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Job Seekers’ Views on Workplace Communication—Employment Insights from Express

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Illustration of two people standing and talking, each holding a tablet. Speech bubbles with ellipses appear above their heads, indicating conversation. The background is light pink with abstract shapes and decorative plants.

Express Employment Professionals’ America Employed and Canada Employed series explore the state of employment in North America, including everything from hiring expectations and HR challenges to job seekers’ optimism and shrinking the skills gap. Learn about the latest insights uncovered in a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey. 

Job seekers in the U.S. and Canada acknowledge the significance of workplace communication in cultivating a positive relationship with their supervisor. However, the degree of comfort in this communication varies across different generations of job seekers.

Most U.S. job seekers find it easy to set professional boundaries (80%), receive constructive feedback from managers (76%) and be upfront about issues with their supervisors (68%). However, only 45% feel comfortable discussing personal issues affecting their work with their managers.

The survey revealed:

  • Nearly 3 in 4 employed U.S. job seekers (72%) believe their company fosters a safe and trusting environment that encourages honest communication.
  • Gen Z and millennials are at the forefront, showing significantly more confidence in workplace communication than their Gen X counterparts (76% and 77% vs. 62%, respectively).
Infographic titled 'Job Seekers Can Easily:' with four statistics about workplace communication. 80% can set professional boundaries so work isn’t impacted by personal issues. 76% can receive constructive criticism from a supervisor. 68% can be honest with a supervisor about company concerns. 45% can discuss personal issues impacting work with a supervisor. Source: Job Seeker Report by Express Employment International, survey conducted May 28–June 10, 2024 among 1,002 U.S. adults.

Canadian job seekers said they find it easy to receive constructive feedback from managers (76%), to set professional boundaries so work is not impacted by personal issues (73%) and be upfront about issues they have with their company (63%).

According to the survey:

  • Notably, 15% of employed job seekers don’t feel they can speak candidly to anyone at their job about concerns or issues regarding their employer. This is of concern because employees that feel they can speak honestly at work also report being more productive.
  • Only 40% feel comfortable discussing personal issues that are affecting their work with their managers. This varies by generation, with Gen Z being the most likely to feel comfortable discussing personal issues (46%) and Gen X being the least likely (37%).
Infographic titled 'Job Seekers Can Easily:' with four statistics about workplace communication. 76% can receive constructive criticism from a supervisor. 73% can set professional boundaries so work isn’t impacted by personal issues. 63% can be honest with a supervisor about company concerns. 40% can discuss personal issues impacting work with a supervisor. Source: Job Seeker Report by Express Employment International, survey conducted May 28–June 10, 2024 among 505 Canadian adults.

Read more about the latest employment insights in America Employed at ExpressPros.com and Canada Employed at ExpressPros.ca. 

Last Updated on October 29, 2025

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