Internal Communications Are More Important than Ever

Smart companies are naturally focusing on customer communications amid changing market conditions. Smarter companies are also carefully crafting their internal communications; to help their employees be effective and gain confidence in the company. Employees are the lifeblood of any organization, and they increasingly turn to the company for trusted information in times of uncertainty.

The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer finds that only 48 percent of people globally trust the government, and just 46 percent trust the media. More than a third see these institutions as divisive. However, 61 percent consider businesses to be trusted institutions, and 45 percent see businesses as a uniting power in society.

That’s not to say that businesses are doing enough to foster trust. Survey respondents say that enterprises should do more to address climate change (52 percent), economic inequality (49 percent), and workforce reskilling (46 percent). Addressing these issues is vital: 60 percent of respondents say they look to their values and beliefs when choosing a place to work.

Effective internal communications enable organizations to show support for those values, but it takes more than a memo, team lunch, or award plaque. Organizations need a long-term internal communications strategy supported by multimedia technologies.

Easy on the Budget, Easy Distribution

Not long ago, organizations had a limited number of choices for internal communications. Small and midsize organizations did not have the budget to create production-quality videos. Organizations that could produce videos had few means of distributing them to employees.

Now there’s a broad array of technologies to fit almost any budget. Modern multimedia solutions provide an immersive experience and allow organizations to change the messaging frequently and distribute it across a wide range of devices.

That’s more important than ever with today’s remote and hybrid workstyles. Organizations need the ability to reach employees where and when they work.

Digital signage and video walls can display a constant loop of messaging that employees can view when in the office. Some solutions offer Netflix-style streaming capabilities for video on demand.

Employee training rooms and “all hands” spaces are still helpful for critical messages and scheduled events. They can range in size from conference rooms for a dozen people to large, theater-like settings, and allow in-person presentations to be combined with multimedia messaging.

Video conferencing tools, webinar technologies, and virtual event platforms enable delivering messages to remote workers. These solutions may also allow for employee feedback and interaction.

Choosing the Right Tools

When developing a budget for internal communications, organizations should consider the frequency and distribution of the messaging as well as the features of a particular solution. It’s also important to consider the communication style of today’s employees. Shorter, more frequent messaging that can be consumed on demand is often most effective, particularly with a remote workforce. An enterprise-class content management platform enables messaging to be updated frequently and distributed to devices anywhere.

Rahi is here to help organizations execute their internal communications strategy. Our A/V team has extensive experience designing and implementing conference rooms, boardrooms, huddle rooms, training rooms, and all-hands spaces. Our expertise encompasses video conferencing platforms, video walls, audio and video distribution, and acoustics. We also create intuitive interfaces to simplify operations and ensure a high-quality user experience.

Workplace stress is at an all-time high, and employee engagement is low. According to the Gallup State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, while 33 percent of employees prosper in their overall well-being, only 21 percent engage at work. Effective internal communication plays a vital role in improving employee engagement and providing a source of trusted information in uncertain times.