Back at the end of 2020, we made our predictions for the top internal communication trends in 2021. Despite the changes we’ve seen since the pandemic first broke out, as well as the changes since the start of the new year, our predictions appear to be spot on. In this blog post, we’ll share the new, top internal communication trends that have emerged so far, and how they tie into our predictions.
1. Seamless operational communication in a remote work environment.
As we predicted, remote work is the new normal, with many employees willing to quit their jobs if they have to return to the office. From onboarding employees and accounting for cultural differences to focusing on the employee experience, we outlined these as challenges we saw heading into 2021—and we were right. According to Gartner’s “Market Guide for Employee Communication Applications,” operational communications is a growing field that is laterally oriented, focusing on related business activities and involving interactions between groups and peers.
As companies continue to work remote as well as hire remote employees, they need to ensure that their operational communication is seamless. Businesses have to ensure that new remote employees not only understand the company policies and culture but also that they can integrate smoothly with the rest of the team. That’s why new employees need efficient, reliable ways to reach out to their teammates so they can hit the ground running on day one.
2. More personalized communication.
One of the most frequent criticisms of internal communications is the amount of “noise” created, which employees can view as distracting. But platforms such as Sparrow have emerged that not only streamline all communications but also help you individualize employee communication. Now, you can automate a dialog with each of your employees, curating a conversation that is highly targeted as well as relevant to their role, tenure, and interests. Finally, business leaders can have technology that allows them to address employees on a personal level without increasing their workloads as communicators.
3. A digitally-oriented company, with a digitally-oriented culture.
Organizations that were forced into a digital transformation at the start of the pandemic needed to adopt new communication tools in order to survive. In 2021 and beyond, companies will need to ensure they have a great communication platform for their employees, not just to onboard employees, but to unlock a variety of benefits throughout their organization. A digitally-oriented company needs the right communication tools to keep employees aligned, whether they’re remote, in-office, or even in a hybrid work environment, all while building and strengthening the company culture without the help of an office or in-person events.
In our opinion, mixing collaboration and communication features set the internal communication profession back a few decades. The market has shown that platforms that truly focus on communications, such as Sparrow, are in demand, allowing you to meaningfully connect with your people. This can not only raise employee morale, which reduces turnover, but also help create a culture that will attract top talent to your business.
4. Heightened decision-making influence.
With the COVID-19 crisis, company leaders have seen firsthand the importance of efficient internal communication, from needing to inform employees to keeping the business compliant. This has given way to internal communication colleagues now having more influence on crucial business decisions and being able to advocate for the company’s communication needs.
Stay on Top with Sparrow
As internal communication continues to grow and grow, organizations need to adapt in order to thrive and stay ahead of their competitors. This requires adapting the best communication tools to fully equip your employees and prepare them for whatever comes next. Here at Sparrow, we believe in the power of workforce communications and can help your business stay on top of internal communication trends. Book a conversation with us today.
