Gallup research found that 57% of employees would describe themselves as “not engaged” with the business they work for. A further 26% said they were “actively disengaged, or emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive”. 

Internal communication is vital in businesses, no matter their size, scale or structure. Poor communication leads to siloed working and frustrated employees.  

For inspiration on how to improve internal business communication, we’ve looked at examples of organisations that are nailing it.  

1. PlayStation 
2. Just Eat 
3. Deutsche Telekom 
4. In-N-Out Burger 
5. HubSpot 

1. PlayStation 

PlayStation Europe wanted to improve the quality and structure of their internal communications. They’d been using an intranet that was starting to feel seriously out of date and with so many messages flying around, they wanted a well-structured, centralised hub that all employees could easily navigate.  

PlayStation launched a new intranet called The Hub which could be accessed by employees across Europe. It now houses important company updates, messaging between employees and gives PlayStation the ability to easily measure engagement.  

2. Just Eat 

The rise of Just Eat has been meteoric over the last few years, particularly since many of us turned to the food delivery app during the pandemic. The speed of their success meant that some areas of the business, like internal communications, struggled to scale upwards. In fact, anyone could email the entire company at any time and about anything in particular.  

Now, a streamlined communication structure is in place to ensure that messages are sent and seen by the right people in the right places. Just Eat measures 46,000 monthly hits on its intranet and received a positivity rating of 79% for its communications channels. 

3. Deutsche Telekom 

As one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies, it’s probably no surprise that Deutsche Telekom takes internal comms very seriously. They were initially finding it difficult to keep their remote and on-site teams connected and in sync.  

They overcame this challenge by using their employee app for daily updates and messages. Team leads can record videos which then employees can watch in their own time. There’s no need to get everyone together at the same time but important information still reaches its intended destination. 

4. In-N-Out Burger 

Fast food chain In-N-Out Burger are big advocates for an ‘open door policy’ when it comes to their internal communication strategy. They’re one of many organisations who are breaking down barriers between leadership and employees to cultivate a more open and direct communication structure.  

This policy gives any employee, regardless of their position within the organisation, the freedom to raise a query or concern and to escalate it if no resolution is found. This means that it’s possible for anyone to reach the CEO if their issue still needs to be addressed. 

Like In-N-Out Burger, HubSpot wanted employees to feel as though their voices are heard. That’s why HubSpot’s Chief Technology Officer, Dharmesh Shah, hosts ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions. Employees really can ask Dharmesh anything that’s on their minds and he’ll take the time to respond accordingly.  

HubSpot wanted to be as transparent as possible with their employees and initiatives like these reflect that. They’re known for their outstanding customer service, but HubSpot realises that internal comms are just as important. 

What can your business learn about internal communication from these examples? 

All of these companies treat internal communication with the same importance as customer service. If employees can effectively communicate with each other, then that seamless way of working will be reflected outwardly.  

We’re often so focused on our customers, products and sales targets that we neglect what’s going on in-house. However, by putting time and energy into internal communication you can reap the benefits in all areas of your business.  

Consider what communication is like internally at your business at this moment? 

Are there silos in place that harm productivity? Are communication channels bogged down with unnecessary messages which sometimes cause important messages to get lost in the noise? Can employees quickly direct questions (both internal and external) to the right people? 

Speak to your teams and determine what’s working and what could improve. It might be that legacy systems are slowing down the passing of messages or calls aren’t reaching the right people because the system you have in place isn’t up to scratch.  

Effective internal communication shouldn’t be underestimated. When employees can work cohesively and without frustrating bottlenecks, you’ll find that you have the foundation in place needed to successfully drive growth.  

A key component of your internal communication strategy is the phone system you use. Is it equipped to deal with the demands of both your staff and your customers? To see how CircleLoop can streamline your communications and boost productivity, book a spot on a free demo now.