A new report from Newcastle’s cloud-based intranet and employee engagement specialist Oak Engage reveals that 46 per cent of internal communicators believe that poor communication leads to low morale and high levels of staff attrition.
Despite this fact, some 37 per cent said that their biggest challenge is lack of awareness of the value of internal communication at an executive level. The report also found that internal communicators’ top priority is getting the right message to the right people, at the right time, with 22 per cent claiming that the technology they currently use is not fit for purpose.
The State of IC 2023 report answers some of the key questions around internal communication objectives, trends, best practices and potential challenges, with recommendations for the year ahead.
The report also highlights a number of key objectives for communication professionals for the year ahead, starting with creating a culture of openness and recognition.
Suzanne Benoit, a sociologist and HR Consultant specialising in human behaviour in the workplace said: “Most important for a successful communication system is for leadership to hear from and listen to employees about their concerns and needs relative to their work. Employee communication platforms are a helpful tool to foster these conversations.”
Oak Engage’s CEO Will Murray noted that, with hybrid working clearly no lockdown flash-in-the-pan, companies need to up their digital game: “Our report shows that 22 per cent of internal communicators believe that the technology that they have at their fingertips is currently not fit for purpose. This is a worrying statistic and we believe that intranets should be working a whole lot harder for them.”
“Hybrid working is here to stay in some capacity and businesses need to adapt their practices in order for their people to feel motivated and engaged.”
Oak Engage surveyed over 200 internal communicators to answer some of the key questions around internal communication objectives, trends, best practices and potential challenges with recommendations for the year ahead. The full report and its recommendations can be accessed for free on the Oak Engage website.
