Suryanto, 2015: 72). Language can also be a barrier to communication or a source of
misunderstanding. This can occur if the language used is less denotative, meaning that the
language conveyed is not in accordance with the common language as it should be in daily
life in general by society. Companies create working conditions with language that is precise,
clear, and accurate so that the intent and purpose to be achieved from the information
submitted can be easily understood, and thus the quality of performance will improve.

Therefore, communication barriers in this study will include: personal, physical and
semantic barriers.

Common Communication Barriers in an Organization

Anything that prevents or misconstrues the effective delivery of messages among

employees and leadership within a company or organization is considered a barrier to
communication in the workplace. Communication barriers have an impact on your ability to
perform your job duties, as well as on workplace relationships and overall team performance.
 According to the study by Yolanda, A. et.al. (2018), semantic barriers have a greater
impact on employee performance, whereas poor communication caused by the said barrier
has a significant impact on the employee's performance quality and efficiency. In other
words, there is a significant or real influence between miscommunication and employee
efficiency, whereas the others are influenced by other factors such as discipline, honesty,
responsibility, and many others.

The physical barriers section stated that participants could not think carefully when
there was little time available, and few agreed with this statement. According to Adu-Oppong
and Agyin-Birikorang (2014), the sender will not think carefully if they will not be given
enough time to comprehend thoroughly which may cause an incorrect message from the
sender. When this occurs, the receiver is also harmed due to an inability to interpret the
message and comprehend its meaning. Following that, the findings revealed that some
participants were agnostic about having an unsuitable workspace that could interfere with
their work.

According to Jelani and Nordin (2019), one of the reasons why communication fails
can be because of background sound. Air conditioning sounds and other unexpected sounds
are examples of background sounds. As a result, this study supported the idea that an
unsuitable workspace could impede work progress. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that
some respondents strongly agreed that an unfriendly relationship between a supervisor and a
subordinate can interfere with the flow of information. This was consistent with the findings
of a study conducted by Evans and Suklun (2017), who claimed that if administrators fail to
act appropriately at work, subordinates will be less motivated to communicate upward in the
future. They believed that the communication had not been taken seriously. Aside from that,
some participants disagreed on whether they feared the administrator's power. This
contradicted the findings of Evans and Suklun's study (2017). Fear of the administrator's
power, according to the researchers, is a common communication barrier at the workplace.

The findings of the study by S.N. Ramlan eat.al. (2018) imply that the employees are
affected by the physical barriers which could affect their efficiency and productivity. Nduta
(2014, as cited in Newman, 1994) conducted a similar study to back up the findings. The
author revealed that communication with employees is important, even in a small
organization, in her study about the challenges facing effective communication as a public
relations tool in academic institutions. However, he also noted that some barriers affect
employee communication, and that through the use of technology, employees can improve
their communication skills, which will also aid in the organization's expansion.

Personal barriers, on the other hand, revealed that respondents strongly disagreed with
the statements "I believe as an employee, I am not allowed to voice out my opinion unless
someone asks me" and "I believe I cannot question my seniors at my workplace,"
respectively. This is consistent with the findings of a study conducted by Page (2017), who
claimed that employees in many Malaysian organizations were given equal opportunities to
share their opinions and skills with other members of the company. The researcher also
claimed that encouraging employees to share their skills and opinions could benefit their
company (para. 14). Following that, respondents agreed with the statements "I am aware of
my colleagues' emotional states" and "I am able to put myself in another's shoes." This is
consistent with Eisenberg's (2010) study, which found that one of the most significant
barriers to effective communication was a lack of empathy (as cited in Adu-Oppong and
Agyin-Birikorang, 2014). The researcher also defined empathy as the ability to put oneself in
the shoes of another, and thus an empathetic person could see the world through the eyes of
those around them.

Effects of Communication Barriers in Employee’s Efficiency

Communication barriers can lead to ineffective communication, which can have an

impact on employee productivity and performance because they may not receive enough
information to complete a task assigned to them. It may set off a chain of events because if an
employee forgets to mention important information, it will result in project delays or errors
and bugs that will jeopardize implementation. Given this, effective communication is critical
for strengthening the organization both internally and externally.

Communication barriers can lead to inefficient production or even abrupt halts in

workflow. For example, if a group of employees believes they may lose their jobs but
receives no information from management, their fear may turn to apathy and disinterest.
Communication barriers within an organization can stymie the production process. According
to Charles McConnell, author of "Management Principles for Health Professionals," formal
and informal communication processes can have an impact on production.

Employee efficiency is linked to organizational operations because employee actions

can have an impact on operations, which can be negative or positive depending on the
communication process used Abdurahman, A. (2020). This is supported by a study about the
effects of communication barriers on administrative and academe employees' operations,
which reveals that there is a homogeneous verbal interpretation of high using the mean
method that the communications barriers have effects on administrative and academe
employees' operations. Statements such as "It creates conflicts," "It results in poor
operations," "It reduces productivity," "It delays production," and "It creates errors in work"
were included in the study, and after the study, all had a verbal interpretation of high,
implying that communication barriers affect the operations of administrative and academe
employees. Furthermore, it causes the employees' efficiency, as well as the company's
production and operations, to cease. Effective communication is a powerful tool for the
success of any organization, and it should be maintained and improved further. Effective
communication ensures that the message is delivered clearly and that both parties understand
it. It aids in the achievement of organizational goals, as well as the improvement of
communication skills and productivity. Organizations should assess and identify some of the
communication barriers that may be affecting their operations and services (Rogers, 1999).

The purpose of this study was to determine what communication barriers are, as well as
their types, the most common type of barriers in an organization, and how communication
barriers affect employee efficiency. Furthermore, the solutions to ensure better and more
effective communication among employees in a company.

DISCUSSION

The findings show that these communication barriers have a great impact in the
workplace. It shows that in the communication barrier, misunderstanding is the most common
problem that may occur, the problems may result in poor performance because the
information that was sent to set an understanding are lacking. This effect will undergo a chain
of events wherein it can result in errors or delays in the assigned task. This communication
barrier may vary into different types, it can be personal, physical, and semantic.
This section will present the alternative solutions to different communication barriers
together with their advantages and disadvantages.

Personal Barriers

I. Organizational Structure

Organizations are structured utilizing hierarchies to position employees with varying

levels of experience, positions, and responsibilities at different levels of authority. Large
organizations have several supervision layers and extensive lines of communication. This
might create a communication barrier between employees and upper management, especially
if such an organization is structured into departments. As a result of the organization's
structure, regulations, and bureaucratic system, free interdepartmental communication
becomes difficult (Ifioque.com, 2020).

In an article written by Caruso in 2021, it shows the type of communication direction

within an organization mainly in three different directions – upward, downward and
horizontal.

i. Upward Communication

A type of communication where in the flow starts at the subordinate level up to the
upper level of the organizational hierarchy until those in positions of authority. Suggestion
systems, appeal and grievance procedures, group meetings, an open-door policy, morale
questionnaires, and departure interviews are all examples of upward communication.

Advantages

Managers may acquire detailed understanding of every circumstance in the

organization. This style of communication aids management in comprehending
employee performance, employee concerns, and the outcomes of judgments they have
made. This can also aid the organization's implementation of lower-level employees'
 creative approaches. In this kind of communication, employees are enthused because
they believe they are an integral part of the team and as effective listening becomes a
two-way channel, the process of downward communication is improved.

Disadvantages

Due to fear of seeming incompetent, employees are hesitant to inform negative

news to their superiors. Their superiors, on the other hand, are often preoccupied to
pay attention and treat listening to their subordinates regarding some minor problems
as a waste of time. They often listen to what they only consider as significant
information and neglect other relevant information.

ii. Downward Communication

Downward communication is a type of communication that starts from employees at

higher levels to lower levels in an organization's chain of command. Instructions, meetings,
the telephone, loudspeakers, and even the grapevine can all be used for oral downward
communication. Memorandums, letters, handbooks, brochures, and policy and procedure
announcements are all forms of written downward communication.

Advantage

Employees gain support from their superiors by being provided with work
instructions, rationale and feedback. They are informed on the organization's policy,
processes, goals, and initiatives. Their comprehension of their responsibilities
supports them in achieving their objectives.

Disadvantages

The procedure is time-consuming and might anger senior executives and since
they have insufficient knowledge on the side of their subordinates, misunderstandings
and confrontations might occur. The message grows more complicated and may lose
its accuracy. When there is a lack of trust between bosses and subordinates, the
message might get misinterpreted.

iii. Horizontal Communication

Horizontal flow is the exchange of information between employees at the same or

similar organizational levels who do not report to each other directly. It might happen
informally at meetings or over lunch. It may even happen at official gatherings like
conferences and board meetings. The organizational newsletter and notifications posted on
the bulletin board are the most common textual forms of horizontal communication.

Advantages
 Horizontal communication allows employees at the same hierarchical level to
communicate information in order to achieve company goals, which improves
understanding. This can also assist in the resolution of problems among department
employees and every employee's social, psychological, and emotional needs are being
met.

Disadvantages

Since horizontal communication does not follow any certain line of command,
issues may emerge between employees at various levels and departments within the
organization and knowing that a lot of personal information is disclosed, it may
promote conflict among employees.

According to an essay published by Adubato, “There is an ongoing debate as to what

type of organizational communication direction promotes open and healthy communication.
Fact is, there is no single communication direction that works best in an organization.
Organization size matters, the task matters, the situation matters and lots of variable matters.
It is important to understand the variables before deciding what communication flow is most
suitable in the situation to have effective communication within an organization. All three
flows of communication must be practiced in an organization for an efficient and healthy
workplace.”

II. Emotion

According to Harrapa (2021), an emotional barrier is a mental restriction that prevents

you from freely communicating your feelings and thoughts. Since it influences your emotions
and sentiments, it has the tendency to hold you from being your real personality. Low
emotional intelligence, often known as emotional awareness or control, is often the source of
an emotional barrier to communication. A better understanding of our sentiments and
emotions, on the other hand, can help us communicate effectively.

As stated by Smith (2018), effective communication includes not just good verbal
skills, but also nonverbal messages like body language. A simple shrug at a business meeting,
for example, might send a variety of messages. If you want to project confidence and
trustworthiness in professional situations, you will need to brush up on your communication
skills.

There are many different forms of emotional barriers, and the following are some
common examples of emotional barriers in organizational communication and how they
might impact you:

i. Anger

There will be instances when you have a disagreement with a co-worker over a single
project because the two of you have contrary opinions. Anger may create tension, and it can
create difficulties to comprehend information correctly. You can lose sight of the project's
overall objective and dismiss ideas or explanations that might help the project succeed.

ii. Pride

Teamwork and collaboration require listening to others as well as enabling them to

freely express themselves. You may be unable to pay attention to others since you are
preoccupied with your own ideas, opinions, and perspectives. There may be times when you
disregard other people's opinions without even listening to them. Managers and team leaders
should be mindful of this emotional barrier.

iii. Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common types of emotional barriers at work, and it
manifests itself in a number of ways. It may have a negative impact on your confidence and
creativity, whether it is first-day jitters or an important client meeting. Because you are
frightened to speak openly, you may create an echo chamber and repeat what others say. At
the other extreme, you might prefer not to speak up at all.

While an emotional barrier can manifest in a variety of forms, it is important to

remember that emotional reactions can come from either the speaker or the listener. Your
communication abilities are determined by how you respond or react to it, regardless of who
it comes from. Having a strategy in mind to deal with emotions might help you through
difficult encounters.

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (1995), by Daniel Goldman,
emphasized the value of emotional intelligence in social, academic, and professional settings.
You must first come in touch with your emotions if you want to improve your emotional
intelligence and express yourself better, as well as be more conscious of your sentiments.
Here are the ways on how to better understand your feelings:
1. A self-assessment evaluating emotional intelligence can help establish a baseline
against which can measure improvement. It will help to have a better understanding of
deep-seated feelings as self-awareness develops. This adds to the understanding of
how to manage emotional barriers.
As stated by Gaille (2015), by knowing how to put their emotion in the right
place, the emotional exposure might help others empathize through that contact.
Those who are hearing and feeling the expressed emotions start to get emotional as
well since emotions are technically placed into a presentation, speech or other public
arenas. The quantity of logical thinking lessens and prevents people from thinking
critically. Even though emotional intelligence skills can be developed, the process
might be quite extensive and personal. They may not want to face their fears and
habits or other personalized negative emotions since if someone declines looking
inward, a chance to adapt the outward emotions will be impossible.
2. There are certain emotions that bring out the negative side. To look at it another way,
emotional triggers. Someone talking loudly in a workplace, for example, can be
irritating. Making a list of these triggers is a good idea. Attaching words to feelings
 and journaling about them might help understand what to consider to be 'pleasant' or
'unpleasant.' This may be used for more in-depth self-reflection and introspection.
In this situation, confrontation may be inevitable and may lead to further
conflict, but that's alright; according to Deveaux (2019), confrontation is a sign of
maturity and a required skill to master. Contrary to conventional perception, the best
method of resolving a problem with another person is to approach them directly. You
must learn the art of confrontation if you want to be taken seriously in the corporate
world. You must be able to put together a coherent argument while also advocating on
behalf of yourself and others. People's respect for you is often measured by how much
respect you have for yourself.
3. People are often self-centered in emotional engagements. Moving the focus away
from oneself and toward others is a constructive way of looking at things. It might be
as easy as allowing someone to speak more freely while listening more attentively. It
is simpler to avoid misinterpretation if people are able to participate in the
conversation and pay attention to them.
4. Observation is vital in every sort of communication. One can capture and engage with
important information by paying attention to details. People seek to be heard and
acknowledged thus strong observation abilities are essential in connection
development. When asking a speaker, a follow-up question, for example, they feel
appreciated and heard.
5. Removing oneself from a situation allows one to see things from other perspectives.
When one is directly involved, it might be difficult to evaluate a situation objectively,
but it is critical to attempt. One can gather thoughts, think clearly and reassess a
potential hurtful comment by taking a step back among other benefits.
6. Emotional outbursts are sometimes the result of unaddressed deep-seated anxieties. It
is possible that it is linked to an unwillingness to accept mistakes, shortcomings, or
flaws. Being able to forgive oneself and others is important. One would not hold
himself or others to unattainable standards if he learned to move on, and it will be able
to reduce tension and confrontations.
7. The emotional well-being of an individual is closely linked to the notion of emotional
barrier. Emotional barriers indicate that having some deep-seated mental limitations
that prevent from responding maturely and professionally to situations. Relaxation
methods like mindful meditation and yoga, on the other hand, can help to address and
overcome some of the issues.

Cultural Differences, Prejudice and Inflexible Notions

Among every individual in an organization, there are a lot of cultural differences. While
they possess unhelpful viewpoints with other cultures, personal barriers in business
communication often occur. On the contrary, possessing a positive viewpoint means a
communication process in an efficient manner will happen and overcome personal barriers.
 Kapur (2020) stated in an article that in some cases, employees within organizations
portray prejudice and inflexible views towards certain individuals. When these conditions
occur, people are dissatisfied and, as a consequence, they are less likely to communicate with
others. Due to the frequency of these issues, communication terms are hindered. As a result,
prejudice and inflexible ideas are personal barriers to effective business communication.

To overcome intercultural difference and prejudice, Yener (2013) expressed that people
from other cultures must break their prejudices about other cultures. Everyone makes or has
assumptions about others. Subjective factors influence the assumptions which are beliefs
rather than objective truth. To enable intercultural communication, the assessments of
people’s assumptions and the reason why they think of those ideas or beliefs are needed.
Afterwards, the initial barrier to intercultural communication might be overcome. To
appreciate and recognize people from different cultures, they need to empathize with one
another. By having some insights about other cultures, one might come to appreciate their
point of view.
Everyone should be a part of the intercultural communication process. Participating in
tasks or decision-making with others empowers and develops connections. Because it
embraces different points of view, using intercultural diversity is in essence a more creative
approach to problem resolution.

Physical Barriers

I. Noise

As stated in an article written in Lumen entitled “Barriers to Effective

Communication”. The first and most major barrier to communication is noise. It implies
"interference in a signal that hinders you from hearing sounds accurately," including
environmental sounds from around the workplace that may be present at both the sender's and
receiver's end, like in a factory where continuous machine noise makes oral communication
difficult.

Similarly, a technical issue with a public address system or static in a phone or

television cable may distort the sound transmission and interfere with communication.
Weather conditions or a glitch in ultramodern communications infrastructure might
significantly interfere with good communication.

To overcome the noise barrier preventing efficient communication, Bizmove (2020)

suggested that one must first identify the noise source. Noise may manifest itself in a variety
of ways. Many people have been indifferent to the situation.

After identifying the source (or sources) of the noise, actions can be taken to reduce it.
Although the noise barrier cannot always be overcome, even being aware of its presence by
either the sender or recipient of a message can help to improve communication flow.

II. Information Overload

 Everyone has all been in situations when they felt that too much information was
coming to them. Employees might get quickly overwhelmed by the abundance of knowledge
related to competitor data, new product and service releases, market developments, and
industry trends, and experience information anxiety. A message that contains information
new to the receiver might increase the chances of overloading since the receiver is not
familiar with the process and concepts.

According to Lumen, the sender should break up the message into more palatable or
digestible bits and reduce the amount of information that has to be absorbed at any one time.
A technique is to create a high-ranking announcement followed by elaborated details. The
primary responsibility of the sender is to check the understanding of the receiver to the
message. The manager might need to adjust a message to seek for the experiences of the
employees.

Davidson (2021) suggested some strategies to overcome information overload in a

manner that the employees will work efficiently and effectively.

i. Contemplate in Advance the Kind of Information You Seek

Have a good understanding of what kind of information a person wants and needs to
collect. News about industry or profession, major product and service developments,
significant rules and new legislation, client, customer, or consumer-related information,
special applications, competitor intelligence, and developing trends and opportunities are all
examples of such information.

The disadvantage of analyzing the information required in advance is that different

points of view are usually ignored. Keeping one's attention on the task at hand may stifle
creativity, initiative, and experimentation. Success is frequently the result of both planning
and innovation, and plans must not stifle workplace creativity.

ii. Establish a Distribution System

An employee should not spend an excessive amount of time gathering information

upon getting promoted in the job. Junior employees can identify, gather, and disseminate a lot
of the information that the higher ups need. One may utilize them as scouts for information
and as a clipping service to prepare.

One must be best prepared to think conceptually in ways that will help push the team,
division, or department forward once freed from the constant task of identifying and
compiling information. This is especially true when a new product, service, or delivery
system is being introduced.

According to Meador (2018), there are some disadvantages to establishing a

distribution system. Important data can be lost or overlooked, especially if the person in
charge of organizing the data is inexperienced. It is also claimed that providing proper
security in distributed systems is difficult due to the increased number of personnel involved
and having access to the information. The greater the number of personnel involved, the
lower the security.

iii. Be Thoughtful When Sending Information

The lack of organizational guidelines is sometimes to blame for the excessive amount
of data. Such guidelines might alternatively protect the organization from unnecessarily and
excessively introducing themselves to knowledge that is incompatible with the existing
problems.

When exchanging information, learn to be more selective. Avoid acronyms,

abbreviations, and jargon that might lead to misunderstandings, and keep the correspondence
with others to a minimum by giving only the information required. The recipients would not
appreciate it when they bombard with information, and the management would not like it
when they do the same thing. It must also encourage one another to refrain from CCing and
BCCing when it is not necessary, and to avoid putting "FYI" letters altogether.

iv. Design Responses

During the course of the workweek, the employee will be flooded with a number of
requests. Since many of them are routine, he or she may use the signature function in the
email to automate the replies. At least 20 different signatures are supported by most email
software programs today. One may create and save signatures by category to assist in
response to customers and clients quickly and efficiently. The signatures that have been
created can also be customized to fit the specifics of a particular inquiry.

Poorly designed emails, as stated in the NiBusinessInfo.com article, may not be

delivered. Emails with specific spam keywords or characters in the subject heading or email
content, such as £££s, FREE, click here, are likely to be filtered out by email software and
internet service providers. If the marketing lists were out of date, the email might not reach
the intended recipient. Email must also be designed so that it looks the same across multiple
devices and email providers. Employees may have to choose between design and
functionality. Some people prefer to receive text-only emails; if this is the case, consider how
the message will appear.

v. Constantly Review and Update

Review all the documents on a regular basis. Asking if the data is still relevant, needed
to mix it with something else and is it necessary to reclassify it whereas the main objective is
to have as few holdings as possible.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, only work on a few file folders at a time. "What can be
deleted? What should be merged? What can be removed so that the few gems of wisdom
essential to my success can be applied as needed?" Consider this task from the perspective of
a project manager and do it one step at a time although it may take some time, it will be
extremely beneficial in the long run-in terms of document organization and management,
which allows for faster and more efficient transactions in the organization.

vi. Acknowledge the Benefits of Remaining Organized

It is likely that staying organized will make one feel uncomfortable. Organizing is not
really a glamorous task. Yet, in a world where everyone is bombarded with information and
communication, organizing the files and maintaining them so that they can serve is more
important than ever. When things pile up, employees suffer information overload. People
who learn to recognize, acquire, retrieve, and use the right information at the right time are
extremely valuable to their organizations and teams.

According to one study, an orderly environment can lead to healthier choices—as well
as greater generosity toward others. A study led by Dr. Kathleen D. Vohs at the University of
Minnesota's Carlson School of Management (2013) found that participants who were placed
in a disorderly room were more creative than participants who were placed in an orderly
room. "Previous research has found that a clean environment leads people to do good things:
not engage in crime, litter, and be more generous," Vohs explains. "However, we discovered
that being in a cluttered environment can yield extremely valuable results." They discovered
a more "nuanced story of how different environments lend themselves to different outcomes”.
Employees benefited from both organized and disorganized behavior. Instead, this study
found that having "unusual and unexpected experiences" on a regular basis can improve
cognitive flexibility and creativity. In other words, it's sometimes good to be organized, and
sometimes it's good to be disorganized; but neither is always good.

III. Distance

Distance plays an important role in determining the course of conversation. Harappa

(2021) said in his article that a poorly designed workplace can create a physical barrier. It
affects the employee’s communication with their co-workers if the designed environment was
too far from each other. In order to communicate they must use phones or emails to reach out
to each other. These mediums contain more technical problems and noises rather than face to
face communication.

In the office, the sitting arrangement might also create distance barriers causing failed
communication. The workbenches’ distance in the office or in the other production
departments and half partitions between those can hinder the communication among
employees.

i. Shifting To Open Office Space

Instead of isolating personnel in cubicles or offices, an open plan office takes advantage
of open space. Closed workstations are outmoded since they greatly hinder the flow of
information. Employees may change their settings in an open office, such as lounges with
couches or open kitchen areas with plenty of seats. Organizations must change to an open
office space to avoid communication limits as collaborative communication becomes the new
buzzword. Workplaces must be changed or renovated to accommodate such an approach.

The open office space certainly removes communication barriers in the workplace.
According to Levinson (2020), an open-plan office is a work environment that uses open
space rather than isolating employees in cubicles or offices. It is also less expensive than
traditional layouts because it eliminates the need for cubicles to separate employees and
provide better monitoring and supervision.

Its disadvantages are that noise can distract employees, affecting their performance, and
that it is inflexible to tasks requiring a high level of concentration, such as writing, coding,
and graphic design. Finally, because of the distraction and the risk of relationship problems,
this arrangement increases tension, anxiety, and blood pressure levels. Because there are
more face-to-face interactions, germs that cause influenza or common colds spread more
easily.

ii. Use video conferencing

In the absence of personal communication, video calls and conferences are used. Video
communication is the next best thing to having a face-to-face conversation because it has
been proven that communication is more fluid when both parties are able to see each other. A
video call, unlike a phone conversation, allows both parties to interpret each other's
expressions and gestures, which helps with communication.

One of the alternative solutions for overcoming communication barriers is video

conferencing. Thompson (2011) stated in his article that, according to popular belief, body
language accounts for 55% of communication, tone of voice for 38%, and actual words said
for 7%. Video conferencing facilitates collaboration and is significantly less expensive than
traveling across town to communicate with other partners.

The main disadvantage is the lack of network connectivity. There will be times when
the internet connection will have problems, and glitches and bugs are unavoidable in this type
of setup, causing communication to be disrupted. Another issue with video conferencing is
that it can feel impersonal, and employees may find it difficult to get to know their co-
workers, managers, or clients and form personal bonds due to a lack of personal connections
and face-to-face contact.

iii. Use project management tools

With so much data to keep track of, project management systems have become
increasingly popular among teams and in previously untapped areas. Project management
systems automate monitoring and provide visibility to every team member, rather than
bringing large groups of people together for long, drawn-out status sessions to maintain track
of complex projects. Instead of waiting for the next weekly catch-up, teams may now keep
informed in real-time about the assignments and progress of different team members inside
their company. Automating these activities not only keeps teams more organized, but it also
frees up meeting time for more effective conversation and planning.

Semantic Barriers

I. Poor Grammar, Punctuation, And Spelling in Writing Emails

Emails are an important part of the workplace because they allow employees to
communicate with one another. However, factors such as poor grammar, spelling, and
punctuation are affecting the reader's understanding of the message, particularly in putting the
proper punctuation. According to Syntaxis (2021), punctuation, like capitalization, carries
meaning; commas and other marks indicate boundaries and relationships between ideas. If
punctuation is not used in business emails, the meaning of the email will be more difficult to
understand for the recipient and will mislead the recipient, causing problems with the task at
hand.

i. Read More Books

Reading books can help to improve one’s writing skills. By reading a lot, one can learn
different writing styles and new ideas. When a reader is exposed to a wide variety of subjects,
the reader will gain a lot of knowledge in the world of writing.

As Wilber (2021) said in her article, reading can improve a person’s vocabulary, as
well as it can improve the grammar. With the help of reading, the reader will be more
familiar with the normal rules of grammar. Reading also helps the reader to learn
unconsciously to incorporate these rules into its writing that will help to remove grammatical
errors.

ii. Listening and taking down notes

Listening can also help the readers to improve their writing. It can improve their
vocabulary and have the ability to make complex sentences. During listening, the reader can
take down notes of unfamiliar words and phrases because according to the study of Princeton
University in 2014, taking notes by hand will help the listener to be more engaged in the
material and as well understand the concepts being introduced.

These notes can be a guide to discover the words and phrases that the listener does not
know and list its definitions of those words, identify the common structure of it and know
how to use the word in a proper sentence.

iii. Prove your writing by reading it aloud

Reading aloud is an excellent way of improving one's writing and grammar skills. In
this way it helps the writer to spot the issues with the grammar and also the potential
redundancies or the issues in the general flow. Also, it can also help if the letter has too much
wording in it or it is missing something that may mislead the reader and it can help to avoid
words that make the reader trip over its tongues.

II. Lack of Common Language.

Communication can be inefficient and confusing. Different people have their own
languages that have different meanings on how to tell them which can be misunderstood by
others. Without having a common language employees will not have a sense of identity and
they will feel that they belong to a community. Therefore, the employees will be
unproductive and they will not gain confidence to even communicate with their co-workers.

i. Using of Plain Language

In a workplace, it is necessary to have a language that can be understood by everyone

easily. Plain language is one of the solutions to avoid semantic barriers in communication.
Short words and short sentences are not the only plain language. It can be used in every
discourse in the workplace. Using plain language can help to avoid problems like confusion,
misunderstanding and it can help the employee to use the information efficiently.

Advantages
Some of the advantages of using plain language includes helping to get the
message in the shortest possible time, people in the workplace will understand the
message easily and it is time efficient that it will not need further explanation to the
employee.

III. Body Language and Gesture Decoding

The body movement and gesture play a significant role in the communication process.
An article written by Mind Tools (2021) said that body language is the unspoken element of
communication that reveals a person’s true feelings and emotions. If the information has no
connection between the spoken words and the body language, the receiver may get confused
and perceive the information wrongly.

If body language and gestures are used to pass a message, misunderstanding hinders the
proper understanding of the message. Scenarios in the workplace like a manager using words
of praise for his sales team with an anger on his face will confuse the entire team and moving
one’s neck does not simply mean yes or no.

i. Decide What You Want to Convey

Almost everything the people are doing in a communication talk about a lot about who
that person really is, the way they talk, walk, and their gestures. Think about the people who
communicate with trust. People like this have good eye contact, showing respect and
demonstrating support in conversation non-verbally. So how a person comports can make a
huge difference. So, it depends on the person’s acts on how the audience will convey what
that person really means.
 ii. Look for Incongruent Behaviors

People tend to look only on the external part of some things, as the saying goes by
“don’t judge the book by only its cover”. As well as for people, not all what the person is
saying about him will reflect on how that person really is now. If this happens, when a
person’s words do not match on how they act then you should pay careful attention. A person
would tend to understand more about that person if they listen carefully.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings and discussion, the researchers come up with the following
conclusions:

Anything that hinders or misconstrues the effective delivery of information among

employees and other workers within a company or organization is considered a barrier to
communication in the workplace. One of the most common barriers in communication is
noise. Any persistent or random disturbance that reduces, obscures, or confuses the clarity of
a message is referred to as a disturbance. Physical barriers are similar to noise in that they can
obstruct communication transmission.

The common types of communication barriers are personal barriers which include life
experiences, emotions, attitudes, and behavior that affect a person's ability to communicate.
Physical communication barriers which are associated with the environment of the workplace
that affects the flow of communication. And lastly, semantic barriers which are related to
aspects of language used by communicators as a tool to channel thoughts and feelings to the
communicant.

Some of the common communication barriers that affect the level of performance of an
employee in their workplace includes: Work environment plays an important role towards the
employee's productivity. Better outcomes and increased productivity is assumed to be the
result of a better workplace environment. Better physical environment in the office will boost
the employees and ultimately improve their productivity. Misunderstanding caused by lack of
information can lead to misunderstanding, which in turn can lead to mistakes, missed
deadlines and altered project directions. Miscommunication occurs frequently when
instructions are not clearly communicated, updates and status reports are not immediately
shared, or there is no lead person responsible for a project or task. Also, miscommunication
caused by incorrect use of words are the most common communication barriers which cause
misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people.
 Communication barriers have a huge effect on the employee's efficiency at work. This
includes not receiving enough information to complete a task assigned to them. Project delays
or errors and bugs that will jeopardize implementation may occur. Inefficient production or
even abrupt halts in workflow.

There is a significant relationship between how an employee receives a message and

how he/she reacts to it that affects his/her performance at work. It is important to know that
the sender has the primary responsibility to check that the receiver has understood the
message. The message should be as precise as possible. As it is one of the most important
attributes, and it enhances the chances of success when working within constraints.

Companies create working conditions with language that is precise, clear, and accurate
so that the intent and purpose to be achieved from the information submitted can be easily
understood, and thus the quality of performance will improve.

Communication barriers highly affect an employee’s ability to perform their job duties,
complicate workplace relationships, and damage overall team performance.

Workplace communication has become much more complex and affects organization.
Technology-aided communication has a high penetration and face to face contact remains the
top priority.

Effective communication requires familiarity with the barriers present at work. It is

important to choose the right channel of communication because choosing the wrong medium
will highly affect the flow of messages which may result in misunderstanding between the
sender and receiver.

Communication skills are important in building meaningful relationships within the

workplace. As social practices move towards more market-based and managerialist policies,
it is important that a person is able to build these relationships.

Clear and effective communication is a great tool to be more productive and aims to
achieve organizational goals, as well as the improvement of communication skills. To come
up with this, a company should assess and identify some of the communication barriers that
may be affecting their operations and services to pinpoint areas of improvement.
 RECOMMENDATION

After knowing and discussing all the factors that may contribute as a communication barrier
on employee’s productivity and efficiency, this study highly recommends the following:

1. Management. To have a better workplace for every employee and workers,

managers must be knowledgeable regarding their tasks and must have incredible
work experience so that they may handle their team efficiently. This study shows
that emotions contribute as a factor for communication barriers. Managers must
know how to give command to their subordinates to lessen misunderstanding that
may arise. This will help them to perform effectively as a team.

2. Employees. Since there are more workers in a team than a manager, they must
practice good communication skills to prevent having misunderstandings with
other employees. According to what was presented in the discussion, the best
solution for the employees is horizontal communication wherein it allows
employees to have the same level to communicate information. This will lessen
the arising problems that may occur between team leaders and workers.

3. Future Researchers. As suggestions for future research, the study should be done
in a longer period to further highlight the communication barriers that may arise
as time passes by. Furthermore, future researchers can add more variables for the
types of communications and also the barriers affecting the communication flow
in order to obtain more comprehensive study.
 IMPLEMENTATION

Communication is how everyone builds and maintains relationships, not only in

personal lives, but also with co-workers, partners, and customers at work. Communication is
especially important during a pandemic.

Companies must implement clear communication strategies in order to run efficiently

and thrive. It is also critical to have the proper communication tools in place. In this part l
look at the importance of communication in the workplace and offer advice on how to create
an effective communication strategy inside the company.

Number 1: Provide Specific Instructions.

Team leaders' ability to communicate instructions is one area where communication

often fails. Uncertain communication can cause delays or even the complete cancellation of a
project. Make sure that each task or project has detailed instructions. These instructions can
be delivered via email, a project management tool, video chat, or all of the above. Clear
instructions help the team get things right the first time.

Number 2: Make use of Presentations.

When images and sounds are used to convey messages, some people have an easier
time understanding them. When using presentations like Microsoft PowerPoint to
communicate with the team, they will be able to refer back to it if they are unsure about
something.

Number 3: Mumbling should be avoided.

Colleagues should be able to clearly hear each other. When communicating with them,
try to speak clearly and without mumbling words as much as possible. One may assume that
they are clear on the subject if you mumble words or speak too quickly. But, in reality, they
might not be. It also demonstrates a lack of self-assurance on one’s part.

Number 4: Establish an Open Environment.

To improve communication, make sure the team members feel comfortable

approaching higher ups when they have a problem, made a mistake, or have a question.
Everyone already heard the phrase "my door is always open," but it is not always easy to
keep that promise when the team is dispersed all over the world. Making it clear to the team
that they can contact higher ups for anything, whether in person or via video call, will make
them feel at ease and create an open communication environment.

Number 5: Considering oneself grateful.

Always remember to thank all the listeners for their time after each communication
session, regardless of the method you choose. It will not cost you anything and is merely a
courtesy. Keep in mind that the purpose of working as a team is to share ideas and increase
productivity. When effective communication in the workplace is hampered, the entire effort
can be derailed.

Every employee, higher or not, must work hard at these communication tactics
and establish ground rules to keep everyone informed, which helps to avoid confusion and
ensures the project's completion with ease.
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