Developments in Internal Communications for 2022

In the past two years, the modern workplace has changed at an unprecedented rate. As remote and hybrid work continue to place new demands on firms in 2022, they will also usher in recent trends in internal communications.

FREMONT, CA: Globally, corporations are confronting a new norm. As a result of digital transformation and remote work, businesses are reconsidering how they connect with and engage their employees. And organizational efforts to adapt are led by internal communications.

The aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak indeed continues to present businesses with new hurdles. However, it also allows companies to reinvent and enhance their internal communications. Here are a few current trends in internal communication to help guide you on the right route.

Hybrid work communications

As companies gradually recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid work styles will replace remote work. Shopify, Apple, and PwC are just a few significant companies planning to implement or sustain a hybrid workplace.

This will require internal communicators to maintain a delicate balance. Utilizing digital technologies to connect local and remote personnel will become indispensable. Several helpful strategies include:

Increasing the frequency of company-wide mailings to keep dispersed and hybrid teams informed.

Increasing the number of video-based team-building activities.

Using employee SMS to communicate urgent information to remote and deskless workers as quickly as to employees in-person.

Effective leadership communications

In the age of social media, corporate leaders must serve as credible sources when employees are flooded with information (and misinformation). This requires you to be honest, genuine, and transparent in your leadership conversations.

Leaders must give their people the truth whether the organization is experiencing its best quarter or a challenging period. They must be trustworthy and guiding figures. Implementing more consistent and individualized messaging is the optimal starting point. Other ideas to consider comprise:

Using mail merge in Outlook to add individual employee names to the subject line and body of leadership emails.

Utilizing video for corporate communications to add audio and visual components of personalization.

Avoid corporate jargon favoring more basic, simple, and earthy language.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) emphasized

With so much happening in the news, it will be impossible for businesses to avoid discussing pressing public concerns. Studies indicate that 86 percent of employees believe company executives should speak out against societal issues and injustices. This involves speaking up in your internal communications first and foremost.

In addition to increasing the transparency of their messaging, leaders will need to reflect on their organization's core beliefs. Connecting social challenges with pertinent organizational concepts, such as diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equitable hiring, will be essential. Here is how leaders can introduce these ideas to their teams:

Discussions are facilitated during virtual town halls.

Implementing suitable employee mentoring and training programs.

Promoting resources that reflect initiatives of corporate social responsibility.