Internal communication in the workplace and employer branding: What you need to know

Internal communication in companies is of paramount importance for the sustainability and growth of the latter. It allows the different bodies (Management, HR, Communication, Production, etc.) to work in synergy and efficiently towards common objectives.

And if it promotes better coordination of actions, it can also contribute to the establishment of a good employer brand. The lack of communication can therefore affect the work climate, lead to a decrease in productivity and prevent the evolution of turnover.

How can communication within a company contribute to setting up an employer brand, and what are the challenges for the proper functioning of a company? This article lifts the veil on the impact of internal communication in companies.

Employer Branding: Definition and Issues

An employer brand refers to the image or identity projected by a company vis-à-vis its employees, partners or potential candidates.

In other words, it’s a business showcase, a marketing tool that aims to set your business apart from the competition and trigger partnerships and applications.

However, be careful not to confuse the employer brand and the brand image of a company. There is a difference: the first is aimed at employees, partners and future employees of the company while the second is aimed at customers and prospects.

This aspect of the company has a very significant impact on the world of employment. In France for example, the findings are as follows:

• A quality employer brand can double the number of highly qualified applications;
• 30% of French candidates do not want to work in a company that has a bad reputation;
• 80% of employees are thinking about quitting their job to join a company with a better reputation.

If the employer brand is useful for attracting and recruiting talent, its implementation requires an internal communication plan in the company. This will allow them to understand the merits of the company and to adopt its values and culture.

It will help:

• Strengthen employee engagement in order to retain them;
• Mobilize skills and energies towards common goals;
• Ensuring well-being at work;
• Organize events to improve team spirit.

These are all advantages that make it possible to fight against burnout in companies and to increase productivity and turnover.

To build a strong employer brand, the description of the company in recruitment ads must be consistent with reality.

There is no point in evoking an atmosphere, a team spirit or premises that do not really exist. This will quickly disengage the new employee and push them to leave.

Finally, it must be remembered that the implementation of an employer brand requires real introspection work and a series of internal commitments. These will have a positive and strong impact on your external image, especially vis-à-vis job seekers, the media, schools, etc.

Impact of an internal corporate communication strategy on your employer brand

Obviously, internal communication in the workplace and employer branding are two closely related concepts. It is almost absurd to consider the latter without the former. That said, it is always necessary to favor a fluid and effective internal communication in the company.

When the transmission of information takes place efficiently, it improves exchanges between employees and the general atmosphere in the premises, which optimizes the performance of your company.

Thanks to an HR performance indicator or KPI, you can know this performance in order to better manage your decision-making.

It is also necessary to invest in internal communication tools in companies. This other performance vector has many advantages. This will, among other things:

• Improve listening;
• Build employee loyalty;
• Value employees;
• Strengthen their sense of belonging to the company.

If internal communication in companies promotes a pleasant and productive climate, it makes it possible to weld a work team. Under these conditions, it becomes almost inconceivable for an employee to leave their job.

On the contrary, the latter will be more motivated and committed to your company. Inevitably, this makes your employer brand more attractive and makes your employees real ambassadors.

Internal communication in companies: Ways to effectively improve your employer brand

Building a strong employer brand relies heavily on your company’s internal resources. It is possible to improve it by following the tracks below.

Perform an internal diagnosis

The vision of an employer brand must be clear and precise. It is important that it is the same for all stakeholders in the company. To know if it is accurate and consistent, it is necessary to carry out an internal diagnosis by invoking collective intelligence and collaboration.

The idea is to interview directors, managers, employees, committees, work teams and others to find out how they perceive the company. An effective trick to achieve this is to proceed by video conference or schedule face-to-face interviews.

Another method is to develop an anonymous or online questionnaire of 9 to 10 questions maximum. However, to take the analysis further, care must be taken to alternate between qualitative and quantitative issues.

In order to collect varied and relevant data, the diagnosis can also be extended to people with a different view of the company. These include clients, board members, candidates who have not finalized a job offer, etc.

Humanize your content

Internal corporate communication based on new contracts and the company’s commercial successes is relevant and necessary, but it is not enough.

To capture the attention of the target audience and awaken a pride of belonging, it is necessary to value both the professional and personal initiatives of employees.

In other words, it is just as important to present company information (new recruits, employees selected during an internal recruitment, etc.) as it is to talk about the lives of employees (marriages, births, etc.).

Advancing evidence

An employer brand communicates a lot of information that can vary from one organization to another. Each of them, whether a value or a statement, must be supported by evidence.

For a company that wants to develop an impactful employer brand, proving your information is a quality to cultivate. This is the best trick to stay transparent, honest, authentic and build notoriety.

However, it is important to provide only relevant and justifiable information.

Taking into account employee opinions

Your company’s employees are the best ambassadors of your employer brand. Their contribution is major in the process of valorization of the latter. Thus, you can solicit them for the creation of content highlighting your employer brand.

There are many possibilities.

Podcasts

The goal is to collect the opinions of employees by producing a series of podcasts. It will be a question of interviewing them about their choices. Employees will be asked to explain their jobs, share what they like about their company and reveal the reasons that pushed them to work there.

The employee reviews recorded will strengthen the impact of the employer brand, which will arouse the desire of partners or job seekers to join the company.

You can click here to learn more about the importance of employee reviews.

Videos

It is also possible to enhance an employer brand through videos. To do this, the ideal is to opt for a video type “24 hours in the life of an accountant, a banker, etc.”. This makes it possible to share the daily life of an employee in order to make their job better known.

Employee testimonials

Here, it is necessary to take opinions or testimonials from employees in order to highlight the different positions, trades and levels of responsibility. This is a beneficial solution for the company, especially when discovering employee reviews about it.

Q&A sessions on social channels

This technique aims to bring the company’s employees closer to a target audience through question-and-answer sessions on social networks (TikTok, YouTube, etc.). The sessions are usually aimed at a younger, ephemeral and difficult to capture audience.

Equip yourself with the right tools

Communication tools are essential to promote the exchange of information internally between employees and with the administration (email, intranet, etc.).

Over the last few years, internal communication in companies has gradually become democratized. To facilitate collaborative work, companies need to keep up with professional social networks.

In the end, at a time when transparency takes precedence over personal and professional life, the internal realities of a company are soon reflected on a social level. It is therefore crucial to invest in internal communication in companies.