The power of effective internal communications
Internal communications shouldn’t be an afterthought. There is a significant amount of time and effort that goes into creating, implementing and maintaining an effective internal communications strategy.
Internal communications may not get the same level of glory as external communications, but it doesn’t make it less important. There are a number of reasons why prioritizing this audience is mission critical to an organization.
Let’s start with a key metric for success that continues to grow: employee engagement. Measuring engagement levels among staff can coincide with employee productivity, and ultimately, company profitability. And while the value of engagement is apparent, companies still struggle to maintain it, let alone increase it. In a Gallup survey on employee engagement, it found that “engaged” workers in the U.S., comprising of those highly involved and enthusiastic about their work and organization, had reached 38%. That number might seem small, but it’s the highest mark reached since Gallup began tracking in 2000. Even so, that leaves 62% of employees either not engaged or, worse, actively disengaged.
Employee engagement represents the relationship between a company and its employees. As is the case with personal relationships, conflict and animosity are more apt to rear their ugly heads when there is a lack of communication. And while there’s no exact science to increasing this employee engagement, the link between engagement and effective internal communications is becoming clearer and clearer.
A well-thought-out and inclusive internal communications plan might not solve all of your engagement problems, but it’s a good first step. When thinking about your plan and where to start, don’t complicate things. Whether it’s starting a short monthly newsletter with organizational updates and staff spotlights or a bi-monthly video series with updates from the C-Suite, it doesn’t matter how big or small a step you take. What is important is that you start!
At Hodges, for example, we have a number of internal communications tools in place. And the most powerful one may also be the simplest. Each week at Hodges culminates with Plays of the Week, which is a rundown of our biggest wins of the week. We may be a small agency, but because of unofficial teams leaning more into earned, owned or paid accounts, we can sometimes miss really great work if it’s happening on the other side of the office. With Plays of the Week, we’re able to get a glimpse into each other’s world and celebrate successes as a collective. Not only is this a great tool for employee engagement, but it also pushes people to strive to be their best on a daily basis.
In the world of public relations and communications, there is no perfect way to do things. While there are certainly best practices, almost all practitioners have their own unique style and way of doing things. So too is the case in the realm of internal communications, and that’s important to remember when getting started. If your organization needs help getting its internal communications plan off the ground, we’re here to help.
This blog post was originally published in June 2021. It has been updated and republished to keep you up to date.
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