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

Generational Shifts in the Workforce

The next research questions asked what are the latest trends impacting the domain of internal communication and how are internal communicators adapting to these changes? One of the biggest transitions impacting internal communication is the retirement of Baby Boomers and the entrance of Millennials in the workforce. Employers must anticipate how to handle the loss of institutional knowledge and experience. As a vice president of brand and strategy at a Fortune 500 company said, 

We'll have 2,000 employees retire over the next five years, and they have an average tenure of 20 years of experience…each, so that's 40,000 years of experience that we'll have going out the door. At the same time, we're bring in Millennials, (sic) so that transfer of knowledge, culture and what has made (name of company) great, but adapting it and…enhancing it for a new generation of employees is… it's a megatrend that is very, very, very real. 

Further complicating this transfer of knowledge, Millennials have different communication expectations. An internal communication consultant explained the challenges this presents: 

Mass emailing of push communications, they won't stand for it. They'll just delete it and ignore it. So it's got to be moved to mobile, it's got to be moved to short messaging, as opposed to long emails…where I want to, when I want, on the device that I want…rather than pushed at me without making it easy for me to get it. Let me know what's relevant that I need to know about so that I'm aware it's there and where to find it, but let me find it when I want to.