4 Strategies to Overcome Miscommunication at the Workplace

Effective communication training and leadership alignment can significantly decrease miscommunication in the workplace. Research from leading business communication studies shows that organizations with strong internal communication practices experience substantially higher productivity, more successful deal closures, and reduced operational costs.

Poor communication between teams and teammates leads to 41% reduced productivity and 26% missed deadlines. These factors ultimately hurt your bottom line because of lost work progress and opportunities.

To make up for these losses, you can plan and implement the suggested strategies for your company. Increase productivity again, hit your project marks, and be on your way toward organizational success.

Key Takeaways

• A Significant Drain on Productivity and Deadlines: Workplace miscommunication is a serious issue with tangible negative outcomes. Research shows it can lead to a 41% reduction in productivity and a 26% increase in missed deadlines, directly impacting a company’s bottom line.
• Caused by a Lack of Clear Systems: While personality differences can play a role, the two most common root causes of team communication breakdowns are systemic. These are information silos, where information is not shared openly between departments, and unclear communication channels, where there are no established rules for who communicates what, and where.
• A Proactive, Training-Based Approach is the Solution: Overcoming miscommunication requires deliberate action. Key strategies include training employees on communication etiquette, especially for digital platforms; teaching them to proofread their messages for clarity and tone; and ensuring that leaders align teams vertically through regular and consistent check-in meetings.
• The Right Tools and Talent are Key Enablers: Technology can significantly reduce miscommunication. Implementing tools like centralized communication hubs, cloud-based documentation platforms, and project management software creates clarity and a single source of truth. For global teams, hiring talent with high English proficiency, such as professionals from the Philippines, is also a key part of the solution.

What Is an Example of Miscommunication at Work?

Miscommunication in the workplace manifests in various ways. A common example occurs when a manager assigns a project with an “urgent” deadline without specifying the exact date, leading team members to interpret urgency differently, some assuming it’s needed by end of day, others by end of week.

Another frequent scenario involves email chains where crucial context gets lost. An employee might respond to only part of a multi-point message, causing confusion about project scope or requirements. Digital communication platforms, while efficient, often strip away tone and context that face-to-face conversations naturally provide.

Meeting miscommunications also plague workplaces when action items lack clear ownership. Phrases like “someone should handle this” or “we need to follow up” leave responsibilities unclear, resulting in duplicated efforts or missed tasks entirely.

Causes of Miscommunication

Miscommunication between employees and teams can happen in person or digitally. However, studies show that digital miscommunication, especially for hybrid or fully remote teams, is the most common. In fact, based on a study by Preply, miscommunication occurs in particular communication channels as follows:

• Email: 87%
• Text Messaging: 80%
• Direct Messaging: 79%
• Phone Calls: 71%
• Video Messaging: 67%

These communication breakdowns stem from identifiable causes that organizations can address through targeted interventions. The common causes of miscommunication in the workplace, whether in-person or digital, are:

1. Personality Differences

Each individual employee has a different personality. A mix of different personalities, especially strong ones, may sometimes lead to reductions in productivity and collaboration. Even if behavior may be unintentional, if personalities cause misunderstandings between team members, mutual engagement may be affected, and the misunderstanding may stall the team’s progress.

2. Unresolved Issues

Whether personal or between team members, problems that are swept under the rug will keep coming up. An initial misunderstanding can lead to several more. These unresolved problems can only hamper collaboration, halting good progress on any work being done.

3. Problematic Connections

Another common cause of miscommunication is a dysfunctional relationship that may develop due to an incompatible mix of personalities. These relationships will give rise to conflicts more often than not, affecting the efficiency of teams and members. Dysfunctionality may also spread like a sickness and lower morale, causing conflicts between other employees.

4. Interrupted Communication Lines

Decisions come from the top, but it takes subordinates to pass the message on to other team members. However, when communication lines are interrupted, similar to a “Telephone” game, the original message may take on a different shape, leading to misunderstandings. Misunderstandings then lead to reduced innovation, inefficient implementation of strategies, and unproductive work.

5. Uncommunicated Changes

Companies must grow in order to hit organizational goals. However, unexpected changes may cause disconnection among employees. A new strategy, a new technology, a new policy, a new hire—these changes may disrupt the current workflows of teams. A vague plan without a clear communication mechanism will only disturb employees, leading to lowered productivity, anxiety, and slower progress toward company targets.

What Are the Two Most Common Causes of Team Communication Breakdowns?

Research consistently identifies two primary drivers of team communication breakdowns in modern workplaces.

Information Silos represent the most prevalent cause, occurring when departments or team members hoard information rather than sharing it transparently. These silos develop organically as teams become focused on their specific functions, inadvertently creating barriers that prevent crucial information from flowing across the organization.

Unclear Communication Channels rank as the second most common cause. When teams lack established protocols for who communicates what information, when, and through which medium, messages often get lost, delayed, or misinterpreted. This becomes particularly problematic in hybrid work environments where face-to-face clarification opportunities are limited.

Both issues compound each other: unclear channels often reinforce silo behavior, while information hoarding makes it even harder to establish effective communication protocols.

What Does Poor Communication in the Workplace Lead to?

Poor communication in the workplace creates a cascade of negative outcomes that directly impact business performance. Beyond the 41% productivity reduction and 26% increase in missed deadlines mentioned earlier, inadequate communication leads to several critical consequences.

Employee disengagement rises significantly when team members feel uninformed or misunderstood. This disconnect often results in higher turnover rates, as workers seek environments with clearer communication channels and better alignment with leadership.

Customer satisfaction also suffers when internal miscommunication affects service delivery. Mixed messages between departments can lead to inconsistent customer experiences, damaged relationships, and lost revenue opportunities.

Financial implications extend beyond immediate productivity losses. Companies with poor communication practices typically experience increased operational costs due to rework, extended project timelines, and resource misallocation. The cumulative effect can seriously impact competitive positioning and long-term sustainability.

How to Prevent Miscommunication in the Workplace

Any of the five examples of miscommunication in the workplace above may be present in your company. They may be the cause of piling workloads and slower work paces. To restart and revitalize your teams, you can implement any of the following initiatives to improve communication between your employees.

1. Teach Communication Etiquette

Focus employee training on proper communication etiquette, especially as applied to instant messaging channels. Neutral and respectful ways of communicating help decrease disturbances and interruptions to others, preserving productivity.

Teach your employees to think before they send any message. Let them ask the following questions:

• Is this message required? Can I find the answers to my questions or concerns without having to ask others?
• If it is required, is it urgent, or can I send this at a later time? If it is not urgent, at what later time are others more readily available to receive it?
• Through which channel can this message be best sent?

By asking these questions, effective communication may be promoted, and misunderstandings decreased. As a result of effective communication, you can make your teams 70% more productive.

2. Train Employees to Proofread

Nuance is completely removed from digital communication platforms without careful wording. As a result, the miscommunications through digital channels, as discovered by Preply, occur. However, simple proofreading is one way to avoid miscommunication.

Establish a checklist for employees to follow when communicating. Managers and leaders can have their team members go through the following questions:

• Is there clarity regarding the intended and actual message? 
• Was careful wording applied to establish an acceptable digital tone?
• Is there a better way for the message to be communicated?

With this evaluative checklist, your employees may send clear and emotionally neutral messages, decreasing time spent deciphering the meaning of messages and increasing collaboration.

3. Align Teams Vertically

Miscommunication between team members and leaders may also lead to unproductive work and lost collaboration. To remedy this, your leaders must regularly check in with their teams and individual members. Once a week may be enough for the entire team. Tiny catch-ups with team members, especially for clarifications, may be good at least once a day as well. When done correctly, employees with more information from leaders work 77% more productively.

4. Hire Highly Proficient English Speakers

English may be one universal language, yet not everyone speaks English at the level that native speakers can. On the other hand, Filipinos boast a high proficiency level in English along with collaborative and empathic power skills. These talents have been the reason why the Philippines is the go-to for a number of outsourced jobs.

At the same time, many Filipino professionals work remotely, making them well-versed in remote communication. Experience with digital communication platforms has made Philippine remote workers adept at effective communication. A third bonus is the cost savings of having a remote Filipino team member. Estimate the amount of savings you can enjoy using an offshoring calculator.

Tools that Help Address Miscommunication

1. Communication and Collaboration Hubs

Combine messaging capability with additional features such as file sharing, video conferencing, and software integrations. With a centralized hub, you can have an accessible communication channel that also helps with efficient working. No need to use third-party apps to do other important communication tasks.

2. Cloud-Based Documentation Platform

Collaborative work on documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and other file outputs becomes easier to do with a cloud-based documentation platform. With version history, each collaborator can keep track of changes, make comments on the same file, and help colleagues with the task at hand.

3. Project Management Software

You can easily get lost in the deadlines, projects, and tasks you and your employees have to do. To keep track of everything and stay on top of everyone, use project management software. It can help you organize all the work in an orderly fashion, while keeping progress by teams and individual workers visible.

Knowledge Center

Company and team knowledge will be communicated faster and more easily using a knowledge center. Keep all kinds of relevant information in one place that teams and workers can access. In return, questions about this foundational information may be reduced.

Cut Down Miscommunication for 70% More Productivity

Miscommunication can hamper the progress of teams and the company as a whole. These often stem from a number of factors such as personalities, relationships, and change. However, by implementing comprehensive communication training, establishing regular alignment sessions between leaders and team members, and creating clear communication protocols, you can significantly reduce miscommunication rates and accelerate progress toward organizational goals.

Building Strong Communication with Remote Teams

Implementing these communication strategies becomes even more critical when expanding your team internationally. Whether you’re considering offshore talent or building distributed teams, establishing clear communication protocols from day one ensures seamless collaboration across time zones and cultures.

If you’re exploring how to build effective remote teams while maintaining strong communication standards, our team specializes in helping companies navigate these challenges successfully. Learn more about building your international team with proper communication frameworks in place.

Frequently Asked Questions