5 internal communication trends for your 2023 strategy

It’s the last quarter of 2022 and 2023 is just around the corner.

As you’re now planning your internal communication strategy for 2023, be sure to check out the trends that we’ve compiled in this blog post.

Needless to say, employee engagement remains the top priority for internal communicators. Especially now that (partially) working from home has become the norm for many organizations across the globe.

This makes the role of internal communications teams even more important. Boosting relationships between colleagues, driving employee engagement and connection with the organization, making sure everyone is being kept in the loop; it’s more challenging now than it was before.

Leaders come to rely on their IC teams to keep in touch with their workforces as almost every workplace went partially virtual.

So what can you do as an internal communicator to increase engagement and efficiency in 2023? In this post we share the five top internal communication trends for 2023 that every communicator should know and act on.

Internal communication has moved towards an omnichannel approach as it helps solve the top challenge of communicators: Reaching and engaging every employee, no matter where they are.

Omnichannel communication is a multi-channel approach that enables employees to connect with the organization via their preferred channel. Common channels are:

• An intranet which is accessible on PC or laptop

• A mobile intranet app for mobile workers

• A communication channel in Microsoft Teams

• Digital signages displays in factory halls for non-desk workers.

• Email communication for important and urgent messages.

In an omnichannel approach, all channels are well integrated, managed from 1 place and built to work together perfectly. Another key element is the ability to send targeted and personalized information. This helps to avoid information redundancy and cut through the noise so employees will receive the content that matters to them.

Reaching employees wherever they are with personalized content, consistent messaging, inclusive communication – that makes the omnichannel approach powerful, especially in dispersed workforces.

A CEO’s presence on the company website builds trust with prospects and customers. This practice is increasingly applied in internal communication. CEOs are becoming increasingly present on the intranet, reaching out to engage employees.

In fact, according to the research by Burson Marsteller, communicating purpose and vision inside the company was identified as the most important issue CEOs should be concerned about, to influence external reputation. The way leaders communicate internally with their people should be more on display. Especially now with employees working remotely, increasing leaders’ presence is more important than ever.

It’s time for business leaders to be more visible in internal communication. Here are some tips for effective leadership communication:

• Using stories and real examples to demonstrate the company vision and values.

• Using videos and newsletters for CEOs’ messages to boost visibility, transparency and authenticity.

• Dedicating a site or area on your intranet to leadership comms so everyone finds this information easily.

• Arranging town halls and site visits on a regular basis – which have been proven to be the most effective ways to build trust.

• Involving leaders in all internal comms activities and campaigns.

• Hosting Q&A sessions, giving employees a chance to ask questions to leadership or raise any concerns.

It was important last year, it’s been important this year, and it’ll be important next year — fostering employee wellbeing is always critical; because healthy and happy employees equals greater productivity.

Organizations are now beginning to adopt a cultural shift that values overall health of employees. Beyond introducing wellness perks – health insurance plans, yoga classes, lunch and healthy snacks, etc. – organizations focus on fundamental factors like offering flexible working hours, increasing awareness of mental health best practices, showing care and empathy from leadership, etc.

The role of Internal communications in this cultural shift is important as good communication in the workplace is THE key factor to ensure the change is a success. In fact, according to a Robert Half survey, 65% senior managers believed communication was the most important thing for leading their teams through change.

It’s necessary that you have an internal communication platform to help you achieve this. A modern intranet for instance is a great tool that organizations are increasingly introducing to their workforce with the goal of improving individual productivity. It enables remote access for employees when they’re working from home.

Check out this blog post for more information on how to foster employee well-being using an intranet.

Now more than ever, people want reliable information. While the trust in media and government is low, businesses should prove to be a reliable source.

To earn and maintain employee trust and engagement, communicators need to ensure information quality, accuracy and relevance. Be honest and candid. Also, listen to your employees and keep the lines of communication open between leaders and employees.

Leaders also directly drive levels of trust in an organization. Be sure that leaders take an active role in internal communication – as I mentioned before.

Your intranet is a valuable tool for building a culture of trust. It provides a secure space for leadership to share information and connect with employees, it allows two-way communication and acts as a tool to listen to employee opinions and ideas.

The reasons to measure your internal communication efforts are clear. Insightful metrics across all channels help communication teams improve their strategy, as well as prove the ROI of their efforts.

The good news is that with a modern intranet platform like Involv, communication managers can easily track everything they need, including engagement, adoption, device usage (desktop or smartphone) etc. You are also able to measure the metrics by campaigns across all your communication channels.

Involv analytics offers direct insights and sheds new light on employee behaviours, allowing you to make better informed decisions.

Talking about making better informed decisions; why won’t you just ask your employees how they feel and where you could improve? Employee feedback provides valuable data for internal communicators. Within Involv, you can easily collect this data through forms, surveys and quizzes.

There you have it – the top trends that will have the greatest impact on employee communication in the next year. Not unsurprisingly, communicators have a busy year ahead.

Is your IC team ready to act on these trends? If you feel like you need help, let’s get in touch. Schedule a call and discover how Involv can help you to spruce up your internal communications and set your organization up for a stellar 2023.

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