In the fast-paced world of modern business, effective internal communication is often touted as the key to success. But despite the best intentions, many organizations still struggle to truly engage their employees. Why?
After years of working on internal communication projects with tchop, we’ve uncovered some hard truths that are rarely discussed but are critical to understanding. This blog dives into these unspoken realities and, more importantly, how you can address them to boost engagement, productivity, and overall organizational success.
1. Why some employees just don’t care
Key insight: Not everyone will engage
Despite all the tools and strategies at your disposal, there will always be a segment of your workforce that remains disengaged. It’s not about the technology; it’s about relevance.
In practice, there are different reasons for this. Employees are at very different stages in their time with the company. Employees who do not recognize the value of communication and participation or who feel disconnected from the most important messages will not engage. And it is true: you will never reach everyone in the company, but the question is ultimately how you can get as many people on board as possible.
How to fix it: Tailor your Communication
To bridge this gap, focus on creating content that resonates with different segments of your workforce. Use personas to understand what drives your employees and segment your communication accordingly. Consider segmenting your content offerings more. In the end, there is always the question of relevance.
You might also want to check the overall weighting of the different aspects. Important: there is always a discrepancy between the company’s goals in internal communication and the interests of the employees. The question is: how can you best reconcile the two? Without expecting that the two will ever really coincide. This brings us to the next point.
2. Aligning what matters to your organization and employees
Key insight: The content that excites employees vs. what the enterprise wants
There’s often a disconnect between the topics that the employees are passionate about and the messages that leadership wants to push. If not managed carefully, this discrepancy can lead to disinterest. No employee wants to read a feed of “glowing press,” new press releases, or monotonous “corporate speak.”
How to fix it: Align organizational goals with employee interests
Find common ground between organizational priorities and employee interests. Take employee feedback (including content) into account in your communication strategy. Think of the content in your employee app as a 10-course meal. No guest likes all the courses equally; tastes vary. But guests will come back if the overall experience is right. In other words, it’s all about the right mix. The company’s messages are better received in an environment that also contains “lighter” content. Employees want to be entertained, smile sometimes, and often look for content that offers concrete added value for everyday life.
3. Why one size doesn’t fit all
Key insight: Embrace the multichannel reality
In today’s diverse digital landscape, no single platform or channel will meet everyone’s needs. While some colleagues prefer mobile apps (which they can easily use on the way to the office or on the way home), others categorically stick to the intranet or the workplace PC and refuse to download an app to a private device.
How to fix it: Multichannel communication strategy
Implement a communication strategy that covers all central channels: from the classic intranet to the mobile app (including push notifications) and a regular newsletter or even a public chat with a feedback function. Employees are used to finding the optimal channel – just like in their private lives.
Reaching employees where they want to be is at least easier than getting them to use a specific channel.
4. The myth of the perfect tool
Key insight: There’s no one-size-fits-all tool
No single tool or software solution will perfectly meet all of your internal communication needs. The idea of a “perfect” tool is a myth that lives on in the marketing messages of many providers. In reality, the world is – unfortunately – complicated.
How to fix it: Choose tools that fit your needs
Instead of looking for the “jack of all trades”, it is crucial to first analyze and understand your own requirements precisely. Software can only solve problems if the requirements are precisely known. Clearly define your communication goals, but also the framework conditions including the available resources, understand the needs of your audience and then select the tool(s) that best suit them.
5. Why less is often more
Key insight: More features don’t equal more engagement
Its a common misconception that adding more features will automatically boost engagement. In reality, simplicity and a great user experience often have a more significant impact.
How to fix it: Prioritize user experience
Focus on creating a seamless, intuitive experience from your employees’ perspective. Remove unnecessary functions, modules or content that complicate or make use difficult. Put yourself in the user’s shoes. Simplicity is an often underestimated factor. An app or even a front door intranet that is full of elements, headlines and jump points in the first visible area does not lead to more loyalty. The opposite is the case. Sometimes a bit of white space is the better solution.
6. Communication is a people business
Key insight: Its not just about the platforms
Internal communication is essentially about people. There is often a lot of discussion about channels, features and technical questions because this is such a complex part of all of our work today and therefore takes up a lot of space. Sometimes we forget that it is content that excites, inspires or even makes employees laugh.
How to fix it: People inspire other people
Encourage managers, experts and “influencers” in your company to actively participate in internal communication. Their visibility and engagement can significantly influence the success of your communication efforts and encourage broader participation among the workforce. One thing counts above all: authenticity! Content does not have to be highly professionally produced, the message is more important. With a smartphone you can do a lot of great things – see TikTok. Not every CEO is perfect in front of the camera. But then other formats can be found. Be creative, but always “close” to people.
7. Engaged core vs. passive majority
Key insight: Most employees are passive consumers
Like any social platform, your internal communication tools will have a core group of highly engaged users and a larger group of passive consumers. This dynamic is natural and shouldn’t be viewed as a failure. This principle governs all social media and should be taken into account when assessing usage analytics.
How to fix it: Leverage the engaged core
Most importantly, recognize the value of your engaged employees. They are often the key to the platform’s success by creating content and sparking discussions that are followed by many and thus benefit the entire workforce. Encourage this behaviour and find ways to make their contributions more visible to the passive majority. Motivate these colleagues to stick with it, expand their opportunities.
8. Adapting to social media habits
Key insight: Don’t fight established habits
Employees have developed a number of habits through the use of social media in their personal lives. Changing these behaviors is a challenge. No, it is almost impossible. Those who understand how these habits determine media behaviour, especially on mobile, can capitalize on them.
How to fix it: Integrate social media habits into your strategy
If you want to be efficient and successful in internal communication, you need to understand how people – especially younger people – actually use mobile apps and media. Adapt your communication strategies and tools to the way employees interact with content on social media.
This concerns content-related questions regarding formats and media (spoiler: visual communication dominates today – see Instagram and TikTok) as well as general questions regarding usage. If necessary, discuss this with your marketing colleagues, whose job it is usually to use social channels on a daily basis.
Incidentally, this is also one of the reasons why external and internal communication are increasingly merging. We highly recommend an exciting post from our blog on this topic.
9. Quality over quantity
Key insight: Not all content needs high engagement
A lot of things today revolve around engagement metrics and the question of how to activate more users. After all, those who are active are more likely to remain loyal to your offer. Of course, engagement is an important KPI that should be kept in mind and developed. But anyone who thinks further about the resulting instructions for action knows that looking only at engagement leads to a dead end. Social media shows this.
How to fix it: Focus on quality and relevance
Here too, it’s all about the mix. A mix of formats, ideas and debate prompts that activate employees is extremely important. But it must be clear that there is also content that encourages little reaction and interaction. And yet still has great added value.
Of course, controversial content often causes unbelievable waves, lots of comments and heated discussions. This should be tolerated and consciously used – up to a certain point. But there is also another way of measuring it: quality and relevance in the editorial department. Of course, this is often more difficult to measure. Nevertheless, it is just as important as part of an exciting mix.
10. Be open to new things
Key insight: Technology constantly brings new challenges, but also solutions
Internal communication is now also a complex technical task. Everyone involved is driven by new developments. Whether it’s the current AI hype or new tools, it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of everything. However, it is often underestimated that it is one thing to introduce a new tool, but it is quite another to use it efficiently and sensibly in the long term.
How to fix it: Focus, focus, focus
Instead of getting lost in technical details, you should prefer simple solutions, standardize processes and regularly check whether a measure or tool provides the desired added value or is simply superfluous. Above all, you should keep one thing in mind: technology should promote creativity and not block it; it should make good content better and convey it in an exciting way.
Never forget: content is king, creativity is key.
Conclusion
Internal communication is now a complex, multi-faceted challenge that requires a strategic approach in order to successfully reach and truly involve employees. There is no simple, equally right way for everyone. The topics listed above are familiar to many of those responsible and it is rarely easy to find “perfect” solutions for them.
This makes it all the more important to deal with it honestly and openly. And to adapt your own expectations (including those of the company management) as well as the tools, measures and processes accordingly.
