The value of internal communication has been studied for years. And the results are clear: communication effectiveness has been one of the leading indicators of an organization’s financial performance. Industry research indicates that organizations with the most effective employee communication programs provide up to a 91% total return to shareholders, compared to companies that communicate least effectively.
Research has also shown that while ROI is notoriously difficult to measure, high-performing organizations communicate at a rate of nearly 3:1 on four key types of employee communications:
- Explaining and promoting new programs and policies
- Educating employees about organizational culture and values
- Providing information on organizational performance and financial objectives
- Helping employees understand the business
So, ask yourself: how is your organization doing on employee communications? Are you communicating in all four areas? And are those communications really reaching your employees, or do they just disappear into the background?
It’s time to consider how employee communications can help you to reach your goals and create a communication plan.
By creating an internal communication plan, you can ensure that messages are prioritized and sequenced for employees and that you’ve considered how to craft your message to best suit your employees.
The plan doesn’t need to be any fancier than a spreadsheet, but it should help you think through who needs to know what and when. Then you can think about how you’ll get your messages out and at what frequency.
And remember, the research shows that communicating more frequently is tied to better performance, so plan to repeat your messages at different times and in different channels to make sure you reach everyone.