Employee Communication

Employee Empowerment Communications

Strengthening employees for change. How you can make change success possible with internal communication on all aspects of corporate change processes

Employees are among the most important brand ambassadors and multipliers of a company. But only informed and involved employees can actively support and shape change. Internal communication is therefore of decisive importance for the sustainable success of a company in a constantly changing competitive environment. Together with you, SpiessConsult designs all dimensions of internal communication.

What is internal communication for employees about?

In contrast to the outward-looking "corporate communication" as part of the marketing mix, here we concentrate on communication within companies and organisations, which is aimed at employees.

Internal communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages or information within a company and between the employees of a company. Internal communication as a corporate task aims to make complex corporate processes and future issues transparent for employees, to create insight into the necessity of corporate change, to actively involve them in the shaping of change and to create identity.

The term internal communication or employee communication stands both for the realization of strategies for internal communication and for the motivation and commitment of employees. Thematic focal points can be, for example, compliance communication, work safety, occupational health management or change communication in connection with efficiency programs or quality initiatives. As an instrument for communicating corporate strategy, internal communication is also an important management tool.

Overview of topics in employee communication

Employee communication – of strategic importance, but often neglected

Without creative and economically thinking employees no company will be successful. And even when it is repeatedly conjured up that the employees are the most important thing: The internal communication often does not reflect this. Employees either feel too little informed. Or they feel overwhelmed by too much (unimportant) communication. Or the communication contents are basically of great interest to the employees, but they are presented in a loveless and unattractive way, so that nobody likes to deal with them or they are completely lost in everyday working life.

 

Employees are among the most important brand ambassadors and multipliers of a company. Take them with you.

Your employees need to know and understand a lot in order to survive and progress in business life. It is about the constant restructuring of companies and complex topics such as compliance, corporate governance, digitization, new working environments, innovation management, corporate social responsibility.

As a company manager, you need the necessary entrepreneurial freedom to act in the face of market- and competition-driven changes. Without informed and committed employees, however, there is no such thing. In our world, where the only constant is change, all members of an organization must understand and internalize what the company's strategy is, be enthusiastic about it, and know what points and regulations need to be followed to achieve the goal of that strategy. Therefore: Improve your internal communication.

What is important here is that the heads and hearts of the people must be reached and won in the area of conflict between "community" and "commerce". This is the only way to make successful changes possible.

Employee Empowerment Communications: Employees are the most important ambassadors of their company and their brand. Prepare them for change topics and strengthen them for dealing with new things – with target-oriented internal communication. You must reach the minds and hearts of the people. How does that work? Talk to us.

Employee communication checklist: Which topics and instruments of internal communication are of great importance to those responsible?

  • Improve internal communication / Develop concept for internal communication / Definition of employee communication
  • Communicate strategic planning and management goals
  • Conduct employee survey / develop questionnaire / start employee evaluation
  • Develop communication app for employees / employee app for internal communication
  • Internal communication as a management task / leadership through Communication
  • Change Communication: Information and Guidance for Changes
  • Support change processes / change in the company
  • Inspiring employees with new ideas
  • Agile working / agility as a new premise of teamwork
  • Taking employees with you during change and explaining the change
  •  Encouraging and challenging personal responsibility
  • Compliance communication and compliance-fair behavior
  • Set up whistleblower hotline / Apply and implement Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG)
  • Develop sustainability strategy / Explain and promote sustainability in the company / Support sustainability report
  • Attractive employer / employer branding / employee loyalty to the company
  • Set up corporate blog internal communication
  • Realign internal communication / change media mix employee communication
  • Integrating social media into employee communication
  • Expand Intranet / Use Intranet correctly / Develop Social Intranet / Enhancing digital content
  • Develop content for blogs, social intranets and internal media
  • Storytelling / Develop digital content
  • Obtain communication consulting / further develop communication strategy / develop communication concept
  • The successful campaign: from briefing to launch
  • Agency for internal communication: Which agency suits me best / How do I find the right agency for employee communication?
  • Agency search and agency selection: What should I look out for?
  • Agency remuneration: What does good work cost?
  • Digital transformation and what it means for employees / Explaining and shaping digital change
  • Distribute news about products and services; present innovations
  • Present new customers and projects
  • Explain business figures and financial results
  • Preparing, accompanying and supporting acquisitions, mergers, takeovers and business field changes communicatively
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Assumption of social responsibility (CSR)
  • Maintaining and developing a corporate culture
  • Further develop employer brand / promote employer branding / improve image as an employer
  • Supporting internal communicators through practical tools, e.g. checklists, Q&A´s, briefings for the implementation of measures

Which communication measures and channels are particularly important for employees in internal communication

  • Social intranet
    • The central platform for internal communication, either for individual business units or for the company as a whole. First point of contact for all employees. All the threads of employee communication converge on the intranet. Contents of the intranet include info columns, news, sharing functions, virtual workspaces, commentary functions, etc.
  • Sharepoints or similar cooperation tools
    • Often the central working medium for projects involving the division of labour across country and time zones.
  • Films and video clips on internal communication initiatives
    • Very good opportunity to present current and urgent topics of the company emotionally, compactly and sympathetically. Film projects can be planned and implemented on a modular basis in order to take allrelevant target groups into account. You can find them in the intranet and there on sub-intranet pages specially created for certain topics or on other platforms.
  • Internal Events / Info Events
    • Whether informal meetings or well-organized employee events: personal contact and the opportunity for personal exchange between colleagues – in person or as a livestream – is the indispensable complement to other internal communication.

Tips on the topic of internal communication / employee communication

What you need for effective and sustainable internal communication and employee communication:

  • Formulated self-image of the company: the corporate identity

  • Clearly defined communication strategy coordinated with the company management

  • Clearly defined responsibilities in the internal communications team

  • Elaborated topic planning/annual communication calendar for the various channels of internal communication

  • Harmonized, coordinated core statements (corporate wording) on all channels

  • Internal catalogue of questions and answers (FAQ) on all relevant topics of internal communication
  • Elaborated and rigorously applied corporate design for internal media
  • Regular employee surveys/focus groups to review internal communications and readjust them
  • Dialog-oriented internal communication channels and exchange platforms
  • If necessary, support by external experts/ specialized service providers in the area of internal communication/ agency for employee communication

Strengthen your employees – and prepare them for the tasks and challenges of tomorrow

Employee communication deserves your full attention. Take action now. We support you in analysis, strategy, creative design and implementation.

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