How can Internal Communications help employees through change?

Effective internal communication is crucial in helping employees navigate and adapt to change within an organisation. While change brings about anxiety and uncertainty, being transparent and having two-way communication is essential to support employees. Actively listening to employees and addressing their concerns should be part of the internal comms strategy. This will ensure that employees feel valued, empowered, and respected. We should always remember who we are communicating to and foster a positive and adaptive culture within workplace.

Internal comms needs to support the change management process, regardless which model is the company's preferred model (ADKAR, Kotter etc.) Making sure there are good feedback loops is essential.

Let's use a ship analogy: *Be the Compass* - Acting as the true north in the turbulent waters of uncertainty. *Provide Clarity* - Navigating the rocky shores of resistance. *Create engagement* - Engaging employees to provide the winds in the sails of change. *Provide Balance* - Steadying the course and maintaining productivity. *Supporting Adoption* - Helping employees understand the ship's identity to improve culture and embrace new ways of working. *Creating a solid foundation* - Most crucially, building trust, the foundation of leadership and employee engagement that ensures a steady ship in stormy waters. Therefore, internal communications is not just a supporting actor; it's one of the crucial drivers of change. Now ship that!

Internal communications during change are crucial for various reasons. Firstly, it helps maintain employee morale by providing clarity on the reasons for change and addressing uncertainties. Transparent communication builds trust among employees, essential for successful change implementation. Aligning teams with organizational goals is facilitated through clear communication, linking the change to the company's vision. Effective communication reduces rumors, speculation, and misinformation, fostering a positive environment. Engagement is enhanced by creating opportunities for feedback, making employees feel valued and involved in the process. Managing resistance is possible through early identification and proactive addressing of concerns.

We need to stop thinking internal comms and change comms are the same thing - they’re two different specialisations within the comms profession. They’re both equally important but they serve different purposes. If you don’t have a change comms specialist in your team, then provide opportunities to your IC team to build those skills.

While managing communication in change environment, I use three-stage approach: -Stage one: set the scene -Stage two: make it happen -Stage three: make it stick Communicating within each distinctive phase of change process will require emphasis on different topics - for example in the first stage we will clarify why change is happening and the benefits for different groups of employees, as well as what the process will look like and timeline. In the second stage, we will offer updates on progress from various working groups, and reward those who are successfully embracing change. During the third stage, we will bring stories from colleagues on how they are making difference. Trust this example from my experience, may be useful.

A lot can be said here. But in my mind there are a few core elements to always get right: 1. Email communications that are less than 400 words in simple language but find a balance. Don't overwhelm, set a periodic plan of updates. Use icons and images to make it easier to understand. 2. Use Line Managers effectively in large organizations to make this engagement meaningful to staff who may not be close to the decisions for greater relevance. Arm the middle managers with the right information. 3. Increase Leadership engagement - walk the floors, town halls, webinars, and always be open to take questions. Change is easier to embrace when employees know leaders have a plan and the outcomes are clear.

Change communication is very granular because it should be designed around change impacts, which will be different for every audience segment. There is no one-size-fits-all approach! So your outcomes, strategies and tactics will vary by audience. This is what change comms is all about - putting people at the heart of it, understanding how they may respond to change, and tailoring communication to meet different communication needs.

When it comes to measurement, you have to go back to your original objectives - what did you want people to know, feel and do? Did you achieve those objectives, what worked well, and what didn’t? Importantly, your measurement also needs to demonstrate how you helped to achieve business objectives (not comms objectives). This is where we demonstrate the value change communication offers to a business.

Effective internal communication is crucial during times of change, big or small. Quick, transparent messaging post-decision-making - be it about company restructuring or dress code updates - can significantly reduce rumor-induced confusion and stress. While confidentiality policies are necessary, timely and honest communication fosters a sense of trust and stability among employees. It's essential for leadership to recognize that clear, consistent information flow is key to navigating change smoothly. #InternalCommunication #ChangeManagement #EmployeeEngagement

Internal comms have a key role in any organizational change. Still, for more complex changes, it is important to bring in a Change communication specialist - an internal comms practitioner with a thorough understanding of and experience in change management.

Where I work, the principle of "transformation" is baked into our culture. Every colleague is routinely challenged to resist the comfort of the status quo and actively seek out new and improved ways of creating value. We operate on a mindset that views change as a feature not a bug. Because of this, we're much better at adopting to organizational change when it happens than we otherwise would be. In other words, when change is a routine and positive aspect of your day to day work culture, that makes it a lot easier to adapt and thrive when major org transformations occur.