Internal Communication is Important Now More Than Ever

By Vicki Bohlsen, President

“Internal Communication is the sharing of information – company goals, values, messages and policies – to the stakeholders of an organization. The goal should be to inform, include and inspire.”

Internal communication is the heartbeat of a company and now, more than ever, organizations should review “best practices.” From a pandemic that dragged on for two years, a confusing election, social injustices, the Ukraine invasion and plenty more, people are feeling anxious and uncertain; their work place should be a safe place to land whether it is performed in-person, fully remote or something in between. You don’t want members of your team to become part of the #greatresignation.

To get started, an assessment of your current communication streams should take place to determine the ways that are working. Perhaps this is a good time to submit a survey to stakeholders to gather feedback. 

You may have to craft messages differently depending on the audience and should do so with a survey as well. Do you have those audiences (employees, investors, shareholders, board members, management) segmented?  

Feedback gathered – whether through a survey or, even better, one-on-one – should include questions on career, financial, social health and mental and physical well-being needs and desires. Take advantage of this assessment to see if you are meeting the needs of your team.

Once feedback is received, a management review should take place so that a realistic process and timeline for systems change and regular communication can be developed. Have you worked the internal approval process into the plan and timeline?

Don’t be shy about communicating the goals and objectives of an internal communications plan to your stakeholders at the onset and throughout the process. It will show that you are committed to their input and participation in creating an engaging workplace that you hope will support, motivate, reduce conflict, build relationships, and maintain mutual trust and respect.

Bottom Line: 

Creating a culture of inclusivity and well-being, with clear and open communication, is imperative. Don’t be afraid of process and system changes to create the healthiest workplace culture possible. Doing so can create higher productivity and increase employee acquisition.

Best Case Scenario:

Healthy and happy stakeholders can emerge as the most important voice of your organization, ensuring authenticity when connecting with prospects, customers and new hires.