Internal communications. To some, they’re a necessary evil; to others they’re the essential, luxurious oil that keeps the cogs turning. To us, there’s nothing evil about internal comms, we actually think IC is quite fun…
With practices in the workplace evolving massively over the past two years, internal comms is set for a reset. Something that can really make or break this though, is who has control over your strategy.
Some businesses go from the top-dog down, while others leave it all to HR or, if you have one, your comms team. Ideally, internal comms should actually be a company-wide effort.
Everyone must have a say when it comes to internal comms, and while it feels like this may be a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, it’s actually the opposite. If at least one person from each department inputs any important happenings or messages, you’re essentially giving everyone a voice and promoting engagement. After all, a study by Gallop has revealed that 83% of employees are either disengaged or have doubts about their employer, and this disengagement costs the UK around £52-£70 billion due to lost productivity.
You might find it beneficial to play around with the layout. Switch up formats and try a newsletter or breaks comms down into departmental segments. From there, there needs to be one person that’s in charge of getting everything in order and making sure everything’s set before sending these comms out. This is where HR can be the best department for the job.
You may garner more interest or believe comms hold more gravity if they come from the head of the company, and this is true in a lot of cases, but HR are the ones who traditionally distribute key internal messages. That’s what IC is.
Simultaneously, HR have insight into one important factor - retention strategies. To retain employees, you need to keep engagement levels high and good internal comms are your ticket to this. Traditionally, it’s HR that send out key internal messages regarding new processes and admin announcements. Therefore, employees are more likely to open and respond to their emails.
Your best bet for effective handling of internal comms is having your HR department take care of planning and distribution, while making sure every single department is given a voice. As always, remember to make your comms effective, to the point and enjoyable to read where possible.
If you’re part of the 60% of companies who don’t have a long-term internal comms strategy, now is the time to put one in place! It’s not just a weekly newsletter to keep everyone in the loop with who’s doing what, it’s the perfect way to distribute vital messages (like new working practices), boost morale (it’s always great to practice your best jokes) and increase employee contribution to name a few.
Drop us an email at anythingspossible@drpgroup.com or call us on 0207 937 8057 and together we can craft effective comms that not only sound good, but do good too.