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Employees: A Key Target for Every Successful Company
Build Internal Communication Strategies that Boost the Bottom Line
By Jeff Huggins, VP of Public Relations, Justice & Young

“People are our most valuable resource.” Is there a C-level executive that hasn't uttered these words? Most likely, this common sentiment has rolled off the tongue of most senior managers many times. It's not just rhetoric. Business leaders understand the importance of the team implementing their vision and executing the corporate mission.

Many companies, however, struggle to build an engaged and motivated workforce. According to The Conference Board, 50 percent of the US employees are unsatisfied with their jobs; 25 percent of the workforce reveals that they just show up to collect a paycheck. A recent study from Management Issues News indicates less than 14 percent of employees worldwide “are psychologically engaged at work and believe that they have a role to deliver.”

These disturbing figures indicate an enormous need for effective internal communication efforts. It is easily arguable that the company's “most valuable resource” also is the company's most important audience. Obviously, other audiences are important. Customers are essential for companies selling products and services, and contributors are crucial for nonprofit organizations. Employees, however, are linked to all external relationships and quality, productivity and employee retention are heavily tied to employee satisfaction, engagement and fulfillment. Bottom line, employees play a fundamental role in the ultimate success—or failure—of any organization.

Critical Factors for Success
To help you develop and strengthen your internal communication efforts, we have identified nine elements that are crucial to program efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability.

1. Start with Research
   Internal communication, like external marketing efforts, should build upon a foundation of sound data and insightful examination. It's critical to understand the targeted audience segments, know the powerful influencers and influences, and recognize key environmental factors and current situational elements. It can be helpful to audit existing tools and approaches, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and discover gaps in past communication efforts. Additionally, identifying industry best practices often provides powerful insight.
2. Create a Strategic Foundation
   Develop a strategic action plan for internal communication efforts, which is aligned with the overall marketing approach. Internal and external communication efforts should be integrated and messaging must be consistent.
3. Think Inside Out
   Employees have a vested interest in understanding the ins and outs of the company's strategic direction, operational approach and overall business strategy. Start the communication process internally. When informed and enlightened, employees are transitioned from an important audience to powerful public relations message carriers.
4. Create a Dialog
   A dialog is essential for maximum effectiveness of internal communication efforts. Proactively engaging and actively listening to the diverse perspectives of your workforce helps build sustainable trust and credibility, and fosters good will to achieve positive results.
5. Understand the Diversity of Your Audience
   The workforce at many companies embodies multiple generations. We know there are significant differences between boomers, Xers, Yers and so on. Therefore, we can assume all employees will not be motivated the same way and one-size-fits-all approaches will fail. Build audience segmentation into your internal communication campaign.
6. Create Cross-Functional Teams
   Assemble a cross-functional dream team to plan and implement internal communication efforts, and leverage the diverse talents. Different perspectives create better ideas and insights.
7. Employ Emerging Channels
   People continual to gain comfort with new media vehicles, and they provide huge potential for accessing, creating and sharing information internally. Their interactive nature is inherent with empowerment and credibility. New media technology offers greater transparency of ideas, enhanced collaboration, innovation and knowledge management, and a more targeted delivery of information.
8. Remember Low-Tech Options Too
   Traditional tools still have a place with internal communication efforts. Existing channels offer familiarity, comfort and convenience and can play a role in the messages they deliver. Simple face-to-face communication generally is best received and often delivers the greatest impact.
9. Measuring Your Effectiveness
   An effective organization constantly measures communication impact. This applies internally as well as externally.

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