More and more people are following the quiet quitting strategy, companies are not happy

Corvinus researchers and their international colleagues have developed an innovative scale to measure the impact of negative Organizational Internal Communication. The experts found that inadequate internal communication significantly impacts employee loyalty and quiet quitting intentions in Hungarian Enterprises.  

The study seeks to measure the perspectives of employee on the lack of effectiveness, manipulation, and miscommunication when interacting within the workplace. The study, conducted by Prof. Amitabh Anand from Excelia Business School and a Fellow of Corvinus Institute of Advanced Studies of Corvinus University, Budapest in collaboration with colleagues from HSE University Moscow, Ms. Elena Sinitsyna, Prof. Sándor Takács from Corvinus University, and Prof. Sergey Kazakov from the University of Alcala, Spain, demonstrated the substantial influence of inadequate internal communication on employee loyalty and its potential to result in quiet quitting – a phenomenon seem to have gained traction post pandemic.  

Inadequate, manipulative, misleading? 

The authors developed a strong, reliable 15-item scientific scale that underwent thorough statistical validation. To measure the different levels of inadequate, manipulative, and misleading organizational internal communication, interviews were conducted with practitioners and researchers on the subject, and a questionnaire survey was carried out among employees of Hungarian companies. Based on these, a 15-item scale was developed, which indicates the levels of inadequate organizational communication from the employees’ point of view. The lowest level is when an employee feels that his or her employer is not communicating the values and norms of the organization properly, and the most radical level is when an employee admits that he or she cannot control his or her temper because of the misleading internal communication at work. 

The study’s results demonstrate that inadequate communication can result: 

• in misconceptions and disengagement,  
• manipulative communication can undermine trust,  
• and miscommunication can lead to conflict and unhappiness among employees. 

These adverse consequences not only detrimentally affect the well-being of employees but also impede the efficacy and production of the firm. 

“This study is particularly significant in the context of Hungarian organizations due to the cultural emphasis on direct and unambiguous communication. The Hungarian business climate, renowned for its emphasis on transparency and consistency in communication, offers a distinctive context for investigating the impact of negative aspects of internal communication on employees”

– added Prof. Amitabh Anand.  

By utilizing this recently created scientific instrument, Hungarian organizations may gain a more comprehensive understanding of and effectively tackle communication challenges that could potentially result in reduced employee engagement and productivity. This study emphasizes the significance of efficient internal communication (IC) in preserving employee morale and trust. It provides managers and HR experts with a crucial tool to boost corporate communication strategies and overall performance.