Why do you think some employers still avoid investing in internal communication resources?
I think more and more organisations are realising the importance of both internal and external communication. The workplace is no longer just a place where we "sell" our competences and professional knowledge for a fee. At work, we are looking for meaning, searching to reinvent ourselves as individuals and to be part of a certain society - in my opinion, these are the most important aspects of internal culture. From a very pragmatic point of view, the better a company does on these three aspects, the more employees will be "rooting" for the success of their company and will be less inclined to seek happiness outside of it.
However, it is natural that in smaller organisations internal communication develops very organically and spontaneously and it is probably up to the manager to be aware of the extent to which they encourage the team to agree on communication tools or channels and how much value they see in creating unique traditions in the organisation. The larger the organisation, the more professional help will be needed and if the importance of internal communication is ignored, it is difficult to expect success in the long term.
When do organisations are ready for someone dedicated specifically to internal communication functions?
My personal view is that the functions of personnel management and communication are quite distinct, so the sooner the two are autonomous, the more they can help each other and the organisation to achieve its goals. I think the most successful model of cooperation is when part of the objectives of the HR and Communication teams overlap, but the other part is clarified by Communication or HR.
At the same time, if there is one communication specialist in the company, they will inevitably not be able to strictly limit themselves to internal communication, because the boundaries between internal and external communication have been blurred by social media. At the same time, employees have become one of the strongest channels for external communication. In addition, when planning any external communication, it is important to plan internal communication activities accordingly. It is always a good idea to communicate the news internally first, so that employees are more involved in the realities of the company, understand them better, and, if the context is right, help spread the message outside the organisation.
What are the most common mistakes that organisations could avoid in internal communication?
Communication tools should not be an end in themselves, so it is important to first identify the problem we want to solve and goal we want to achieve. Only then I would say is the time to develop the communication strategy. When designing our organisation's communication strategy, which is centred on the creation of an employer brand and image, we first analysed internal surveys and conducted qualitative interviews with colleagues at different levels and with different amounts of experience. The aim was to identify our strengths as an employer, which we could highlight in our external communication. At the same time, we wanted to see internal "pain points" that could be addressed through more targeted communication. Equally important is to identify the characteristics of your key audience - work experience, age, social background and which media they use. This helped to define the exact messages, segment the audience and to decide on the communication channels. Even when choosing a media channel, we do not look at their readership, but we ask our colleagues what they read most often.
I‘d also avoid chasing trends, as there is no list of tools that can be copy-pasted to every organisation. Only a communication strategy and tools designed for the employees of a specific company can guarantee success, but I would highlight a few points to consider. First of all, it is important to understand what people live by - what they value most in an organisation, what motivates them, what their social environment is like, and what the most attractive communication channels and forms are. Ideas or initiatives that have their origins in the team and are then applied to the organisation as a whole with the help of the communications team are clearly the most successful. I believe that this is how we discover the authenticity of our organisation and try to strengthen it.
When planning any external communication, it is important to plan internal communication activities accordingly. It is always a good idea to communicate the news internally first, so that employees are more involved in the realities of the company, understand them better, and, if the context is right, help spread the message outside the organisation.
Planning and maintaining continuity are perhaps the cornerstones of communication success. Every organisation has its own calendar of activities, and the main events should be used as a basis for the year's plan - the recurring ones will become an integral part of the calendar. Each year I would suggest to review the calendar with a critical eye and an open mind, and to think about which initiatives are "outdated", which can be improved, and where there is room for something new, and to see if there are "empty" periods that could be filled in with new ideas as well. I recommend that around 80% of the annual internal communication plan should be proven, pre-planned initiatives and events, and the remaining 20% should be a space for new ideas, experiments and reactions to issues. This way, your organisation's communication will be "alive", not boring and engaging for your employees.
How can the effectiveness of internal communication be measured? What are the most important KPIs?
The main communication indicator should be employee engagement in communication content and activities - this would be the main KPI. More broadly, I would suggest measuring loyalty to the company through the employee turnover rate and the overall emotional state of the team - here there may be a variety of ways to measure this, depending on the overall employee surveys the organisation does. In our company, we measure the eNPS indicator on a quarterly basis and here we focus on the comments that are openly and actively filled in by our team members. Of course, the biggest change that can be made as a result of the comments is made by the team leaders, but it is equally important for the communication team to see and hear the employees and to reflect on what communication tools can reduce the "pain points" and reinforce what the employees value most.
I would also suggest going beyond quantitative indicators and periodically organising focus groups, listening openly and respecting feedback, which will help to adjust actions in the short term, and will also help employees to be more active when they know they are being listened to and heard.
I recommend that around 80% of the annual internal communication plan should be proven, pre-planned initiatives and events, and the remaining 20% should be a space for new ideas, experiments and reactions to issues. This way, your organisation's communication will be "alive", not boring and engaging for your employees.
Are AI and other technologies changing internal communication practices for the better? Perhaps you are already seeing trends that can be expected in 2025?
In my opinion, authenticity in communication is becoming increasingly important now and in the future of artificial intelligence. Authentic communication is centred on the human beings, not only their competences, career achievements, expert opinions, but also with their personal experiences, hobbies, social environment. I believe that authentic communication is first and foremost about having the courage to be human, with our achievements and failures, and not some perfect and template-based creation.
That is why, both in internal communication, ideas or initiatives that originate in a group of employees and are applied to the whole organisation through communication tools, or, on the contrary, that originate in the communication team but are successful in finding ambassadors who are willing to contribute to the implementation of such an initiative are clearly the most effective.
However, I also see great potential in AI - in processing texts and data, in structuring the information available, it helps to organise the work of professionals not only in the field of communication, but also in other areas. Personally, I am still experimenting with the Copilot tool. I am curious to try it out for different tasks, but I know that it will not replace the human connection and the authenticity of a person or organisation.
