Method, Motivation & Momentum

The Importance of Taking a Strategic Approach to Internal Engagement

Numerous surveys, articles and research papers suggest that a large majority of employees across UK businesses feel disengaged from their employer in terms of understanding business objectives, strategy and direction. Effective colleague engagement is much more than the distribution of information, it is a strategic approach to create and sustain connection, maintain morale, build trust and preserve a collective sense of purpose. Put simply, feeling informed means you feel valued.

Many organisations rightly invest in external marketing to communicate their vision, values, and ambitions to the marketplace. These efforts of course, help build brand recognition, differentiate the organisation from competitors and generate sales. But how much consideration is given to providing colleagues with a comparable level of connection to your brand? If a business is built around brand values of trust, vision, excellence and integrity, how are these communicated to employees and how much commitment and involvement do they engender? If employees are not equally informed and engaged, there are reputational and commercial risks, in that the external promise will not be reflected in the day-to-day experience of colleagues with low levels of trust, bringing low productivity, low levels of staff retention and impacting your attractiveness as a potential employer.

Perhaps an effective internal communications and engagement strategy should be considered alongside, and as important as, an external communications and marketing strategy - after all, you have a message, you have an audience and you have a desired outcome that can be measured through lower cost, higher efficiency and potentially higher revenue through an improved customer experience and loyalty.

If there is a business plan, a commercial strategy, a trajectory for growth, then it needs to be delivered. It’s an old adage that people are the strongest business asset. An engaged workforce should feel empowered to contribute, improve, suggest and recommend the best ways to deliver – not as a token gesture, but an active part of business and operational planning. Collaboration and communication are key, as is maintaining the level and frequency of engagement activity.

With the best of intentions, some businesses will fail to keep up the momentum. This is counterintuitive and only serves to devalue the process as not being taken seriously and subsequently demotivate colleagues. Communications should be provided to explain why activities are delayed or deferred, particularly if it is due to increasing demand and reflects success. It’s surprising how many organisations don’t do this, missing an opportunity to recognise collective success and encourage team effort.

When employees understand the organisation's priorities, and when these are clearly communicated, they are more likely to be engaged in their work, fostering a greater sense of ownership, accountability and achievement.

Points for consideration:

A barrage of information is not the answer.  If faced with a fragmented or continuous overload of generic information, it may raise more questions than answers or create aversion, not interest. Focus and meaning, not frequency, should be a focus.

A flood of internal emails, delivered in close succession is a common culprit.  Information overload, alongside everything else being received, handled and dealt with in the working day is easily forgotten, at worst ignored.

Consideration should be given to what communication and employee engagement looks like. What would practically work for the business in a non-disruptive way? what would employees actually prefer or feel would be resonant and meaningful mechanisms and channels? Maybe the first step is to ask. Staff forum? Survey? Team One to Ones? Team meetings?...Gaining insight will inform delivery. Colleague engagement is increasingly seen as more of a colleague experience rather than a formalised communication – a two way, direct and authentic means to share perspectives, discuss challenges, celebrate success and if delivered consistently, foster a collaborative and positive culture reflective of the brand inside as well as out.

If you’d like to discuss your approach to internal communications and engagement, and how Latitude can help, please contact us: enquiries@latitudeonline.co.uk