Attitudes about internal communication shift as employer-worker relationship is redefined

Although internal communication is always critical, it has taken on heightened importance since the pandemic began.

“No one could have predicted that we would experience a third consecutive year of significant change, especially one that further influenced a deep shift in personal and organizational priorities,” according to the latest State of the Sector report from Gallagher. “From war to inflation, global events have affected each of us individually, leaving internal communicators with a tough terrain to navigate.”

Nine themes emerged from the latest survey of internal communication and HR professionals:

• The rise of culture and belonging. Three-fourths of respondents said the purpose of internal communication is to support culture and belonging. Internal communication was always first and foremost about communicating strategy and creating alignment around an organization’s vision and purpose. Although this still is true, the need to shape culture and create a sense of belonging has become much more prevalent.
• A shift away from channels. A focus on refreshing internal communication strategy suggests communicators still feel a need to recalibrate what they do. After two years of focusing on channels (how they communicate), organizations seem to be taking a broader view of the ways that internal communication supports the business (the why and the what).
• Being a force for good. Although 41% said they have a clear ESG strategy in place, most organizations still are struggling to strategically deploy ESG communications and share their views on sustainability. They instead choose to focus exclusively on diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Reinventing the employee-employer relationship. More than half of respondents have started to revisit their employee value proposition. Existing EVPs have limited effects, because only just over half rated employee understanding of compensation, rewards and benefits as excellent or good.
• In search of authenticity. Although 45% of respondents believe they can influence what gets communicated, only 35% feel empowered to inject more personality into their messaging, with many experiencing significant resistance to creativity and humor.
• Blame the tech. Forty-six percent believe their organization does not invest enough in communication technology. Overall, the gap between the promise of digital innovation and the reality of the digital experience faced by employees continues to widen.
• The untapped power of people managers. One-third still view their people managers as a cascade channel. Some progress has been made, with 56% recognizing them as having an active role in communication.
• Communicating change. Although there are pockets of good practice, such as designing a long-term vision for change and creating a visual identity for change programs, a significant portion of organizations fail to articulate their change narrative or understand its impact on different audiences.
• Back to square one? Demonstrating return on investment was the No. 1 reason for measuring communication. Some signs suggest a return to old habits.

Related: 6 best practices for effective open enrollment communications   

“Internal communication has become all the more important, with practitioners gaining greater influence,” the report says. “What’s more, recent events have presented a prime opportunity to pause and rethink the very purpose of internal communication, the role it plays and the role it should be playing in supporting the organizational wellbeing within an ever-changing employee landscape where it counts.”