As many are recovering from the pandemic, many leaders are putting their employees first.
Every great leader knows that employees are the beating heart of any business, and reliable internal communications keep it alive and pumping. Effective internal communication within a company helps ensure that all organization members work collaboratively towards a common goal. It develops a cohesive culture, empowering employees to make the right decisions according to the organization’s goals and values. This, in turn, leads to higher productivity and can even improve customer service. If your employees’ attitudes and performance reflect these values, you know you are doing something right.
The types of internal communications
- Vertical communication – Communication between employees in diverse higher positions.
2. Downward communication – Communication between managers, leaders, and employees.
3. Upward communication – Communication from employees to the leaders and managers. Horizontal communication – Communication between individuals on the same level (example: managers with managers or higher-ups).
Reasons to embrace internal communications
In today’s complex environment, an organization’s team members must understand and live the brand promise. Here are a few reasons why internal communications are a crucial business function and are more critical than ever before.
1. Drive for Purpose: Employees identify their success with the organization’s performance where they work. They want to experience a sense of connection, joy, and passion for their workplace. With that said, companies should develop their Organizational Brand Equity as part of their endeavor to attract the right talent and as a critical investment to maintain that talent.
2. Remain in Control of the Message: Organizations need to establish agile, interactive, and reliable channels to reach all employees: agile and interactive means digital—and today, digital means mobile. The right combination of processes, capabilities, and technologies will develop trust and transparency and enable messaging control instead of leaving information susceptible to personal interpretations.
3. Empower and Support Middle Management: Plenty of messages are going out, but they might not be reaching the people who do the work. Strategic internal communications can make cascading much more effective. Empowering middle management with information and resources will allow them to be the best possible leaders for their teams.
4. Keep the Brand Promise to Satisfy Your Customers: Great brands are built from the inside out. So, start with your employees, and their confidence will be reflected directly onto your customers.
5. In a Crisis, Internal Communications Rule: Timely and thorough communication is key to mastering an internal or external crisis. How your employees and external stakeholders view an incident is a significant factor in whether or not an issue develops into a full-blown crisis. Internal communications drive people’s perceptions about a situation and help short- and long-term crisis management.
6. Create a Better Work Environment: Employees need to know their employer’s value proposition, whether you’re trying to attract talent or retain it. A well-functioning internal communications program and the open work environment it creates will give your company an edge in today’s highly competitive market. Ultimately, there’s no better endorsement for your brand than happy employees and happy customers.
7. Limit Rumors and Enhance Transparency: Employees value transparency in their interactions across different levels of management, going as far as describing it as one of the top factors in determining their satisfaction in the workplace. Providing a rumor-free environment and corporate transparency is central for a generation of employees (and customers) who are skeptical of their core.
As social and environmental causes become mainstream, people want to feel like they’re making a difference. An employee acquired through their attraction to your brand’s reputation will prove to be motivated and invested in your company’s mission and the best ally to grow your business.
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*This blog post was written by Laura Rentas-Giusti (Lic. R-71), Senior Comms Advisor & Head of the Communications Practice at DuartePino.