Front line supervisors are employees preferred source of communication, right?

Research by Angela D. Sinickas, demonstrates that front line supervisors are not always the preferred source of communication within an organisation. The preferred source for receiving communication changes depending on the information to be communicated.


Sinickas outlines that a soundly designed communication audit should ask:
  • Which source of communication is currently your primary source of company information on X?
  • Which source of communication is your preferred primary source of information on Y?
The X and Y should include but is not limited to company objectives? Department goals? Quality improvement? Benefits? Safety? Company financial situation? Reasons behind decisions? New products or services? What the competition is doing? News from other locations and departments? People changes and recognition? Other subjects that are important only at your own company?


When the questions are asked individually by subject the choices of preferred methods of communication vary depending on the topic being discussed. In general front-line supervisors are the preferred source of "my job" level issues while top management are the preferred source on issues they don’t believe their managers will have the full insights into.

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