Is Your Business On Mute? Four Ways To Ensure Your Internal Communications are a Win-Win

I grew up in an era of “the boss” telling the employees what was happening. Not necessarily why or when, just that something was changing, so deal with it. In those days, it didn’t bother me – or anyone; that was just the way it was.  

But like everything else, the world has changed, including the way in which organizations communicate with their employees. Gone are the days of only top-down directives. It now has to be a two-way street with a shift towards conversation that focuses on informing and engaging around corporate purpose, brand, plans, and news. This is what we call internal communications – or employee communications. 

There are a lot of reasons for this shift, not the least of which are the employees themselves. Today the workforce is made up of those more focused on the culture, diversity, and values of their employer than the size of their paycheck. Employees are choosing to work for organizations that share their values; they want to see their organization as a reflection of themselves.

Hopefully your organization already embraces these values of diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. But how do you make sure the outside world also knows it, and you can attract talent? And that the ‘inside world’ feels it? 

You guessed it, through communications – authentic, transparent, and consistent communications. Here are four pillars that will get you where you need to be.

1. Set Your Core Values – And Live Them

I would have told you a few years ago that setting a company’s core values is just an exercise in touchy feely BS. But I’ve come to my senses, thanks to some pretty amazing peers who have shared with me how they and their teams truly live the values they set for the company. 

It made me stop and think about Albert Communications. We had never formalized core values, but with the help of a coach who asked the right questions, we developed them and now we live them. 

I can honestly tell you a story – several in fact –  about each one, and now when faced with a business dilemma, they are our reference points. It’s our stake in the ground. It’s who we are. We live them, breathe them, repeat them, and share them. 

If you live your values, your culture will develop naturally and offer your employees an environment that encourages and empowers them. I have been known to say that “the fish rots from the head down.” Well, that’s true the other way, too. If you’re a leader, model the behavior, live the culture and your employees will follow. 

2. Share and Listen

As I shared in the beginning, employees used to just listen and do what they were told. But that was then. Today, they want to hear more than some leaders want to share and they want to ask pointed questions and get honest answers. 

Sharing company information can be distributed in so many different ways these days. This is great because we all have a different communication preference, whether it’s an email, a video, a town hall, or a phone call (remember those?!). 

So figure out those preferences for your employees – and deliver. The pandemic showed us that having leaders record a video in their home office in a sweatshirt (!) is now not only acceptable, but effective. You might want to start with a survey and take it from there. It will be worth your time and investment. 

3. Make it a Two-Way Street

According to Dynamic Signal, an app designed to keep employees engaged, “Seventy-four percent of workers feel they are missing out on information.” They claim that important company content isn’t getting to the workforce because intranets aren’t designed “for today’s on-the-go employees who expect information to come to them.”

Investing in software and solutions that makes that connection will make a difference in keeping your teams engaged and connected, and it allows for two-way feedback. 

4. Give Communications a Seat at the Proverbial Table

Communications professionals have been complaining for years that they don’t “have a seat at the table.” It’s crucial that they do. But to get there, the complaining has to stop and the proof has to begin. Few things hurt a CEO and a CFO more than wasted resources, and when there’s a trend in turnover, it speaks to a lack of engagement. If internal communications can do its part to make those connections, the proof will be in the pudding.

Internal communications isn’t a tactic. It has to be part of a company’s overall strategy if the company wants to grow, to thrive, and to attract and retain top talent. A workforce should reflect the clients it serves, and the communications team must contribute to what and how issues are crafted and distributed. 

If the leader of the communications team doesn’t know what’s happening at the top, how can they effectively plan an internal communications strategy?

And Remember, Trust and Authenticity Rule!

See those two words? Trust and authenticity. When in your life do those NOT matter? Today, you won’t buy from a place you don’t trust or from a company you feel is inauthentic. These issues matter, in your business dealings and your communications. 

For those reporting into your company, they have to trust you and believe you’re being as real and authentic with them as you can be. Getting to this place is the goal.  

So while the communications team isn’t here to set policy and plan your business goals, they sure as hell can help guide you in how you communicate those issues in-house. This transparency will go a long way with employee engagement too, which is also something we’ve talked about in the past.  

Employee engagement is critical to your company culture, too. You can decide what your values will be, but unless you live them and your team shares them, your culture will just be an idea, rather than an embodiment. And if we go back to the beginning, all of this begins with internal communications.  So bring that communications team in when you’re defining strategy and setting goals. You’ll be thankful that you have them by your side.