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How to Design Internal Communications for Remote Teams

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A strong internal communications function is essential for every company, both culturally and operationally. It helps keep employees aware of relevant news and updates, excited about how they contribute to the organization’s mission and success, and committed to continued progress.

Keeping everyone on the same page is tough enough when employees work at the same location. But now with the rise of remote work, internal communications is even tougher to manage. Distributed teams must remain connected, informed, and engaged. But how can you ensure that people are aligned and productive when they’re located in different cities, regions, countries, and time zones?

Avoid the Easy Solution

Many companies have adopted a “lift and shift” approach to internal communications. However, this is risky. You can’t assume whatever works in a physical office location will make sense in a virtual environment. For successful results, carefully consider your organization’s unique situation, issues, and needs.

As the manager of internal communications and events at a remote-first company, I understand how challenging it is to keep employees in 70+ countries connected and in the loop. Here’s what I’ve learned about leveraging internal communications to take far-flung teams to the next level of engagement, effectiveness, and wellbeing.

The Power of a Smart Internal Communications Strategy

My daily activities focus on coordinating events and communications that showcase company news, updates, and policy changes. But at a more fundamental level, I’m responsible for developing strong connections and community within the organization.

Why is this so important? According to Gallup research, 85% of the global workforce is either not engaged or is actively disengaged at work. This gap translates into a sobering $7 trillion of lost productivity.

The good news is that an effective internal communications strategy can move the meter on engagement and productivity. This is especially important in a remote or hybrid work environment, where you can’t rely on casual office interactions to facilitate social connection and cohesion. With a viable approach you can:

1. Unlock Valuable Insights

From an operations perspective, improving information flow between departments and functions breaks down information silos. This gives people clearer visibility into work priorities and progress across the organization. It also means people can work together more efficiently and productively without needless duplication of effort.

2. Separate Signal From Noise

Solid internal communications also cuts through organizational noise. This gives employees better access to essential company information. It also clears the path to resources people need to perform their job, so they aren’t overwhelmed by Slack messages and email threads. Ideally, it helps everyone feel more supported and empowered to succeed in their work.

3. Connect Critical Dots

From a culture and engagement perspective, internal communications is uniquely positioned to foster connection and community in multiple ways, by:

  1. Facilitating connections between employees, so people develop a sense of community and belonging.
  2. Linking people with work that is happening across the company. This helps them understand the organization’s collective progress and impact.
  3. Connecting people with the company’s mission and vision, so they feel they’re contributing to something meaningful and purposeful. That’s the ultimate goal — to give people a sense of belonging and purpose through their work.

Designing Internal Communications for Virtual Teams

When remote-first companies rethink internal communications with inclusion in mind, employee wellbeing and engagement follow. But what does it mean to be intentional and inclusive? Here’s an example:

Imagine you’re launching a new company-wide program. You’ll want to think carefully about the purpose behind your communications. What outcome are you seeking? What kind of response do you anticipate? What’s the ideal timing and structure for your message? Putting intention behind your plan helps you determine the who, how, when, where and why of information you’ll need to share.

Also, where does inclusion fit in? It ensures everyone has equal access to the information you share and equal opportunity to participate in events. For example, you could launch your new company-wide program by announcing it at an all-hands meeting. Then you could follow-up by sharing a video recording and a written summary. This reinforces the message for attendees, while helping those who couldn’t attend come up to speed.

After the initial announcement, people are likely to have additional concerns and questions. So you may want to set up a dedicated Slack channel where employees can ask questions openly or anonymously.

These are just a few ideas to illustrate how multiple communication tools and channels can help people quickly find, consume, and respond to new information at their convenience. It gives individuals more choice and autonomy. And because they’re in control of when and how they engage, it supports workforce wellbeing. In short, it shows that your organization cares about employees.

Building a Sense of Community and Belonging

Increasingly, we hear about an “epidemic of loneliness” that is eroding workforce health and wellbeing. The impact on organizations is steep. Related absenteeism costs employers $154 billion a year, not to mention the cost of poorer job performance.

Employers can’t afford to ignore this issue any longer. Investment in promoting deeper workplace social connections makes sense, especially for remote team members who don’t see colleagues face-to-face each day.

Virtual organizations can reimagine communications and events in ways that enhance a sense of community. This contributes to a stronger, more unified company culture that spans locations, language differences, and time zones.

Paradoxically, it may actually be easier for remote-first organizations to foster social connections than their traditional in-office counterparts. That’s because working on a distributed basis levels the playing field, bringing everyone together on the same virtual terms.

For instance, think about your regular all-hands meeting format. Is it a one-way broadcast where leaders outline business updates? How could you transform this forum into a fun, engaging event people actually want to attend?

What if you set a lively, upbeat mood by playing music while people join the call? How about weaving interactive elements into the agenda, like polls or game-based challenges? Or you could ask employees to suggest topics prior to each meeting. Then you could develop content and programming based on their interests.

Imagine an all-hands that’s not just about business, but about coming together as a team to celebrate the people who make your business special. What would that look like? Intentionally redesign that event. Then start experimenting so your vision becomes reality.

Virtual community building can also happen through online spaces focused on common interests, values, or identities. For instance, you could offer informal social Slack channels where people can discuss pets, parenting, travel, mental health, and so on. When people get to know each other based on personal interests that cut across departments and geographical boundaries, it builds familiarity and trust. Ultimately, this leads to stronger, more productive work relationships.

3 Tips to Optimize Internal Communications

Essentially, internal communications professionals are marketers, responsible for keeping employees aware, interested, involved and enthusiastic about all the meaningful work happening across an organization. With that in mind, here are three tips for optimizing remote team  communications and events:

1. Be Intentional

Think about the purpose of each communication campaign, event, or experience, so you’ll use employee time and attention efficiently and effectively. Keep inclusion top of mind, so people can engage and consume information when it’s best for them.

2. Build for Your People

Design and create with your audience in mind. Proactively listen and work with stakeholders to develop content and programming that resonates and enhances the employee experience.

3. Focus on Your Company’s Specific Needs

Every organization is different. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another. Consider your unique challenges, goals, and context. Then design custom solutions that are purpose-built for your organization and your people.

Internal Communications: Looking Ahead

Remote work may not be for everyone, but it is here to stay. In this new environment, organizations can elevate the employee experience by reimagining internal communications. If we do this well, employees will connect around a common purpose, regardless of their work location. And because they’re more informed, engaged and excited about work, they’ll hopefully be happier to show up and contribute each day. Now that’s something worth striving for!

Can Employee Events Lift Engagement in a Post-Pandemic World?

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Long before the pandemic, many organizations struggled with employee engagement. But now, it’s an even tougher hill to climb. Hybrid and remote work have become a new norm. As a result, the way we relate with colleagues is different. Indeed, the very nature of work culture has changed. So in this new environment, what can employee events do to lift engagement? For specific ideas, read on…

Maintaining work relationships is hard — especially now, as businesses strive to adapt to a post-lockdown world. Finding occasions to connect with peers isn’t easy. Collaboration is often cobbled together virtually. Trust is more difficult to build. And weaker communication makes problems harder to solve.

No wonder relationships among individuals and teams have become stilted. And these weakened workplace relationships are ultimately diminishing organizational productivity, innovation and success. This is a compelling case to revisit your organization’s existing employee engagement strategies.

How Engagement Affects Employee Success

When employees don’t feel connected to their work, they’re less likely to be motivated and engaged. This leads to numerous issues. Disengaged employees communicate less and achieve less. They can have a negative impact on customer experience. Research also shows that disengaged employees cause 60% more errors than their engaged counterparts.

In contrast, highly engaged employees are more likely to show up for work and share ideas. They’re also 18% more productive. Perhaps most importantly, they experience greater job satisfaction. This means they’re less likely to look elsewhere for a different position.

Engagement saves organizations from unwanted talent turnover, unnecessary recruitment costs, lost productivity, and potentially unhappy customers. But in this new era of flexible work, how can reinvestment in work relationships elevate engagement? And how can employee events help?

Where Do Employee Events Fit-In Today?

Many organizations are hesitant to bring back events. Post-pandemic culture may seem to have moved beyond in-person gatherings, but companywide special occasions can be powerful tools for boosting morale. When thoughtfully designed, events can be used to recognize employee achievements, celebrate successes, and create a sense of unity and togetherness.

All these factors help create a culture of collaboration and camaraderie that boosts employee engagement. Employee events can also humanize your organization, not just for employees but also for their families, for customers, and for other stakeholders.

Ultimately, the power of shared experience is just as relevant now as it was in the past. Perhaps more so. After all, we are social animals. And events remind us how to care about each other and unite around a common purpose.

5 Ways Employee Events Help Foster Connection

In the fog of the pandemic, many of us have forgotten how to host events. That’s to be expected. So let’s take a closer look at factors that can help your organization host successful gatherings. And what can leaders do to make events a priority again? Consider these tips:

1. Create a Team-Building Opportunity

Before you think about planning a large-scale event, first focus on helping co-workers meet one another again. In fact, so much time has passed, some newer team members may not have developed strong relationships yet. So, stage a team-building activity to help break down barriers, encourage collaboration, and establish more personal relationships.

The activity could be connected to work. For example, a Lego-building challenge would put team communication and problem solving to the test. But be sure to emphasize fun above all else. Simply socializing for the fun of it will build the kind of camaraderie that can improve employee belonging, trust, and morale.

2. Plan a Social Activity

A team-building event doesn’t have to be packaged that way. Simply getting people together to spend time laughing and bonding can be massively beneficial. You could host a casual social gathering such as a trivia night, happy hour at a local bar, a game night, or a catered lunch. These kinds of events encourage employees to relax and get to know each other in an informal setting.

Try scheduling activities like these regularly — say once a month. A regular pace gives people something to look forward to and lowers the pressure of a one-off event.

3. Host a Networking Event

Informal networking events let employees meet and develop stronger relationships. They also help break down silos and silences that tend to build up over time, especially in remote teams.

Of course, with a networking event, it’s critical not to fall into some traditional traps. Many of us have horrible memories of hierarchical networking events that promoted cliques and inappropriate behavior. Instead, focus on making your event accessible and welcoming. Lower the barrier to conversation — nobody should be left in a circle of higher-ups trying to get a word in.

4. Celebrate Employee Achievements

Celebrations are a great reason to get your team together socially to build connections. Celebrate employee accomplishments, such as promotions, anniversaries, or awards. This not only shines a spotlight on people who’ve earned recognition. It also sends an important signal that says you value people who work effectively and support your organization’s values.

If your main goal in hosting corporate events is to boost engagement, celebrating achievements is a prime way to do that. Feeling genuinely appreciated can have a major impact on a person’s feeling of engagement at work.

5. Try Volunteering Together

Offer opportunities for employees to volunteer together and give back to the community. This is an excellent way to build team spirit and encourage bonding. At the same time, volunteer opportunities reinforce a sense of purpose and remind everyone of your shared values.

Helping others has been shown to support physical and mental wellbeing. In fact, a Stanford Graduate School of Business study found that company-sponsored volunteering has a double impact. It promotes social bonds among co-workers and also boosts their sense of identification and belonging.

Final Notes on Events and Engagement

In today’s work environment, organizations are still grappling with fluid work structures and juggling new challenges and opportunities. All the more reason why we need to rebuild connections that can help people feel engaged. People want to feel engaged in their work. So, start offering events that help people to develop genuine human relationships. I assure you, your team will begin to operate more productively, more happily, and with greater enthusiasm.

#WorkTrends Recap: Why Fun at Work Matters

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It’s official: Forced fun is over.

“Let people have the brand of fun that works for them in the context of their culture.”

That wisdom is from Nick Gianoulis, who’s known as “the Godfather of Fun” around his office. He realized years ago when he was planning an employee event that people are looking for ways to connect, celebrate and have fun throughout the work week — not just at huge after-hours company parties once or twice a year. He started The Fun Department to infuse a little fun into the work day.

On the #WorkTrends podcast, he shared how any leader can add more fun to work and keep employees engaged. You can listen to the episode below, or keep reading for a recap.

 

Create Shared Experiences

Here’s the big question: What’s the definition of “fun”? Gianoulis tasked an employee with answering that question. After months of research, the employee came back with bad news: There isn’t a universal definition of fun. Fun is different for every person. But, he found a common thread: People have fun when they share an experience together.

To create those shared experiences, Gianoulis and his team aim to figure out what’s fun for each individual, team and department. And they don’t force anything. “One of the really important elements of this shared experience is that it’s all-inclusive and nonthreatening,” he says. “Someone might just want to observe or cheer their team on. You let people participate at the level they’re comfortable with.”

Here’s an example: One of his clients found that a lot of the company’s employees like dance. Some people might love dancing, others might like watching “Dancing with the Stars.” At 3 p.m. every day, the company takes a dance break.

Follow the Laws of Fun

“‘The Laws of Fun’ sounds like an oxymoron,” Gianoulis says, “but there are some universal truths” to creating fun experiences for people at work.

First: Leaders have to buy in. “When leaders buy in, we’re successful 100 percent of the time. When leaders don’t buy in and we’re trying to force it from the bottom up, it’s only about 50 percent successful, and it might live in one area or department, but it won’t translate to the rest of the organization.”

Second: Remember the “Three Cs”: consistency, company time and compliance. Plan consistent activities. Gianoulis recommends a 15- to 30-minute activity once a month. Have fun on company time — not just after work hours. And make sure the experience is compliant with your overall company culture.

Think Small

Creating fun experiences at work doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. “We really promote doing things that are small, easy, organic and don’t require expert facilitation,” Gianoulis says.

Let’s say you want to have a company football game. Gianoulis suggests adapting football to a degree where everyone can play. He’d make it a 10- to 15-minute game, with props and supplies that cost less than $100.

“Employees don’t want these big, elaborate team-building events anymore,” he says. Instead, millennials are pushing for a more flexible culture that incorporates fun into everyday moments. And that’s good news for everyone, he says. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, everybody would like to have fun and flexibility at work.”