Although there’s always going to be an element of telling on the sending end — the focus is on receiving feedback by listening to what employees have to say.
The best internal communicators gather real-time insight and bring it to the top table to guide and advise decision-making. It’s all about driving culture, coaching leaders, channelling innovation and facilitating dialogue.
The ultimate goal of internal communication?
Excellent employee engagement from pre-joining, to every day on the job, to leaving or retiring: the recipe for better business.
So why the chocolate bar budget?
The investment level in the internal communication function, on the whole, is ridiculously low: the equivalent of the cost of a chocolate bar per employee per month. According to a recent report which collates responses from internal communication professionals in 820 organisations globally, the biggest organisations — with 50,000+ employees — spend around £1 on communicating internally.*
The power of influence and perception
What seems like a missed investment opportunity doesn’t appear to tally with the large majority of internal communication practitioners, who say their function is perceived as playing a key role in employee engagement (72%). About the same number agree it has a clearly articulated purpose (75%). And apparently this viewpoint is becoming more widespread within the organisation: 69% say internal communicators and leaders agree on the function’s purpose, up from 62% in 2018.*
Article from – Gallagher’s 2019 Organisational Wellbeing & Talent Insights Report
About the Organisational Wellbeing & Talent Insights Report
The 2019 Organisational Wellbeing & Talent Insights Report from Gallagher helps employers make fully informed decisions about benefit plans and programmes that attract and retain top talent without breaking the bank. Analysis for this report was provided by 12 thought leaders from Gallagher’s Employee Benefits Consulting and Brokerage operation, who average more than 25 years of industry experience.
*Gatehouse, a Gallagher company, ‘State of the Sector 2019’, February 2019
