Internal communications

Regular communication plays a central role in building employees’ trust in their employer. These communications drive workplace culture and influence employees’ attitudes and outlook.

Internal communications and tools can signal dignity centeredness.

The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer found that regular communication with employees plays an increasingly central role in how much employees trust their employers. They are an important driver of workplace culture and how employees feel, whether through intranet site postings, all hands/all staff/team meetings, internal bulletin boards, or organization-wide announcements and emails, including about policies and benefits. In these communications, which should promote core values, transparency, and people-focused topics and be paired with reinforcing messages in individual teams or departments, it’s crucial to think about what the organization is signaling as a priority through what is and isn’t spoken about, and who is and isn’t speaking about it. And inclusive language should be a touchstone for all internal communications.

The key organizational functions that play a role:

  • Human resources communications/operations/benefits

  • Communications (including any internal-focused communications staff)

  • Management teams

  • Inclusion and diversity teams

What the organization can do: Actions

1. Prioritize inclusion and diversity both in terms of speakers and messaging.

2. Invest in the dignity awareness and competences of all professionals who have internal communications responsibilities.

3. Look for opportunities for communication tools and messaging to be more inclusive and dignity-advancing.

4. Communicate with the workforce about the impact of business decisions or external events, being cognizant of disproportionate effects on certain groups.

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