What Business Leaders Need to Know About Internal Comms

Rarely do senior leaders and C-suite executives have the privilege of glimpsing into the inner workings of their internal communications team.

But, thanks to the 2024 State of the Sector report by Gallagher, you now have that chance.

This report sheds light on how your comms team is working to boost employee engagement and the challenges they're facing. We've gone through the report and can share valuable insights about what topics are resonating with your workforce and the obstacles your comms team faces in getting their voice heard.

Plus, we've listed over 40 questions you should ask your comms team to gain insight into topics such as leadership support, strategic collaboration, measuring impact, how you can help empower others, and wellbeing and support.

things your comms team wants you to know

Challenges - Their top barriers to success are the lack of time and capacity in their team (35% of respondents), disengaged employees (32% of respondents) and the lack of budget/financial resources (25% of respondents).

Lack of support from leadership - An unfortunately familiar scene for many internal communications team is only being involved after decisions have been made.

• 27% of respondents' feedback spoke to lack of leadership buy-in, businesses not recognising the value and importance of comms, being left out of decision making and not seen as strategic
• Lack of perceived value was evidenced in 23% of commenters who cited lack of business investment needed in time, resources and headcount
• Only 25% of respondents were part of the team making decisions around change. Over half of communicators are consulted about change after it's been decided, then tasked with creating a strategy/plan to communicate it
• Communicators who report into employee experience and HR say they have more say in change (+10%) than their internal and corporate comms-reporting colleagues (-8%). Those reporting into C-suite were most likely to be part of the decision-making process (60%)

Internal communications teams are still questioning their seat at the table. They feel like senior leaders don't recognise the relevancy of their role, and in turn, they aren't invited to decision-making conversations.

Taking a strategic approach to communications allows your comms team to improve employee understanding – which benefits the business' bottom line. In practice, this means involving internal comms teams in the decision-making process instead of giving them comms to push out after a decision is already made.

Help make the most of people managers - Organisations with more deskless employees rely on people managers to share key company communications to their team. However, 3 in 5 internal communicators report that people managers are not meeting communication expectations.

Hybrid working and deskless employees still pose a challenge for communicators so help your communicators support people managers:

• Keep people managers accountable. Evaluate them on their ability to communicate as part of performance management process. Those who are evaluated on their ability are more than twice as likely to meet/exceed communicator expectations.
• Invest in communications training for the layer below executives

People managers have an important role to play in communication. When managers are better communicators, employees have better understanding.

Support their wellbeing - Communicators are a valuable asset, given the skills they likely have developed in everything from DEI to graphic design, CSR, stakeholder management and more. But they're running on fumes. 78% of respondents said their wellbeing at work has deteriorated or stagnated.

This largely stems from the belief that the business doesn't value communications: the lack of business investment, shrinking budgets, stagnant/decreasing team sizes. Be warned: 44% of communicators could see themselves happily in a role outside of communications.

Questions to ask your internal communications team

Reading these findings have probably got you scratching your head. Our top tip is to engage in open dialogue with your communications team. Here are 40+ questions to guide your discussion around leadership and buy-in, strategic collaboration, quantifying impact, people managers, and wellbeing.

Leadership and buy-in

1. Do you see your role as a communications advisor to be more advisory, supporting or strategic?
2. What challenges do we face in gaining leadership buy-in and recognition for our communication initiatives?
3. What benefits could we gain from elevating the role of communication within our organisation?
4. What specific challenges do you face in gaining recognition from senior leadership for the relevance of your role in the organisation?
5. How do you ensure that internal communications is involved in the decision-making process for organisational changes?
6. What opportunities do you see for internal communications to play a more strategic role in shaping organisational change and anticipating future needs?
7. What support do you believe you need from senior leadership to be more effective in your role?
8. What resources or tools do you currently lack that would help you better anticipate and plan for change?
9. What barriers do you encounter when trying to influence senior leadership's perception of internal communications?
10. In what ways do you currently engage with senior leadership to ensure that internal communications is considered in strategic decision-making?
11. How do you ensure that the internal communications team is aware of upcoming changes and can prepare accordingly?
12. What role do you believe internal communications should play in organisational change management?
13. What specific changes do you believe need to be made to ensure that internal communications is more recognised and valued within the organisation?

Strategic collaboration

1. How do our communication efforts directly support our strategic business goals?
2. How do our communication efforts ensure alignment with broader business initiatives and key stakeholders like HR and executive teams?
3. How can we ensure our communication efforts remain strategic and effectively support organisational objectives?
4. In what ways do our communication strategies enhance employee engagement and understanding of our company's values, vision, and strategy?

Quantifiable impact

1. Can you provide examples of how our communication initiatives have driven tangible business outcomes?
2. How do we measure the effectiveness of our communication strategies in achieving organisational objectives?
3. In what ways do our communication strategies enhance employee engagement and understanding of our company's values, vision, and strategy?
4. How do we quantify the impact of our communication on employee behaviour and morale?
5. How do our communication efforts directly support our strategic business goals?
6. Can you provide examples of how our communication initiatives have driven tangible business outcomes?

Empowering people managers to communicate more effectively

1. Can you provide examples of specific challenges or pain points people managers face in communicating effectively, especially with the increase in deskless employees?
2. How do we currently support people managers in their communication efforts, and what could be improved?
3. What resources or training do we provide to people managers to help them communicate more effectively?
4. How do we ensure that our communication strategies are inclusive and consider the needs of deskless employees?
5. Can you share examples of successful initiatives where we supported people managers in their communication efforts?
6. What challenges do we face in ensuring that people managers have the necessary time and resources to communicate effectively?
7. How do we address the communication needs of people managers who may be overwhelmed with other responsibilities?
8. How do we ensure that people managers are equipped to handle sensitive or difficult communication situations?
9. In what ways do we leverage internal communications to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among people managers?
10. What strategies do we have in place to ensure consistency in messaging across different teams and departments led by people managers?
11. What additional support or resources do you believe would be beneficial for people managers to communicate effectively in the current hybrid working environment?

Wellbeing and support

1. How do we support the professional development and wellbeing of you/our internal communications team?
2. What resources and training opportunities are available to you?
3. How do we ensure that the workload of our internal communications team is manageable and does not lead to burnout?
4. Is our work environment positive and supportive for you? What steps do we take to improve that?
5. In what ways do we recognise and appreciate the contributions of our internal communications professionals?
6. What measures do we have in place to address any challenges or concerns raised by our internal communications team?
7. How do we ensure that you have access to the necessary tools and technology to effectively perform their roles?
8. What role does the leadership team play in supporting the wellbeing and professional growth of our internal communications professionals?
9. How do we encourage open communication and feedback within the internal communications team to address any issues and improve overall wellbeing?

Your communicators are full of passion - but don't take that for granted. We hope these findings help you realise how valuable your comms team are, provide some guidance on how to make effective changes, and spark insightful conversations.