Internal communication is a staple in the modern, digital workplace. Without proper and effective internal communications, many aspects of an organization can fail and morale can fall flat. Employees are left feeling demotivated and unappreciated, whilst managers can feel frustrated and left out of the loop. This is especially important in the age of remote working, seeing that many companies don’t plan on ever returning to the office on a full-time basis.
This makes internal communications even more important, as there are no longer lunchtime and watercooler catch-ups to go over anything missed in meetings. But don’t fear, within this blog post we will take you through our top 10 internal communications best practices to ensure you, your team and your company continue to stay on top of your internal comms.
1. Audit your existing internal communications
The first step in ensuring good internal comms is to audit your company’s existing practices. If you’re struggling currently it is time to assess what is and isn’t working for you – whether that be in informal or formal communications. By doing so, you can identify exactly where you may be going wrong or missing the mark and even better – take steps to fix that.
2. Provide opportunities for feedback
Feedback is one of the best outlets to understand how employees are feeling in regard to communications. This way, you can get first-hand responses as to whether you’re hitting the mark in this area. If employees are nervous to speak directly to a manager, a great way to do this would be with anonymous feedback. You can get internal comms feedback straight from the horse’s mouth.
3. Decide on key metrics to track success
Another internal communications best practice is to decide on some key metrics to track your success. By doing this, you can always have a good understanding of whether your internal communications are working positively through your company. An example of some of these key metrics are to study performance using analytics tools. You could also monitor employee engagement, turnover and feedback rates.
4. Share and praise accomplishments
Sharing and praising employees’ accomplishments is a great way to improve internal communications. In order to improve your employee’s overall experience, giving credit and praise when due is a brilliant way to do so. Not only does this general morale, but it motivates employees as they know their hard work is actually recognised where it should be.
5. Promote collaborative training resources
Another best practice to great internal communications is to promote collaborative training resources effectively to your employees. Instead of discussing with senior team members and managers about the needs of the company overall, look to discuss with everyone. If you gather this information you can create collaborative training resources that hit the mark and benefit everyone. Employees will feel validated and the company will be better trained as a whole.
6. Encourage employee engagement
Effective internal communications and employee engagement go hand in hand when laying out a positive work environment plan. Encourage a ‘close-knit’ culture with internal communications, in a more informal sense. Organize group or virtual days out, celebrate and tell others about employees’ achievements and encourage a friendly atmosphere overall.
7. Don’t overload with content
If you’re wanting to inform employees and have them retain the information, overloading them with content is not a smart way to do so. Whether it is informal or formal comms, sending out hundreds of content-heavy slideshows or hosting hour-long meetings will likely cause employee disinterest and discomfort. Be tactical with how you share information and make it digestible. Encourage engagement and always include clearly marked resources for employees to refer back to if they forget.
8. Create an internal comms committee
If your business continues to struggle with implementing the best practices for internal comms, try creating a committee specifically dedicated to this. Having an internal comms committee is a brilliant way to ensure employees are all up to date on any company news- formal and informal. Not only this, but employees also have a clear idea on who to reach out to if they’re unsure or feel they have missed something important.
9.Ensure consistency
Consistency plays an important and pivotal role within internal comms. If your internal communications are not reliable and sporadic, employees are likely to feel confused and irritated – and take less notice of important notices or schedules. Keep to the same consistent routine by using a specific online hub to share news, offer HR reviews and FAQ sessions where appropriate.
10.Encourage collaboration between departments
By ensuring collaboration between different departments, you strengthen your internal comms through employee communication. Employees feel better connected when they’re in the loop. Ultimately, if your different departments can work and collaborate harmoniously with one another- your well-structured, strategic information can get passed effectively.
