INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ACTIVATES EMPLOYMENT BRANDING
The days are gone when internal communications operated in the shadow of media and analyst relations. Brand leaders today know the best way to be certain your brand message is delivered right is to make employees your primary audience.
Employment branding and consumer branding are similar, except for the audiences, and sometimes the communications channels used. Each type of branding complements the other when the prevailing brand message is the same to all internal and external audiences.
Empower People Through Change
Change management in a large organization can feel like trying to turn the Titanic. But for modern organizations that prioritize and regularly reinforce their employment brand, it’s more like a hot knife through butter.
THE CHANGING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
Employees need to feel connected to an employer’s decisions, directions, and programs. They need to know their ideas and contributions matter.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 – 2021 forced millions of people worldwide to work from home, physically disconnected from the workplace. Those with children had added responsibilities and distractions due to school closings.
Employers began to see the emotional needs of employees in a clear light. Things will not return to the old normal. HR executives forecast more remote work in the future, so the internal communications challenge remains, and with a few added wrinkles.
Some people will alternate between working at home and the office. Some positions will become part-time, some will go to contract workers, and some positions will be eliminated.
These changes have a direct effect on interpersonal dynamics throughout an organization, posing new challenges to internal communications managers.
Dispersed Workforce United by Internal Communications
Going forward, work that can be done from anywhere most likely will be. Every organization will have a geographically dispersed workforce whether it has one operating location or a thousand.
Traditional internal communications channels, including email, newsletters, websites, and social media will continue to be reinforced or supplanted by group video conferences, webinars, and proprietary mobile apps.
Having the tools isn’t enough. Without a sound strategic communications plan that includes messaging, measurable objectives, metrics, and feedback, the effort will be wasted and perhaps even counterproductive.
Case Stories
From Our Blog
The CPO is the new CTO
For years, headlines have shouted how it’s critical for Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) to partner with their Chief Technology Officers (CTO) to create new marketing dynamics. We agree it’s important. Between emerging digital media, third-party delivery, increased hand-held tech in every multi-unit model, and upticks in pressure from the credit card industry, the race to upgrade and raise the tech bar is well underway.
Do Your Internal Communications Sound Like a Game of Corporate Telephone?
Internal miscommunication can make even the most irresistible marketing promotions fall flat in the final mile. All too often, our brand agency works together with corporate marketing partners to launch promotions they’ve poured their hearts into… only to yield lackluster results when frontline workers don’t have the right story—or motivation—to sell in corporate’s hard work.
Businesses with effective communication are 50% more likely to have lower employee turnover
ClearCompany, April 2014
the percentage of "engaged" workers in the U.S. reached 38% in 2020. The highest since Gallup began tracking the metric in 2000
Gallup, 2020
Only 32% of employees rated highly the communications from their company's top leadership
Employee Rising, Webster Shandwick, April 2014
Mindhandle, The Employment Branding Agency, is now a Liquid Agency company.