Why internal communication or employee engagement is important

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As important as external communication is to any organisation because this eventually translates into sales, communicating with employees is just as important, if not more. You see, every company should aim to convert their employees into its internal ambassadors. This is achieved when a company makes sure that its employees are informed about everything that happens in the company either at the same time as when communicating externally or sometimes before the news is shared with external stakeholders.

No company can turn its employees into brand ambassadors if the internal stakeholders have to read about the happenings in the company via newspapers or from other people who don’t even work in the company.

Investing in external communications

As much as companies invest in external communications via different communication tools that include press releases, advertorial, adverts on radio or TV or even billboards, to name a few, it’s also essential to invest in a structured internal communication strategy. Employees who are brand loyal are involved in the developments of their company.

Employees find it offensive when they hear about what is happening in the company they work for from outsiders. It makes them feel like they are not important enough to know crucial things about their company. In almost all the medium or large corporates I have worked for, including SAICA, Absa, MTN, and Business Connexion, internal communication was as important as external communication.

When SMMEs contract us for PR services, we always encourage them to make sure that they communicate the company activities with their employees. It might be a group of five to ten employees in a small business. But it’s still just as important.

Communicating internally

During the Covid-19 period and maybe even currently, employees have been anxious and preoccupied with the thought of having a job one minute and then being retrenched the next. Every employee wants to know if their future is protected - if the company is doing well enough to keep them in their current employment. This is precisely where internal communication fits in.

Not communicating how the company is performing creates unnecessary anxiety within employees because they go to work every day not knowing whether their jobs are safe or not. Honest communication of how the company is doing despite the effects of Covid creates the loyalty that companies want from their employees. Job security is essential for every employee these days and communicating regularly is critical to any company’s internal stakeholders.

My specialisation and passion in the PR/communication space have always been in external communication or media relations, but over the years I worked with a number of colleagues who specialised in internal communication. This is because they are passionate about communicating with internal stakeholders or engaging with employees.

I have a lot of respect for these ladies which include Shakira Mayaram, Samantha Perumal and Sian Singh – they played a crucial role in being the champions of internal communication and their passion was evident in all their employee engagement initiatives.

So, to young PR professionals out there, I urge you to consider specialising in internal communication and employee engagements because it is also an integral part of our profession.