HR is from Venus, Internal Comms from Mars

In most companies, the Internal Communications team work with lots of other departments, including HR.

Despite this, all too often, you’ll find that the HR and Internal Communications department are two completely separate entities.

This is a big shame as internal communications is about much more than getting messages out within the company; it’s also a great opportunity to drive more employee engagement.

HR and Internal Comms can work closely together to improve employee engagement throughout the company – which can only be good for improving productivity and your overall results.

If you’re struggling to get these two planets aligned, here’s how we suggest you get them working in harmony.

Why HR and Internal Comms Should Work Together

The lines between HR and Internals Comms have become more and more blurred in recent times so there’s a fair amount of overlap in terms of the responsibilities they have within many companies and the audiences that they’re speaking to.

One of these relates to employee engagement, and this is one of the main reasons why it’s so important for HR and Internal Comms to have a great relationship.

Internal Comms can support HR in maintaining employee engagement throughout the company, afterall they’re all about communicating positive messages within the company as well as helping communication levels as a whole – which we all know is a key part of employee engagement.

Encouraging the Transition

If HR and Internal Comms aren’t used to working together in any capacity, it can be a challenge for them to start doing so.  You can ease the transition into a partnership by helping them to see each other as experts in their particular fields that will combine to achieve even better results for the company.

Creating a Stronger Employer Brand

HR can help to implement a brand culture within the company that current and future employees can be trained on and this can be reinforced by Internal Comms to keep it at the forefront of employees’ minds.

Stats from the 2020 Outlook: The Future of Employer Branding study showed that employer branding will be a big priority over the next few years.

From an employee engagement point-of-view, this can be incredibly positive. If your staff have a deep understanding of your company’s brand and invest in this, they’re much more likely to be actively engaged in their work and the business.

Retaining Key Talent

A strong Internal Comms strategy helps employees to feel involved in the company, identify with the goals and values that drive the business and generally get the sense that their work is contributing to the company’s success.

This is important from an engagement standpoint, as employees that are invested in their work are a lot less likely to move on and seek other roles. HR will be very happy with this as there is far less turnover to deal with and recruitment costs will be much lower!

HR and Internal Comms can also partner together in putting an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in place that sets your company apart from your rivals.

If your company currently has HR and Internal Comms operating as two mostly separate departments, it’s time to get them working together much more closely!