What is HR’s fundamental responsibility? I believe that HR as a strategic partner, must partner with the workforce to equip employees with the understanding, information, and tools necessary to meet their company’s strategic goals.

To gain these skills, HR must place a priority on employee communications! I know; it is clearly no small feat to accomplish this when leaders are bombarded with emails, meetings, internal and external politics and economic factors that can derail the best-laid plans!

Add to that the five generations we now have in the workforce who expect and need flexible and creative communication options! Generation X, Y, and Zers, along with savvy Boomers and Traditionalists, expect and value different types of communication than companies provided in the past.

Many employees don’t even know what their company’s strategic goals are; the way we communicate has to change, and HR must be at the forefront of that change!

Take heart; HR’s job may be getting support from a powerful if unlikely source. More and more executives are becoming aware that their companies’ communications methods need to change.

In a recent Canadian survey, 39% of CFO’s acknowledge that 

 is their number one mistake in managing their employees (see below). Second place is lack of recognition, but it’s a full 23% behind the lack of communication. Globally, the lack of communication is a shared concern.

Effective employee communications distinguishes the great companies from the good companies. And it is a relatively inexpensive trade-off for the goodwill employee communication creates! And how do employees feel about it? As noted below, 81% of employees would rather join a company that values “open communication” than one with a beefed-up health plan, free food or a gym membership! Surprising? Not to me, and probably not to you, either.

Another online survey revealed that if employees feel respected by their employer and are engaged, they are 87% less likely to leave their organization! They want to know what’s going on, why decisions are made, and importantly they want to be heard!

How difficult will HR’s job be if poor communication results in a loss of high-performing employees? Similarly, how challenging is it to try to recruit for new candidates who have heard that the company doesn’t value open, effective communication?

Here are some wins we can celebrate with effective employee communication:

Win #1 – Employee Communication Can (and Should) Be Measured

Finally! Technology has caught up, and HR can invest in software that can capture sought-after data for C-suite review. The value of measuring and reporting the data can’t be overstated since most executives focus on the numbers and data. 

Poppulo’s Campaign Management option, for example, aligns communication directly to your business goals and offers customized reporting to validate your campaigns’ success.

Win #2 – Employee Communication Reaffirms Strategic Goals

When company goals are understood, the workforce is on the same page. They know what is important to management, the shareholders, customers, advertisers, and other stakeholders. They also have a deeper understanding of the competitive landscape, the company financials and the products and offerings of their employer.

Win #3 – Employee Communication Aids Individual Accountability

After Strategic goals are shared, managers can meet with their teams to discuss the department or person’s “line of sight.” Said another way, this is defined as how each employee’s contributions would directly contribute to meeting a key company goal. When these drill-down communication meetings happen, the light bulb comes on! The team talks the same language, and they can all visualize the steps they need to take to be successful and consistent to meet their goals.

Win #4 – Employee Communication Builds Employee Engagement

Knowing the value of an individual’s contributions is HUGE; besides educating the employee, it gives them a feeling of value along with fueling their passion, pride and sense of accomplishment. And 

 happens because they are part of a collaborative, problem-solving company; what they do matters, and they see it in the Company’s actions and in how the Company communicates with them!

Win #5 – Employee Communication Keeps Brand Message on Point

Effective communication also controls the message, keeps it consistent and reinforces a Brand or culture. After the 9/11 tragedies, many companies experienced mass communication failures; most didn’t have well-thought-out safety, security or communications plans to roll-out during such a horrendous situation.

Companies scrambled to quickly account for traveling employees (and their families in the impacted areas). Air travel was suspended, circuits were jammed, email wouldn’t go through; it was a terrible time.

What was your employer’s message during that tragedy? In media, I noticed some continued to broadcast as though nothing happened. Others (like my previous employer) blacked out regular programming and posted prayers, thoughts, and encouragement for all impacted for a time, and shared this decision in advance with all employees. This reminded the employees what we believed in and stood for; it made us proud and kept us together during a very difficult time.

Win #6 – Employee Communication Connects Management to Employees

Effective communication isn’t only top-down; one of HR’s primary initiatives should always be to solicit and receive employee feedback from as many employees as possible, in all departments and all regions.

Besides annual review processes, annual or bi-annual employee surveys should be utilized (with one or two-topic pulse surveys in between). Feedback received should be carefully reviewed, clarified, summarized and shared with employees. Share the difficult feedback, too. Include the steps that will be taken to address the most concerning issues raised. The worst thing a company can do is solicit feedback and never act on the items raised; as an HR professional, don’t let that happen in your company!

Other ways HR can solicit employee feedback?

Exit interview (including temporaries and interns)

Win #7 – Employee Communication is the Right Thing to Do!

How many times do you hear that Companies (and HR) must “Do the Right Thing?” From an HR perspective, companies must be honest, ethical, thorough, timely and genuine; not only in their practices but in their employee communication.

For all the reasons listed, it is clear that HR can play a pivotal role in influencing and designing how employee communications are designed and delivered to showcase great results and to positively impact the workforce, not to mention positioning yourself as a true, strategic partner!

Why HR leaders must consider employee communications a crucial department function

My wise and saintly grandmother used to tell me when I was procrastinating about something “There’s no time like the present”.

So, when I think about the right time for employee communications training, or the rollout of technology, I think her advice still stands. The time is NOW!

In order to stay relevant, HR must quickly get up to speed, and stay in the loop, on the vital role employee communications plays as a key objective in the organization.

We live in a rapidly changing world, and HR’s main role is to support the workforce to quickly identify and resolve problems to meet key goals. HR must also be accountable for keeping their own house in order.

That involves making a strong business case for the need to invest in training and technology that will help meet the needs of the company, HR and individual employees.

During my years as head of Human Resources, my Learning & Development team and I offered many types of training opportunities for our employees and managers.

These included Leadership training, diversity/inclusion training, assimilation, project management and speaking skills, and safety and compliance training, but I don’t recall our communications team (which was separate from HR) 

 offering training on this critical subject to the workforce.

If your organization is structured as mine was where employee communications is not part of HR’s responsibility, move ahead proactively to determine which aspects of employee communications are most critical for HR and your team and institute your own training.

Internal training doesn’t have to be expenses or encompass several days. Whichever path you choose, internal, off-the-shelf or customized programs, there is not a lot of extra time for research and planning.

How can HR quickly but thoroughly determine the components of an employee communications training program? Here are some ideas to get you started.

 with a vendor is a great way to see if their type of instruction and approach would work with your company.

Talk with employees about effective programs they may have attended at other companies.

 to ensure all the components are included in whichever direction you choose to go.

 of training including half or full-day, in-person or virtual, level of attendees, etc.

HR’s role vs. an outside vendor’s role.

 Make sure you are clear on how that will work. Do they provide workbooks or takeaway documents? Are they available to answer follow-up questions?

Assessing HR’s technology needs begins with a similar conversation; what technology is currently in place in your organization? Have there been recent discussions about whether the capabilities and functionality of the platform(s) meet past, current and future needs? Does the workforce complain about HR’s technology?

What issues have you and your team encountered? If HR’s response time is slow or the data is not accurate, a technology review is a priority; now, not later. Some considerations:

 – the capital expenditures can be quite large to move to a new system; building a budget to encompass not only the anticipated costs, but to address concerns and gauge ROI on moving to a new system is critical.

– a task force or group of knowledgeable employees must gather and review the needs of the actual stakeholders which can take a good amount of time and review. It’s crucial to evolve your technology, fit the cultural needs of your company and lessen administration and errors.

 – on top of the business needs and daily responsibilities each employee has, is there ever a good time to switch to a new system? Not only does HR find it inconvenient, but how will the employees react to a massive change? Anything that may negatively impact their pay or benefits should be approached carefully. What fail safes should you include? Running dual payroll feeds or double and triple checking random reports to verify accuracy at the conversion are time-intensive but necessary to build trust in the new technology.

 – key to our initial “When to Invest” question is: do we wait until we have a significant issue (during an audit for example), or do we proactively test new systems and capabilities and build needs into a strategic plan? Sales wouldn’t want to move to a different pay platform that affects commissions during their active selling season, so it makes sense to be very clear with the chosen vendor on the window to implement the conversion.

 – this doesn’t only happen for HR, but many times ancillary teams (Operations, Finance and the like) must go through training on the new system. On top of that, if it is a self-service program, employees must also be proficient in how to navigate to find what they need. Taking time out for the actual training and tracking concerns is also a headache (although a necessary one).

– what about other platforms and programs that are connected through an “old” technology? How will such a major technology change affect those systems and stakeholders? Does the vendor have the capability to retain old records and data for future reference?

– are there HR leads that could work with the other teams and with HR’s interests to keep the RFP process, review of needs and desired outcomes, through to implementation and beyond moving?

If you and the C-Suite decide you do need to upgrade technology, having a full understanding of current state, along with future needs must happen. Besides the considerations listed earlier, here are others.

Confirming whether or not a vendor or platform is scalable for future growth; for example, if the company acquires another one, would the technology be able to support several hundred (or thousand) new employees?

Confirming whether a technology vendor is able to activate a few modules the first year, and then more in subsequent years to manage the budget more effectively. In this scenario, you would also want to confirm how you will continue to oversee those portions not rolled out the first year.

Determining whether follow-up training is provided through the vendor, and if so, for which levels, and for how long? If you don’t have a large training department, this could become a serious issue. Be realistic about the self-service model and whether it will be embraced by your employees.

Staying on top of the needs of both HR and the workforce is part of what effective HR strategists must do. Constantly reviewing feedback and looking objectively at the communications and technology infrastructures should be conducted on a regular basis.

When to Invest in Employee Comms Training and Technology in the HR department

We live in a time when there are so many ways companies can communicate with their employees: intranet portals, email, Lync, Zoom/Skype, e-learning, newsletters, surveys and so on.

Yet, is it not ironic that most companies still struggle mightily to identify the best way to update their teams? To highlight how widespread dissatisfaction with company communication is, a recent Gallup report stated that 74% of employees felt disconnected at work; they also believed they were missing out on important company information and news.

Download a free copy of our HR Communications Strategy

Another compelling statistic is that only 24% of global employees are highly engaged at work; that means a majority, 76%, are moderately engaged or not engaged at all.

Is it really that big of a deal that employees don’t feel communicated with, connected or engaged? You bet it is! To put it in dollars and cents: disengaged employees cost U.S.-based
companies more than 

 each year in lost productivity, so the world-wide implications are staggering! How did we get here?

First, let’s define employee communication so we are all on the same page. It is the practice of effectively communicating to all employees in an organization. This communication is critical to:

keep the workforce in the loop on strategic company priorities, successes, and challenges

educate employees and build awareness of the industry and competitive landscape

increase employees’ engagement and productivity

HR, then, is in the enviable and challenging position of being a trusted partner to the company and its employees, and in identifying clear communication strategies by keeping the above factors in mind. If you are not already an HR influencer in your company, it’s time create a plan and get started!

During my 20+ years as an HR executive in the Entertainment industry, I learned to add value by developing very strong communication and collaboration skills and being courageous and strategic in teeing up concerns with leaders. I employed 5 strategic tactics below that I found particularly helpful.

HR ensures that the C-suite and management team understand and support effective employee communication, both up and down and across the organization. I believe HR professionals must first build credibility and trust with management (which can take time, I know). Then HR must begin to educate and provide awareness on how critical it is for the company and management to value and embrace clear employee communication.

To be effective, HR must present statistics that illustrate the problem and the cost to global and U.S. companies, such as those previously mentioned.
Studies suggest that companies can increase productivity up to 25% by communicating and connecting their brand mission/objectives with their employees; that’s huge!

HR then shares recommendations to address the company’s specific communication issues (including feedback from past surveys).
Tie it together by providing a reminder that effective communication can build trust and ignite passion and loyalty, which leads to engaged, productive employees.

HR partners with management to ensure employee communication is accurate, timely, honest, and clear.

One of the worst things for an employee is to see an e-alert that their company is laying off employees, or that their CEO is leaving. As an employee, how would hearing this first from the outside make you feel--angry, unappreciated, distrustful? Of course! Having a communication (triage) plan already in place allows for executives and HR to focus on the accurate message points during a time of upheaval or when clear communication must happen. A company should always strive to update employees as soon as a final decision is reached in clear, honest terms. Conversely, sharing premature updates with employees may land the company in legal hot water, damage the stock price, or cause even more confusion and distrust.

HR validates that communication is delivered to employees via the right platform. Everyone hears and retains information differently, so it is worth researching the most effective platforms to use.

It is estimated that about 97% of 18 to 34-year-olds and 94% of 35 to 49-year-olds have access to smartphones. How do these statistics influence how HR could recommend communicating more effectively to employees? For example, would it make sense to use a mobile app or other smartphone technology to provide quicker updates than the traditional company portal (which many employees admit they don’t ever visit)?

Bluesource estimates that 205.6 billion emails are sent globally every day, yet only 1/3 of them are ever opened! So how effective are email updates?

And finally, there are a host of one-off considerations: who should the message come from: the CEO, Corporate Communications, HR or someone else? Are there any global nuances to be considered? Does a manager Q&A need to be created for consistent follow-up?

HR professionals must develop themselves to understand the company’s mission and imperatives and to effectively communicate a strong business case to management. These skills are also needed by HR to influence an employee to improve performance, and to recruit a valued candidate to join the company. Seek out development opportunities for yourself to learn the company’s:

Ask a co-worker or informal mentor to give you a 101 overview of Finance, Digital or whatever area you’re seeking to learn about. Take time to invest in your own development! I want to mention here that I have also paid for my own development if no budget was available. There are countless free webinars, certifications, networking groups or even book recommendations to tap into.

And finally, HR ensures, through Learning & Development offerings, that all other employees are also taught to be effective communicators. Oftentimes employees are promoted into management due to their technical expertise, not because of their communication or leadership skills. HR professionals know that a lack of honest, clear communication between a manager and a direct report can lead to a negative impact on the entire department. Examples of key documents in HR’s wheelhouse:

employee evaluations (mid-year, annual, and self-evaluation)

I am sure that you agree employee communication is critical at every step of the employee life-cycle. Management and HR must work hand-in-hand to create the template for effective communication. HR professionals must research new, creative ways to communicate and add value. By truly listening to management and the workforce, and taking the steps above, positive changes to employee communications will enhance the workforce community we have discussed and combat the negatives plaguing other organizations. This will lead to a more engaged workforce: one that is educated, passionate and confident about the decisions their leaders are making. And you, the HR professional, will be viewed as an indispensable, strategic problem-solver!

Can You Hear Me Now? 5 Top Employee Communication Challenges HR Must Meet

It is an interesting question, isn’t it? I admit my mind was solidly in the HR swim lane when I was an HR Executive, and it was solidly in Marketing when I worked with a Marketing team many years ago.

I crafted internal communications only with my department co-workers. However, in researching and writing this blog, I realized I missed a great opportunity, so I want to challenge and encourage you to solve problems in a creative way, too! Many of you may work in progressive environments that have already figured this out; if you do, that’s fabulous! For the rest of the group, give it a try.

There are quite a few similarities to how HR and Marketing approach communications; but there are marked differences, too. Let’s begin by discussing both.

The Ultimate Guide to Internal Communications Strategy

Both brand and promote key messages (based on Corporate priorities) by grabbing, influencing and educating stakeholders

Both are subject matter experts in their technical area

Both must unlock creativity in meeting the needs of their stakeholders

Both differentiate their strategies and offerings from competitors, and

Both sometimes (ok, most of the time) work with finite resources and unrealistic (read: very tight) deadlines

Do the similarities end there? Most definitely not! In a July 2018 

 article, the following four components were cited as critical to successful 

What’s interesting about this list is that these same four components can also determine the effectiveness and success of 

 employee communications. How’s that for quickly having so similar communication strategies to build on?

Now to some key differences. Marketing designs and brands promotions, creative concepts and communications geared toward a diverse group of 

 stakeholders: viewers, readers, consumers (and prospective consumers), advertisers, and sales.

Marketing’s strategies are designed to sell product, attract new clients, and generate buzz. Marketing may have a larger budget, and campaigns may be created by designers for a very high-quality look and feel.

HR’s focus, on the other hand, is primarily 

 stakeholders: executives, full-and part-time staff, temporary employees, contractors, interns, and even candidates. HR’s strategies are designed to educate, motivate and engage employees. HR budgets may be smaller, and the communications may be weighted more on content than on the look and feel of the documents.

Marketing’s traditional partners may include Sales, Business Development, and Content-generating teams. HR ‘s partners align more closely with other operational teams, including Legal and Finance.

Consider for a moment how employee communications is handled in 

 organization. Who owns the message and its distribution to the employees? Do you feel employee communication is effective, or does it need an overhaul? Are your HR and Marketing teams working with similar approaches as mentioned above?

This is a great opportunity where you as an HR professional can define your role as a true thought and collaborative leader! Look at options that exist to play a strategic role in assessing and redefining how key messages are shared. Talk with mentors or your HR network to see what best practices exist that would enhance your company’s culture.

Struggling with strategy? You need our Ultimate Guide to Internal Communications Strategy

Who is responsible for employee communications: HR or Marketing

As I stated, I believe HR professionals may be best served to partner 

 their Marketing colleagues to position the message in the most creative and dynamic way. This would ensure it is well-received by employees, too. And with recent statistics showing that less than 30% of employees believe in the brand they work for (so 70% are uninterested or disengaged), there is much opportunity to improve employee engagement with more creative messaging!

Here are some other wins in implementing a shared HR/Marketing approach:

Win #1: Collaboration strengthens bonds, fosters teamwork and builds respect between HR and Marketing teams.

Win #2: Sharing best-practices can identify more obstacles, opportunities, and solutions and can result in more effective promotions.

Win #3: Teaming up on such an approach can pave the way for other teams to watch, listen and learn, to try it with the teams they work most closely with!

Win #4: Partnering educates both teams on the responsibilities and skills of their co-workers.

Win #5: Idea-sharing shortens completion time, effort, and duplication while reducing error rates.

Win #6: Collaboration generates clarity, engagement and excitement from the workforce.

Sounds good, right? What concerns do you identify? What challenges do you anticipate having to deal with in your organization? Would Marketing embrace the idea to work with HR? What would other HR decision-makers think of this approach? Would our executives support a pilot-test? Would employees respond favorably to our collaboration? Those are all great questions to consider and explore with your teams. Other suggested steps:

Set up an initial conversation with HR and Marketing execs to confirm support and buy-in on this recommendation (cite other progressive companies’ success).

Establish a current baseline on how effective employee communication has been historically.


Do employees know the company’s priorities and challenges?

Have previous surveys uncovered communication issues and concerns (if so, are they widespread, do they begin at the executive level, or only in certain departments)?

Assemble a working committee of both HR and Marketing employees.

Task them with collecting and reviewing pertinent data to suggest changes as needed.

Have a few trusted employees review the suggested materials before they’re distributed company-wide.

After the campaign, follow back up with them (and all other employees) to gather feedback.

Make recommendations for further tailoring the program, based on feedback received.

Provide an update and thoughts for future communications to leaders.

Send thank you notes or emails to the Marketing team members who helped make it happen.

However and wherever your research and Marketing collaboration takes you, being open to sharing (and asking others for help and insights), is a smart way to build respect and encourage teamwork for individual and team success!

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Articles for the term

Julie cookson

Why HR leaders must consider employee communications a crucial department function

When to Invest in Employee Comms Training and Technology in the HR department

Can You Hear Me Now? 5 Top Employee Communication Challenges HR Must Meet

Who is Responsible for Employee Communications: HR or Marketing?

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