Emerging Issues in Internal Communications

This article points out the importance of how generational shifts affect internal communications. Two-way symmetrical communication will positively influence employee engagement. While some communications involve the human resources department, this study examines the use of the public relations department for internal communications. Consider what the study says about establishing commitment from employees and how expectations about communication are changing.

Findings

Integrated Communication Approach

While many of the organizations had either separate departments or specific employees dedicated to internal communication, some were moving toward more of an integrated communications approach due to the overlap of internal and external stakeholders and channels. A vice president of communication at a Fortune 500 company explained their integrated approach:

We have an understanding that really a lot of communication is converging, and so rather than organizing it just around audience, so internal, external, social, we've actually organized it … almost from a project management standpoint. (sic, from a quote). Does it have to do with brand, does it have to do with reputation management, and then does it have to do with employee engagement?

A senior director of public affairs in a healthcare organization offered support for the integrated approach due to the blurring of audiences for various communication channels.

It's getting blurrier. For example, our company Facebook page, a huge number of our employees are friends and fans of the page. Same with Twitter, YouTube. We have a lot of internal staff involved there. We also write everything, everything that we print or send out for internal…as if it will land in external audiences hands, so a journalist's hands that it could be in our local paper the next day.