Too often most of the efforts of a communication department go toward external communications, leaving the internal side of things falling into a gray area sometimes undertaken by HR. While there is a crossover between these two departments’ functions in many organizations, if a communication department wants to truly be effective, it has to consider employee communication as a core component of its strategy.
Communicating effectively with employees has several valuable outcomes if done correctly:
1. Increase employee trust and loyalty
2. Create cohesion across departments and different regions
3. Better marketing of products and services by employees
4. Alignment on company-wide strategy thus a more profitable organization
But before you undertake any internal communication initiative, you need to ask yourself some important questions in order to begin developing your strategy.
1. How does management usually communicate with employees?
2. When they do communicate, are they trusted?
3. Do employees get the right information?
As part of this strategy, you must operate based on values that will serve as the guiding principles for all your internal communications:
- Respectful communication
- Open to honest feedback without fear of punishment
- Recognizing success and giving credit for accomplishments
- Encouraging people to speak up and participate
- Making management visible and closer to employees
- Prioritize internal over external communication — your employees should know things before the public
- Be clear and always be honest
With the help of technology and workplace tools you can make good on your internal communication commitments by applying these tactics:
Studies and Surveys
Just like you would conduct focus groups and post-campaign reports with an external audience, you should do the same with your employees on company-wide or department initiatives. This will help you make strategic decisions about your communications as well as your operations.
Digital Content
Regular newsletters, blogs, and social content will help you communicate and engage with your employees consistently. Employees have the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences with the whole organization with curated content.
Intranet
The intranet is a valuable resource for communication professionals. It can be so much more than a place for employees to submit vacation requests or check HR information. You can brand the intranet to communicate the company culture and market your initiatives. By linking it to employee’s personal lives, you can create a portal where they can go to get corporate discounts and offers, similar to a virtual bulletin board to keep employees regularly checking the intranet. Ask your senior management to show employees that they are on the platform too and further promote its use. The intranet is also a great platform for video messages from executives to communicate important information for all employees.
Annual and Sustainability Reports
Annual and sustainability reports can be more than tools for financial disclosures. Remember that many employees in your organization use these reports as a reference in the course of their work, so make sure you use them to their fullest potential. The CEO’s letter should thank the employees as well as show business highlights of different divisions. Make sure you put an emphasis on your people in these reports to show them that their work is appreciated and valued as part of the company’s major accomplishments.
Town Hall Meetings
To live up to your promise of being a transparent company that cares about its employees, you must be ready to face them and hear them out in a town hall format. Creating a sense of true commitment will strengthen employee satisfaction and create a sense of unity.
Meetings
The best way for employees to feel connected to their organization is to have face time with their management periodically. Monthly or quarterly reviews are not enough. Departments should meet regularly to discuss the strategic direction of their department to align on objectives as well as motivate every team member.
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Organizations struggle with rumors, unmotivated employees, infighting, and the dreaded “silo syndrome” with each department working on its own without knowing what the other is doing. The best way to treat these problems is with honest and engaging internal communications that are backed up by a true commitment from management.
While external communications may seem more glamorous and high-profile, internal communication is just as important, if not more. Having your employees in on a major announcement or product launch ahead of going public further increases trust and builds up unity within your organization. Your employees are brand ambassadors and also sell and market your products on their own, so invest in them to further increase your marketing ROI.
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