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The PR picture: why internal engagement is fundamental to corporate reputation

The significant shift in internal comms, and how to ride the wave.  

Over the last few years , and particularly since the pandemic, we have seen a significant shift in the role of internal comms. Where previously this was seen as an HR function, and the comms tended to be perfunctory and on a need-to-know basis, the pandemic necessitated a shift towards more nuanced employee-centric comms. Increasingly, internal comms have been adopted by PR teams as businesses seek to align the way they communicate with internal audiences with how they communicate externally. 

This was a theme which came through strongly during the recent PR360 conference, where a number of delegates spoke of the foundational importance of internal comms when building corporate reputation and establishing trust. 

As many businesses have learned to their detriment, clumsy or insensitive communication with employees can easily proliferate on social media, and enter the mainstream media from there, sometimes sparking a full-blown crisis. Louis Blake, Head of Corporate Comms at Danone UK&I referred to this as the “Daily Mail test”. Businesses need to be cognisant that anything they communicate to employees could end up being shared externally, so ensuring internal comms are developed with empathy and in alignment with brand values is essential. Addy Frederick, Head of Group Communications at Admiral Group, added that you always have to look at how any internal comms will play back if they get into the media, and shape them accordingly. 

In terms of how to approach internal comms, there are a few fundamentals to consider: 

  1. Ensure you are engaging in a two-way conversation. It is important to give employees space to be heard to bring them on the journey. We heard Christine Hefferman from Tesco explain how they launched a social media platform to overcome the challenge of a geographical dispersed team, many of whom are not desk-based. This had the added benefit of offering real-time data and feedback on how content was landing with employees, and provided a platform to quickly address questions and feedback. 
  2. Remember that nothing everything stays internal. Anything you share internally could end up in the media, so ensuring internal comms are handled with the same rigor and sensitivity as external comms is paramount. 
  3. Openness and transparency are key. Building a culture of trust and transparency will help to maintain morale in difficult times and ensure that employees feel informed about developing situations. 
  4. Internal and external comms must be aligned. The lines between internal and external comms have become blurred in the days of always-on news and social media. Ensuring messaging shared internally and externally is aligned is crucial in maintaining trust and avoiding confusion. 

 

Photo credit: PRWeek