Use internal communications to create a sense of belonging and community at your organization
When you’re surrounded by people who just get you, it feels good, right? We all love to experience that sense of belonging. And it’s no different in the workplace.
Employees who feel they belong within an organization are 5.3 times more likely to do their best work. They’re also happier and less likely to look for a job elsewhere.
So what makes the difference? Why do some company cultures feel inclusive while others leave employees feeling like they’re on the outside looking in?
The truth is a truly inclusive workplace isn’t just about policies and the right training. It’s about how employees experience the workplace environment day in, day out. And a lot of that comes down to employee communication.
Done right, an effective employee communication strategy ensures every employee — regardless of their age, language, identity, or role — feels heard, valued, and part of something bigger. Done wrong, it can unintentionally exclude people, which is bad for them and bad for business.
The challenge facing internal communicators? A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works. To create the type of employee experience everyone feels part of, your internal communication strategy has to enable flexible, personal, and transparent communication with employees.
Here’s how.
How to include everyone in the company conversation with inclusive employee comms
#1. Bridge the generational gap with multi-channel comms
Different generations have different internal communication preferences.
Older employees may feel more at home with email. Gen Z and Millennials, on the other hand, expect mobile-first, social-style updates.
Gen X came of age in an era of top-down communications. Leadership spoke and employees listened.
But the digital natives in your midst grew up with interaction baked into their digital experiences. They want the option to like, share, and comment on the information they receive — and expect to engage in conversation with the powers that be.
To ensure messages cut through with every generation in your workforce, you need a way to reach all employees in the way they prefer.
The fix
By using a wide range of digital tools — from email and instant messaging, to internal newsletters and social news feeds — you can reach every generation effectively.
With employee communication apps, you can share traditional text-based communications, while also getting creative with graphics, photos, videos, and company news feed content. You can offer both asynchronous email communication and instant messaging tools.
Importantly, you need to ensure employees have access to two-way communication channels. It should be easy to share, track, and take action on employee feedback.
Diversifying internal communication channels, while still retaining one source of truth, ensures every generation feels included in company comms.
How Blink can help: Blink is a social media-style employee app that mirrors the key features and user experience of consumer tech, like Instagram and TikTok. As a centralized platform, it also supports traditional email updates — so your older employees don’t have to be down with the kids to receive crucial company updates.
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#2. Support a multilingual workforce with built-in translation
If you’re part of a global company — or have a large population of frontline workers — you may have employees who don’t work in their first language.
Language barriers exclude employees from critical information and conversations. They make it hard — if not impossible — to foster a fully engaged workforce. Workers have to work hard to understand essential internal communications. So they’re likely to gloss over them and miss vital information.
The fix
Pick internal communication tools with real-time translation features. Give employees control over their settings so they can see company content in their preferred language.
They can even respond in their preferred language, enjoying two-way communication with peers and managers, who can then auto-translate content back into their preferred language.
With modern employee communication platforms, you can break down language barriers and build connections between every member of your workforce.
How Blink can help: Blink’s automatic translation feature lets employees read and engage with content in their preferred language, increasing accessibility.
#3. Recognize and respect pronouns in employee tech
Inclusive language may be a given when you speak to employees face to face. But — to build a truly inclusive employee experience — you need digital tools that use inclusive language too.
Many workplace systems still lack pronoun options or force binary gender selections. The result? Some employees don’t feel they fit within the system or organization. And they can’t help but feel alienated from company culture.
The fix
Pick workplace tech that reflects company values. Ensure employee directories, employee profiles, and internal communication tools allow employees to display and use their preferred pronouns. And if your systems ask for data on employee gender or titles, make sure fields reflect the identities of your entire workforce.
How Blink can help: With Blink's employee communication software, you have access to user-friendly customization tools. So employees can use their preferred pronouns and your company can reinforce a workplace culture of inclusion and respect.
#4. Personalize communication for different locations and teams
Employees in different locations have different policies and cultural norms. Employees in different teams have different priorities and daily operations. But these differences aren’t always reflected in company comms.
When you deliver the same messages, in the same standard channels, to employees across a large and diverse organization, you try to speak to everyone. But this can mean you end up speaking to no one.
Internal communications tend to be impersonal and corporate. And — with a one-size-fits-all approach — it’s difficult for comms teams to inspire the employee engagement and positive employee experience you’re striving for.
The fix
Don’t blast everyone with the same messages. Segment your audience by location and team. Then, personalize and regionalize your content. Create tailored communications, hyper-relevant to each section of your workforce.
Send information about your new shift swap tool to retail staff. Share details of the next office coffee morning with your team at HQ. Reference local holidays and events — and make sure every employee sees themselves in the story you’re telling.
The same overarching company values and vision can run through everything you do. But by making your internal messages specific to particular groups of employees, you make it easier for them to relate to company culture. Which means a more inclusive employee experience.
How Blink can help: Blink’s smart targeting feature allows you to segment employees based on their location, role, and team. This makes it easy for you to craft and send relevant and inclusive messages.
#5. Cater to every work environment — frontline, remote, desk-based, and hybrid
Without careful thought for inclusion, employees working in different environments get a very different employee experience.
Office-based employees often have access to the best tech and the most appealing benefits. They get more contact with business leaders and more opportunities for co-worker connection.
If you have employees working beyond the office — at home or on the frontlines of your organization — it’s easy for these workers to feel excluded from the best that your company culture has to offer.
Without mobile-first, employee communication tools, they’re left adrift. They don’t have reliable access to company updates, they don’t build connections with co-workers, and they get little opportunity to join the company conversation.
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The fix
To connect and include employees working in different locations, you need to take company culture digital. You need an employee experience platform that works across all devices.
(Not sure what your different employee groups — from remote workers to the mobile workforce — are looking for? Ask them via employee surveys or other employee feedback tools!)
Frontline employees deserve special consideration. This segment of your workforce doesn’t always have a company email address or a workplace computer.
But with mobile-first software, you create a digital hub for your organization and bring a stellar employee experience to every employee smartphone.
Employees can count on the same consumer-grade experience and extensive features no matter their location or the device they use. And the entire workforce gets easy and inclusive access to workplace communications and collaboration tools.
How Blink can help: Blink is a communications platform designed for mobile-first employee engagement. It provides the same great user experience for frontline, hybrid, desk-based, and remote employees, ensuring everyone stays connected — wherever they spend their work days.
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A more inclusive employee experience starts today
True inclusion goes beyond sound bites and sensitivity training. It’s a value embedded within company culture and the employee experience — and shared with the help of effective employee communication.
With tailored, multi-channel communication, you deliver content in a way that all employees can relate to. Comms tools that offer auto-translation break down language barriers. Inclusive, mobile-first tech supports every employee in every location to feel part of company culture.
A few tweaks to your employee communication strategy can make all the difference to employees. You help them to feel valued, respected, and that they truly belong within your organization.
Blink. And build a more inclusive workplace.
