We surveyed the perception of successful internal communication of the employees leading the GuavaHR project (HR managers) through a customer survey. However, we also wanted to know what they are most proud of when it comes to their company’s internal communication.
As accountants, trainers-coordinators, marketing managers and secretaries and assistants often play a leading role in internal communication, these answers also give insight into the ideas of the professionals who carry out this work. Here are the answers clients of GuavaHR, the internal communication tool.
Prerequisites. What is considered to be a sign of successful internal communication?
The answers given in our study were divided into three main topics. According to the respondents, successful internal communication was characterized by the quality of information and the way (to whom, how fast, how) it moves.
However, success was also measured by the impact of internal communication on the company’s operations and culture: how it affects unity and the relationship between employees and the employer, and the extent to which it enables employee participation.
The following are the main answers of the participants to the question: what does success in the company’s internal communication mean to you?
1. Information flow and its characteristics
- Information is sent and received quickly and timely
- “Success is preventing questions.”
- “Fast information flow from top to bottom and from bottom to top.”
- No information blackout
- “Information also flows from managers to all subordinates, so that there are fewer situations where someone says ‘I had never heard of it’.”
- “If all employees are in the same information field. “
- The information is clear
- “Information reaches as many employees as possible quickly and unambiguously.”
- “Information directly from the source.”
- The information is visually appealing
- “Success is when the information is eye-catching.”
2. Unity of the company and its members
- Employees are familiar with the company’s activities
- “All employees who are interested and who want to are aware of what is really going on in the company.”
- “Employees are aware of their company’s activities, both internal and external.”
- The employer reaches every employee
- “If everyone in the company feels important and has a right to their opinion.”
3. Employee contribution and relationship with the employer
- Employees have a sincere interest in thinking along
- “When an employee is really interested and he observes the company’s activities, he lives the company values and thinks along.”
- Employees have the courage to share their views with the company and ask questions
- “Employees are involved and have the opportunity to ask for the information they need.”
- “That employees dare and want to share their thoughts with the company.”
- “Success is that internal communication works bilaterally.“
Practice. What are you most proud of in your internal communication?
Next, we asked each respondent to name three things they are most proud of in their own GuavaHR workspace. It is important that internal communication fulfills its primary purpose and reaches as many employees as possible, even better if there is two-way communication.
However, one of the important factors in feeling proud also seems to be that engaging in internal communication has become a regular habit, and pride can be felt not only in the content of information but also in its appearance. The latter is the key to modern and exciting internal communication.
Here are some of the most eloquent answers from the participants.
1. Company-wide involvement
- Participation of company managers in internal communication
- “I’ve managed to get the CEO to post!”
- “Posts compiled by managers.”
- Diversity of internal communication contributors
- “When other colleagues publish posts.”
- “Posts by department heads and employees themselves, such as sharing sales results.”
- “When employees post on their own initiative.”
- Employee participation
- “Employees are responding more and more to posts.”
- “When employees like and comment the news.”
- “I’m proud of how it connects different employees.”
- “We have created the groups that the employees have wanted and where they can get the information that interests them.”
- Involvement through recognition
- “Reflecting employee praise“
- “We can acknowledge, we can congratulate (baby’s birth, anniversaries, birthdays).”
2. Interest in information and its consumption
- High adoption rate
- “Joining has been more active than expected.”
- “Availability of information, as 76% of workers have joined Guava.”
- “A very large percentage of those invited have joined.”
- High readability of news and announcements
- “The percentage of reading posts is high, sometimes over 80%.”
- High user activity
3. Content creation process and results
- Creating an internal communication routine
- “There are certain routines what information to share through Guava.”
- “There’s a habit of posting regularly.”
- Visual attractiveness of posts
- “Well-designed posts.”
- “It looks attractive when you log in.”
- “Presenting information is better than before.”
Conclusions. What to learn from this study?
Firstly, in order to be proud of internal communication, one must be able to measure its receival and consumption. Mapping information distribution is the key to successful internal communication. Second, the success of internal communication is directly related to how many people are expected to interact and be involved. If the first step tells you that there are too few people involved, you have the opportunity to do something in the second step to change it.
Third, the prerequisite for success is two-way communication, in which the employee wants and dares to have a say and be interested. However, courage cannot come from the employee himself, the company’s communication and culture ensure a sense of security here. And last but not least, if you want your company’s internal communication to bring you joy and pride, practice this activity regularly. Creating and developing a habit is a guaranteed source of success.
Have fun communicating!
