Trends in internal comms 2023

Welcome back to our Internal Communication Talk of February. This monthly newsletter is designed to give you updates on the latest trends, tools, tips and inspiration you need to improve the communication within your company. Click subscribe above to be notified of each edition.

We hope you had great first weeks into 2023. In line with the start of this year, we would like to present to you the trends of 2023 in the areas of internal communication and HR. These two areas are moving closer together. We have interviewed clients as well as experts who experience developments in these areas everyday, and we are pleased to present to you in this newsletter the seven developments for 2023 that you should know about.

1?? Taking feedback seriously gives you a competitive advantage

Around 70 percent of communicators and HR managers have difficulties getting an overview of the workforce's ideas and concerns. This is according to a Flip survey of around 100 webinar participants. "Technical features only help to a limited extent at this point," says Patrik Kolligs, founder and COO of Kronsteg, an agency for intranets and employee apps. "Just because there's a comment function doesn't mean employees will comment." A management who demonstrates that feedback from their staff is truly desired encourage their employees to provide feedback. "The workforce needs to feel that their feedback is actually being implemented." says Kira Kebekus, Head of Projects, Innovation & ESG at Europart. Companies that take their employees' ideas seriously and realize them give themselves a competitive advantage.

2?? Personal content: Those who are approachable retain employees

"We've noticed that our employees particularly value content that is accessible," says Franziska Metz, internal corporate communications manager at Rossmann. Personal content is becoming increasingly important since it’s showing the faces behind teams, departments and leadership. This makes a company feel more approachable and strengthens the connection between employees and employer. Ellen Scheibl, Head of Communications at elasto, a producer of advertising materials, describes a tightrope walk between stories and business: "The challenge is to find a balance between private content and professional information. But we've found: People feel more like they're part of the company when they get regular private insights." Prof. Dr. Christoph Fasel, Spiegel bestselling author and former Head of Henri Nannen School, knows: "People are better reached with emotions than with facts.” The rule is: 70 percent emotions and 30 percent facts. But not everyone masters this balancing act. That's why Fasel advises: "It's not the person with the highest rank who communicates internally, but the person who can do it best."

3?? Internal communication tools become change management tools

Flip’s customer Toom reveals that it used to be difficult to communicate a company-wide change simultaneously. Thanks to the digitalization of internal communications, the entire workforce now learns about innovations within the company at the same time. Modern tools for internal communication not only make it easier for everyone involved to distribute content or provide feedback. They are increasingly becoming tools for communication in change processes. Change needs understanding. Jonathan Fasel, founder of the communications agency Fasel & Fasel, thinks: “You shouldn’t make decisions you can’t communicate credibly.”

4?? Multichannel approach: those who orchestrate multiple channels are heard by everyone

No single internal communications tool covers all of the needs of employee communications. That’s why it is likely to be advantageous to link different channels. The credo is: as many channels as necessary, as few channels as possible. Information that employees receive via smartphone can be consumed quickly and easily while they are at work, while detailed interviews are reading material for the lunch break or after work. The editorial team is responsible for ensuring that the topics are properly classified. Another important question is how the content has to be prepared in concrete terms that it fits various channels. You can convert the same content several times – so it always fits the desired channel. An example: A video interview with the management can also be used for the internal podcast. This principle is also advantageous because different target groups have different preferences for how they want to consume content. In addition, although an employee app can be a powerful tool for internal communication, managers in particular should not neglect face-to-face conversations.

5?? "Snackable content": If you want to achieve great things, you build small-scale content

In addition to authentic content, the form of packaging is another important factor. In the future, this will be even more subject to the trend of "snackable content," which means formats will become shorter and users will be able to consume them more quickly. "It can be helpful to post more frequently," says business psychologist Patrik Kolligs from Kronsteg. So, away from long texts, towards scannable content, supported with pictures, videos and graphics. However, content that is easy to consume also means tailoring it to the different target groups within a workforce. After all, not all content is relevant and interesting for every employee. "People in the office aren't always aware that certain topics aren't interesting in the physical store. A sales assistant in one of our stores doesn't even need certain information for everyday work," explains Daria Ezazi, Head of Toom corporate communications. But the problem can be solved, she says: "For companies, this means they should think in terms of different target groups."

6?? Pre-boarding: The earlier the "welcome", the stronger the "wants to stay”

Pre-boarding, the step before onboarding and after signing the contract of new employees, is often ignored. But why should you wait until the first day of work to catch up your new colleagues? With structured pre-boarding, new starters have access to relevant documents before their first day of work and can familiarize themselves in advance. This strengthens identification with the employer before the official start and conveys security. But which content fits into a pre-boarding? Basically, info should be shared that doesn't need any additional explanation. So give yourself a head start on the administrative and employer branding side with a planned pre-boarding process and give new employees a warm welcome before their first day on the job!

7?? Generation Z turns the ABC of Internal Communication and HR upside down

As you read in our December edition newsletter, Generation Z is currently the youngest generation in the labor market and brings with it one significant characteristic: digitalization. Their expectations of the working environment are correspondingly high. "Chat messages are faster than mails," says Ellen Scheibl. "The shorter, the better. Long ramblings are not necessary; it's all about the message you want to convey. Ideally, you should support it with pictures or video material." But it's not just the next generation that's embracing the change. From now on, it's more about content instead of just packaging. With the introduction of area-wide, digital communication tools, the operational workforce has the ability to communicate company-wide. Information can now be shared with all colleagues - an internal knowledge transfer begins, which incidentally also strengthens the corporate culture. Bottom-up communication breaks down old hierarchies and enables company-wide innovation management. After all, who has better innovation suggestions than the people who are directly involved in the process on a daily basis?

?? IC & HR trends help to improve employee retention & satisfaction

Implementing a feedback culture is incredibly important, but not all companies take advantage of this opportunity and are skeptical about it. In a healthy corporate culture, it is important to welcome ideas from the workforce with open arms. Not only do companies evolve with the help of that feedback, but the relationship between management level and the workforce improves as well. Generally speaking, the internal communications and HR trends of 2023 are paying off to a great extent in terms of greater employee loyalty and appreciation.

?? Key take-aways

• Companies have to listen to and implement feedback and suggestions from their employees
• The mix between information and emotion in communication is important and promotes employee retention
• Modern communication tools support the change process through simultaneous communication
• Various channels reach many people and different target groups
• Short and descriptive content conveys information faster and easier
• "Pre-boarding" helps the new employee to get familiarized more effectively and to integrate into the team quicker
• Gen Z has new expectations for the working world, especially with regard to digitalization

If you are interested to read even more about IC & HR Trends for 2023, drop us a message and we are happy to send you our whitepaper on this topic! ??

You can check out our recent LinkedIn posts or talk to our internal communication experts if you want to know more about internal communication or related topics.?