If you only think of internal communications as a means to organise meetings and send progress updates we’ve got news. Times and expectations have changed.
According to research by Censuswide for Hanover Communication, internal communications is now a corporate priority. Get this right and your business stands to benefit no end. Fail and the fallout could be huge.
The facts and stats
The Censuswide/Hanover study of 125 C-suite respondents found that…
*80% see internal communications as more important than 12 months ago
*99% consider employee engagement to be vital for a healthy company— read our recent post to find out why
*84% have a strategy in place to boost employee engagement over the next year
The importance of good internal communications
To fully grasp why internal communications is so important think hypothetically. And by that we mean worst case scenarios.
Every employee is a brand spokesperson. They have access to a vast audience through social media channels, so what they say about the business digitally can have huge repercussions.
So strong internal communications are essential. They ensure everyone on the payroll understands their influence and power. It also means they know what’s expected of them when discussing their work.
Take BuzzFeed, for example. Staff are asked to avoid partisan and bias statements on social channels which could impact on the company’s reputation. It’s also a requirement that everyone in the office adheres to the same policies for personal social accounts as the company’s official profiles.
This sounds restrictive, but as a media brand, employing communications professionals, everyone should understand the need to be on the same page. The alternative poses a huge risk— one rogue comment from someone linked to the firm could ignite a wildfire.
Internal communications as a link to external
Taking this into account it doesn’t require a genius to see internal communications are intrinsically linked to external. As such we need to make sure that staff know not only what outbound sentiment should be like, but also how the brand views and communicates with its customers reflects overall values.
Internal communications also inspire, and that’s equality important
Internal communications aren’t simply a means to keep staff in with the party line, though. If people don’t understand the direction, personality, passions and beliefs of a company it’s not good for anyone.
By clearly spreading this information you stand a far better chance of increasing the level of engagement amongst employees. Most of us perform better, and enjoy our days more, when we know how those efforts fit in the bigger picture. We understand why decisions are being made and the part we have played in those decisions.