With internal communications playing a huge role in the success of businesses it’s important that they are using the correct tools, channels and tactics needed to create the best internal communications strategy.
With the pandemic causing a huge shift in the way we’re responding to the future of work, the question begs… What is next for Internal Communications in the new working world?
With remote and flexible work here to stay and the need to create a memorable employee experience, organisations must prioritise communication strategies that keep each and every employee engaged, and up to date with company information and resources they need to excel in their job role.
No matter if an employee is office based and in the office, five days a week, chooses to work remotely full time or is a frontline worker, you need to be working out the best strategy that will enhance communication and their individual employee experience.
Importance of good internal communication
Communication is everything, especially within your business. By taking control of your internal communications and curating a strategy with the right tone of voice and messaging you’ll not only connect your employees but it will provide them with a sense of purpose and improve employee retention and productivity.
Employees will feel clear on exactly where they need to go to receive the correct company information which makes communication honest and easy. Plus, it’ll help to enhance your company culture digitally, as well as in the office and gives each and every employee a voice where they can interact with what happens within the business.
10 types of internal communications
So what methods of internal communication are available to you? We have a list that many organisations are choosing to adopt.
Intranet
Having a company intranet is like having your own personal social media app for your company and everyone in it. Internal communications is all about engaging your employees using certain tools, methods and messaging and a specified digital workspace is perfect for that.
Having an intranet comes with a whole host of benefits:
- Improved collaboration
- Consistent branding
- Advanced document management
- Instant information sharing
- Employee recognition software
With an Oak Engage intranet, you’ll have busy timelines, hubs and communities, spaces for teams and projects, employee recognition software, content management and more. Check out some of our features here.
Employee app
Employees should be able to access information anytime, anywhere no matter their job role. With the rise of remote and flexible working, employees are no longer confined to the same four office walls and a desk. Certain employees might also not have access to emails at certain times. This is why having an employee app is a brilliant solution for keeping all employees on the same page and up to date with any information and news.
Podcast
Podcasts are steadily becoming one of the most popular forms of audio entertainment, so why not communicate to your employees via an internal podcast?
If your employees don’t seem to be reading emails or watching videos, then offering them a podcast that they can listen to in the background could be the golden ticket to engagement.
But what to podcast about? You could record monthly business updates and news, talk about achievements per quarter or you could use a podcast for onboarding new employees. There are so many ways to utilise podcasts in your internal communications and they’re great for sending out a unified message.
Internal newsletter
This can be a tricky one to master, many company letters go unopened - 34% of them in fact. But if done right, it can be a great way of engaging your employees and a reliable and consistent form of internal communication. Newsletters should focus on creating something valuable and engaging for your employees. Make sure the content is employee focused and relates to their role.
Need some ideas for content? People love recognition so you could have employee spotlight features, employee success stories and even introducing new members of the company. You could even have employees contribute to the newsletter, get employees to share their top productivity tips, their achievements for the week or a tour of their home office set up!
Get everyone in the company involved by including interactive elements like polls and shareable content. The secret is getting an emotional response out of your employees - focus on making your newsletter fun, inspiring and rewarding.
Leadership communication
Senior leaders are responsible for setting the tone for a company's culture and leading the direction of the business and therefore it’s essential that they’re visible and heard by each and every employee. In bigger businesses where certain employees might not meet any senior leaders, it's important to encourage them to be visible to create a sense of connection and unity for employees.
This is especially true of CEOs who must be more present to communicate the company’s vision and goals in a transparent way. So as an Internal Communicator how can you encourage leadership communication?
- Choose topics for senior communication that are in line with the company’s goals and strategy.
- Develop special content formats and post them consistently. Q&As, discussion groups, and weekly video updates are all great ways of communicating and ensuring employees feel heard and connected.
- Encourage personality. We’re all human and the more personality and emotion we can see in the workplace, the bigger the emotional connection..
Company updates
How do you announce company updates? Do you send a company wide email, hold a town hall meeting or inform managers and let them pass on the information. It’s essential that company updates reach all your employees. Is an email or town hall meeting the best way to share news with your frontline workers? If managers are passing on information how do you know that they’re conveying the message the right way?
You need to ensure that whatever form of communication you’re using to share company updates is reaching every employee no matter their job role. A company intranet is perfect for sharing information. Employees can get real time updates on their timeline and push notifications and mandatory reads mean that you can ensure every employee receives your message loud and clear.
Diversity and Inclusion communication
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) programmes are not enough on their own to create an inclusive workplace, there must be leadership buy-in and consistent reinforcement of Diversity & Inclusion. So how can you show that you value diversity and inclusion and use it to educate and show you value your employees?
Communicate the value that diversity and inclusion bring to the workplace:
Having a diverse workforce encourages new ideas, collaboration and a variety of perspectives. The Economist found that D&I promotes better satisfaction, talent management and corporate reputation. Leaders need to communicate these benefits and tie it into the organisational mission, values and vision.
Be inclusive with your messaging:
Diversity and inclusion messaging need to be curated with care. Keep it simple and avoid any jargon, acronyms, idioms or other specialised languages so that the message is clear to every employee.
Have conversations about what diversity looks like:
Don’t talk the talk if you’re not walking the walk. Lead by example and ensure all your policies and organisational structure support your diversity and inclusion efforts, this will solidify your communication and show people that it’s important. Leaders must communicate how diversity and inclusion comes into play within the business and keep employees updated on all D&I initiatives.
Onboarding and support
Companies that have an engaging onboarding programme retain 91% of their first year workers and employees who go through a well structured onboarding programme are 69% more likely to stay with their company for up to three years!
First impressions have a lasting impact and onboarding is the first impression that your employee will have of working with your company. Establishing a good foundation of Internal Communication for prospective employees can make or break your retention rates.
An Oak Engage Intranet comes with the ability to create specialised hubs for onboarding employees full of new starter information, onboarding sessions, learning resources and toolkits, links to company information and a place where they can ask questions and become familiar with company policies and processes. Having this one stop shop makes everything clear to new employees and means they can interact with other new employees and explore the intranet.
Employee recognition
Employee recognition is one of the most powerful communication tools you can utilise. It keeps staff motivated and shows your employees that you value them highly. You need to be showing your employees that you appreciate their hard work, 44% of employees switch jobs because they’re not getting enough recognition.
Recognise your employees in 1:1 meetings, highlight their achievements in company wide meetings and show them appreciation using employee recognition tools. Oak Engage has in-built employee recognition tools so you can send your appreciation to any employee instantly, all within your Intranet.
Peer–to-peer communication
Peer to peer communication is great because it gives employees the opportunity to hone communication skills with one another and the wider workforce. Sharing information, answering questions and offering feedback to one another can improve productivity and collaboration levels as well as bring more energy and empowerment to the workplace.
As the number of employees working remotely remains a reality, having a socially based feedback system is excellent as it encourages a quicker workflow and autonomy between teams and the innovation from gaining a larger amount of feedback is excellent for generating new ideas and creating high quality work.
Oak Engages people directory makes it super easy to connect with anyone in the business when you need information or just want to connect with someone in the business.
By using a variety of internal communications strategies and tactics within your business you’ll create a strong company culture, engage your employees and ensure everyone is always kept in the loop with what’s happening in your business.
What internal communications strategies work for you and your company? Let us know on LinkedIn and Twitter.
