As teams are becoming more dispersed, the tone of written business communication is becoming increasingly important, according to recent research from Grammarly.
The report was based on data from a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Grammarly from October 14 to 31, 2022, among 1,001 knowledge workers and 251 business leaders.
Some 72% of business leaders and 53% of knowledge workers say they have been paying more attention lately to the tone of the messages they receive from people within their organization rather than what is being communicated.
Moreover, 62% of workers say they respond more quickly if a request has a positive tone and 48% say they deliver higher-quality work.
The more displaced a team is, the more tone matters: Remote workers are 11% more likely to say they perceive a sender more positively if the communication has a positive tone.
Both business leaders and knowledge workers rank tone as the second-most important element of communication.
Certain groups of employees—such as those who are Gen Z, LGBTQ, and neurodivergent—are less likely to say their company's communication is effective compared with workers overall.
About the research: The report was based on data from a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Grammarly Business from October 14 to 31, 2022, among 1,001 knowledge workers and 251 business leaders.
