{"id":2060,"date":"2018-04-16T12:20:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T02:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping-ca.local\/?p=940"},"modified":"2026-02-05T20:15:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:15:22","slug":"how-to-improve-internal-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/how-to-improve-internal-communications\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways to improve your internal communications"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t6 ways to improve your internal communications\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2018-04-16T12:20:52+10:00\">April 16, 2018<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"6 ways to improve your internal communications\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/how-to-improve-internal-communications\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/author\/charlottepenny\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/03\/charlotte-penny.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Headshot of Charlotte Penny\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Charlotte Penny<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>How do you communicate to your employees?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective communication to and between employees is vital for any business to operate smoothly and successfully. But, often, overflowing email inboxes mean that important internal messages from the company can often get missed or seen too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many businesses are realising this and are looking for more valuable ways to improve internal communication and ensure people get the right information at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a vital way to build great experiences for employees that means they stay at the business \u2013 and love what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, if an employee feels that a company is communicating honestly and authentically with them and knows the importance of doing so, then they\u2019ll feel valued in the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If an organisation gives the impression that keeping colleagues up to date and communicating with them regularly isn\u2019t a priority, then it shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise that employees don\u2019t feel valued and engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, here are 6 ways to consider improving your internal comms with employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-think-of-your-employees-as-internal-customers\">1. Think of your employees as internal customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, and most importantly, progressive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/what-is-a-people-company\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">People Companies<\/a> know that delighting their employees is just as, if not more, important than delighting their customers if their business is to really grow and flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider the best way to market to them in a way that\u2019s going to resonate. Build a user journey that\u2019s going to make them keep coming back for more. Use insight to understand what drives them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Sage People, we talk about this as \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/7-ps-hr-marketing-employer-branding-people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">People Marketing<\/a>\u2019, which means applying principles of marketing to HR, so that companies can know their people as well as they know their customers, marketing themselves effectively to potential and existing employees, and enabling them to attract and keep the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People Marketing means looking at the whole \u2018buyer journey\u2019 \u2013 the experience a candidate or employee has from beginning to end of their employment journey with you. It means using a single CRM system to use data to properly know your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free guide: Why your workforce isn&#8217;t working<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Workforce experiences matter. That\u2019s what we found when we polled over 3,500 workers from across the globe to identify what really counts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Download the research which reveals:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list {\"className\":\"tick-list\"} --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list tick-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The different kinds of workforce experiences that people say drive productivity \u2013 it\u2019s not what you think<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The alarming gap between what employees and employers think is important in the workplace<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The one thing employers need to fix immediately to improve workforce experiences<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>How, and why, HR and People leaders can lead a cultural transformation at work<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-32d984db-9451-4bab-bddf-1db671097566\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-tailor-how-you-communicate-to-employees\">2. Tailor how you communicate to employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the same way that companies tailor how they communicate to their customers based on their preferences, consider a similar approach with your people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some may live and die by their inbox and expect all communication to come via their emails. For others, particularly employees in sales teams, other communities like Salesforce\u2019s chatter may be the perfect way to keep them updated. Some colleagues might prefer updates through messaging apps such as Slack or Yammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just how you communicate to employees in a way that suits how they work though. It\u2019s important to tailor communications so that they\u2019re completely inclusive for all employees, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, ensure updates from your leadership team aren\u2019t at the same time in just one timezone, if your business is global and half of your employees are asleep at this time. Don\u2019t make it harder for home or remote based employees to participate or stay updated. Equally, do you run all-hands meetings? Alternate these between locations if you\u2019re a global business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure you\u2019re also communicating in a way that\u2019s accessible for all employees, considering things like support for any employees (present or future) who may be blind or hard of hearing, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-reflect-your-brand\">3. Reflect your brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s no coincidence that companies typically seen to have good employee engagement and regularly top \u2018best employer\u2019 lists \u2013 the likes of Google, Virgin and Salesforce \u2013 also have strong brands which they leverage internally too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your employer branding tells the outside world a lot about the type of company you are, the kind of culture and values you instil, and the sort of people that work at your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Manpower\u2019s survey \u2018If you build it, they will come: the new role of employer brand\u2019, experienced candidates are more likely to approach recruiters based on branding perception.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not only that, but it converts your employees into brand ambassadors too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting your brand doesn\u2019t simply mean providing new joiners with branded merchandise, but how everything that you do and communicate reflects what you stand for as a company. Consider the ways, big or small, that you can reflect this more in your organisation to make your employees feel part of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-don-t-second-guess\">4. Don\u2019t second guess<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve spoken about the fact that different employees may want to receive updates and communications in different ways; it\u2019s vital to reflect this in how you communicate with your employees, but don\u2019t second guess this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s one simple way to find out how to improve internal communications and discover how employees like to receive updates. Ask them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just 12% of 3,500 employees we spoke to in recent research are asked on a regular basis what would improve their experiences at work. Almost half (47%) had never been asked at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees will value the fact you\u2019re asking, and it will help you to tailor communications in a way that resonates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-make-it-two-way\">5. Make it two-way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also vital that employees don\u2019t feel that their company is simply talking at them or broadcasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As much as you may use internal comms channels to communicate to your employees, they should be used in a way that enables your people to respond and communicate back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider pulse surveys, town hall Q&amp;A sessions, and ask questions regularly. Are some internal communications channels peer led? Are your employees empowered to communicate across the business, too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-don-t-skimp-on-technology\">6. Don\u2019t skimp on technology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is relevant in two ways. Firstly, ensure that technology is an enabler for communication, and not a hinderer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no point hosting all-hands meetings globally if employees in other countries can\u2019t hear what is happening because the sound or connectivity is poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, use technology as a way in itself to improve communication. Consider branded portals that reflect your personality as an employer and provide regular updates for employees in a way that\u2019s tailored for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-holistic-approach\">A holistic approach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies spend a lot of time and money providing the best communication and marketing to their external customers, but your people deserve exactly the same level and quality of communication. Having modern, engaging, lively and timely ways to communicate with employees is vital to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/7-ways-to-boost-productivity-in-the-workplace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">creating a great workforce experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you communicate to your employees in a way that makes them feel valued?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free guide: Why your workforce isn&#8217;t working<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Workforce experiences matter. That\u2019s what we found when we polled over 3,500 workers from across the globe to identify what really counts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Download the research which reveals:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list {\"className\":\"tick-list\"} --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list tick-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The different kinds of workforce experiences that people say drive productivity \u2013 it\u2019s not what you think<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The alarming gap between what employees and employers think is important in the workplace<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The one thing employers need to fix immediately to improve workforce experiences<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>How, and why, HR and People leaders can lead a cultural transformation at work<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-32d984db-9451-4bab-bddf-1db671097566\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-20ec4af6-53dd-41ab-81ed-95d438e3bb90\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-626184462-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-626184462-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overflowing email inboxes mean that important internal messages can often get missed. Here\u2019s 6 ways to boost your internal comms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1660,"featured_media":2165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[222],"business_type":[9],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[103],"imagine_tag":[65,263,25,40,264],"coauthors":[284],"class_list":["post-2060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-au","author_name":"Charlotte Penny","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/11\/DELMORALCONGELADOS_2019_Sage100cloud_22.jpg","imagine_tags":{"65":"HR and Payroll","263":"HR processes","25":"HR software","40":"Mid-sized business","264":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Australia","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1660"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/2165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=2060"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}