Whether you realize it or not, your internal communications manager is the glue that holds your entire team together.
Effective employee communication can often be the difference between actually achieving your business goals and completely missing the mark. And although we regularly celebrate the wins of the C-Suite, when is the last time you’ve thanked your internal communications manager?
Here are ten reasons why your internal communications manager deserves a high five next time you see them in the hallway.
(and if you do happen to work in internal communication — consider this a thank you from us!)
1. They keep everyone in the loop 
It’s their job to keep everyone informed and in the know. That means top down messages, company and relevant industry news.
Internal communications managers are the bearers of news, good and bad. They make sure all members of the organization are aligned with the company’s value and mission.
Also, studies consistently show that employers want their managers to keep them updated about company news and internal decisions.
Transparency from Internal Communications Managers helps keep employees engaged as well as improve productivity. In order to have this type of transparency, it is important to build a strong and trusting relationship with your Internal Communications Manager.
So, don’t shoot the messenger. Somebody’s gotta do it.
Without them, a company is nothing more than a collection of disconnected individuals working independently in silos. With internal communication, a company’s power and impact becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
2. They communicate information in times of crisis .gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(1).gif)
During times of crisis, it’s your internal communications manager who makes sure every employee constantly receives the information they need.
Honestly – what would we do without them?
3. They coordinate fun, company events.gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(2).gif)
Who doesn’t love a good Holiday party?
Often times, it’s the internal communications manager's job to organize internal events that allow employees to take a break and to get to know each other personally.
4. They boost employee morale -1.gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(3)-1.gif)
As it turns out, employees that work for a connected, communicative company are happier, too.
Especially millennials. They prefer working for companies that value transparency, openness, equality, community and purpose, according to the 2015 SHRM Research Report on Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement.
Thanks to the time your internal communications manager actively spends making employees feel included as a part of the larger group, everyone just feels happier. 😀
5. They help bring (and keep) teams together .gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(4).gif)
When employees are happy, they’ll want to stick around and give their best to organizations.
Internal communications managers work each day to drive positive, company culture and help firm’s retain top talent.
According to SHRM’s 2015 research report, employee engagement is the most pressing human capital challenge in today’s economic environment. Companies have to try even harder to attract and retain talent, and the culture that your internal communications manager maintains is a huge asset.
6. They keep everyone motivated to work hard .gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(5).gif)
The conversations, culture and mutual trust that your internal communication manager develops also increases team productivity.
Companies with higher levels of employee engagement report about 22 percent higher productivity levels, and communication is a key reason for this.
In fact, studies show that established internal communication strategies can triple productivity.
7. Which ... in turn, helps boost business bottom line
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And with greater productivity comes greater company profits.
This is good for everyone. All employees want to feel as though their individual success in their job is contributing to something larger
The research about internal communications backs this up. Companies with superior internal communications strategies statistically receive better financial results.
8. Despite all of that, they're often under-resourced .gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(7).gif)
For every one internal communications professional, there are 500 to 1000 employees, according to a recent study.
Let’s put that in context. Most human resource departments have a ratio of about 1 to 100 or 1 to 200 employees, according to a survey by HR Daily Advisor.
Internal communications professionals are often under resourced. They are responsible for completing large, company wide tasks with few people.
In fact, many internal communications managers have other responsibilities, such as marketing or HR, that they are expected to do on top of communicating to employees — which is important enough to be a full time job on its own.
9. And spread thin, trying to reach everyone.gif?width=480&height=240&name=giphy%20(8).gif)
In 2018, many corporations will find themselves with five generations of workers employed side by side for the first time.
This means that some prefer to be communicated to via email, some through an employee-based mobile app and some through desktop instant messaging.
Modern day internal communications managers have to communicate on far more channels than their predecessors, in order to keep employees happy.
Internal communications professionals utilize instant messengers, in person meetings, project management tools, video conferencing softwares, printed newsletters, intranets, email and more to relay important messages in 2019.
All of this can be a time consuming process.
10. They often feel caught in between leadership and team members
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Their job is to find a sweet spot that benefits both the leadership and the average employee. And high level, strategic messages that make sense for the C-Suite, might not always seem relevant to the daily tasks of an employee.
In doing this, many internal communications managers report to HR, IT, operations and more. Although they communicate top-down messages, they rarely report to executives, unlike their HR Director counterparts.
At the end of the day, internal communications managers are just trying to keep everyone informed, happy and motivated.
So the next time your coworker says, “Ugh, not another company email!”
Remember this.
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Is your internal communication department understaffed and under-appreciated? Make their lives easier with a comprehensive internal communications platform.
