Organizational Wellness

Internal Communications for HR Leaders: The Ultimate Guide

Last Updated Mar 31, 2025

Time to read: 11 minutes

When internal communication breaks down, the impact spreads quickly — missed deadlines, duplicated work, and disengaged employees can all stem from poor information flow. The result? Frustration, lower morale, and a workplace that feels disjointed.

Organizations often pour resources into external branding and messaging while neglecting the communication systems employees rely on every day. That’s where the opportunity lies.

As an HR leader, you have the power to transform how your organization communicates. By updating outdated processes, fostering transparency, and strengthening culture, you can build an environment where every employee feels informed, valued, and aligned with the company’s goals. Let's get started!

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What Is Internal Communication? (And Why It Matters for HR)

Internal communication is how information and messages are shared within a company. It helps employees understand their roles, stay aligned with company goals, and work well together. This can include emails, meetings, or intranet platforms to keep everyone informed and connected.

While that may seem straightforward, effective internal communication is much more than just sending company-wide emails.

More than half of all employees think that poor communication leads to increased stress within the workplace, according to a Grammarly survey. So, it’s incredibly important to communicate clearly and effectively.

Types of Internal Communication

Internal communication is about more than keeping everyone on same page — it’s about creating a workplace where collaboration and clarity thrive. These three key elements define modern internal communication and show how it can elevate your organization.

Multi-dimensional flow: Internal communication today requires dialogue between leadership, departments, and team members, not just top-down proclamations. By not following a hierarchical structure, you create an environment where information and ideas move freely throughout the organization.
Digital integrations: With remote and hybrid work becoming more common, internal communication now relies heavily on digital tools and platforms: Over one-third of employees with jobs that can be done remotely are already doing so full-time, according to research from the Pew Research Center. This might mean using Slack for quick team updates or Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings.
Cultural reinforcements: Effective communication helps strengthen company culture by instilling organizational values in every interaction. If you’re trying to promote a culture of optimism and positivity, then your communications should reflect that! For example, start team meetings by sharing wins from previous weeks or create a dedicated Slack channel where employees can celebrate their colleagues' accomplishments.

The Link Between Internal Comms and HR Goals

How you communicate with your team — and how they communicate with each other — directly impacts organizational success. In fact, every single employee surveyed for an academic study says that positive communication has a positive impact on performance, according to a ResearchGate paper. When's the last time everyone agreed on anything?

That’s because internal communication serves as the foundation for employee engagement. Clear, consistent messaging helps employees understand their role in the organization’s success and feel connected to its mission. This connection strengthens their commitment to the company and their desire to contribute meaningfully to its goals.

Overcoming Common Internal Communication Challenges HR Leaders Face

Even experienced HR leaders run into some trouble when developing and implementing communication strategies. Understanding these challenges is the first step toward addressing them effectively:

Information overload: Employees receive countless messages daily, making it difficult to stay on top of important communications and cut through the noise. In fact, workers in the United States spend almost two and a half hours every day checking their work emails, according to Statista. You can combat this by implementing a clear communication hierarchy. For example, using red flags for urgent messages, yellow for important updates, and green for general information.
Message consistency: With many departments and leaders sending team communications, it’s important to maintain a consistent voice and message across all channels. You may want to create a communication playbook with templates and guidelines that all leaders can follow to achiee a cohesive message.
Timing and urgency: Thanks to remote working tools, it’s now easier than ever to get access to an employee almost 24/7. However, it’s important to manage the need for instant communication with work-life wellness boundaries. You can develop protocols for determining when and how to contact an employee outside of regular business hours. For example, agreeing that only genuine emergencies warrant contact outside of business hours — everything else must be scheduled to be sent the following business day.

Building a Winning Internal Communications Strategy

Now that you know the benefits of effective communications, you’re probably wondering how to implement the perfect comms strategy in your organization. You can transform your organization's information flow with proven practices that reflect your values and keep your employees informed:

Define Your Objectives and Target Audiences

Every successful communication strategy begins with clearly defined goals and a thorough understanding of who you’re trying to reach. Consider the following:

Strategic alignment: Your communication objectives should support broader organizational goals and initiatives. If your company is looking to enhance efficiency, then perhaps communicating through memos might be the key. If it’s looking to improve team building and social connections, then maybe informal town halls would be best.
Audience segmentation: Different employee groups may need different types of information or prefer different communication styles. Create detailed audience profiles that consider factors like job role, location, and communication preferences.
Message prioritization: Develop clear criteria for determining which messages require immediate attention versus those that can be incorporated into regular updates or newsletters. If employees receive dozens of emails with “[URGENT]” in the subject line, they’ll stop paying attention. But if they only receive one a quarter, they're much more likely to actually pay attention.

Choose the Right Communication Channels

Your company probably already has access to many communication tools. But success lies in choosing the right channels for different types of messages. Here’s how to figure it out:

Channel mapping: Match different types of communications with the most appropriate channels based on message urgency, complexity, and target audience. For example, instant messaging might be good for quick updates. But an in-person one-on-one would be best for discussing an employee’s performance review.
Accessibility considerations: Your communication channels should accommodate all employees, including those with disabilities or different technology access levels. If necessary, provide accessible alternatives so nobody misses important information.

Craft Effective Messages: Tone, Clarity, and Conciseness

The most effective internal communications strike a balance between professionalism and approachability. Keep this in mind when crafting your messages:

Message structure: Start with the most important information and follow with supporting details. Use clear headlines and subheadings to help employees quickly understand the key points and decide whether they need to read further.
Language and tone: Adopt a consistent voice that reflects your organization’s culture while maintaining professionalism.
Visual elements: Incorporate relevant images, charts, or videos to enhance understanding, where appropriate. Visual elements can help break up text and make complex information more digestible.

Measure the Impact of Your Internal Communications

You can’t improve what you don’t measure, so it’s always a good idea to track the effectiveness of your communications strategy. To do this, you’ll want to combine quantitative metrics with qualitative feedback:

Engagement metrics: Track measurable indicators like email open rates, page views, and video watch hours. These metrics can help you identify which types of content and channels generate the most employee interaction.
Feedback mechanisms: Create regular opportunities for employees to share their thoughts on internal communications, including pulse surveys or focus groups.

Essential Internal Communication Tools

You already know there are a million reasons why you’d need to communicate with employees. As such, there are many tools that are better suited for different reasons. Selecting the right combination of platforms will allow you to create a comprehensive communication ecosystem:

Employee Communication Platforms

These digital workplace platforms serve as the backbone of daily internal communications. They need to balance functionality with user-friendliness so everyone is happy to use them. These apps include:

Team messaging apps: Tools like Slack of Microsoft Teams allow employees to communicate in quick, informal instant messaging chats. They help reduce email overload and enable quick, efficient communication between employees.
Video conferencing apps: Virtual meeting platforms facilitate face-to-face meetings regardless of location. Look for comprehensive solutions like Zoom that offer screen sharing, recording capabilities, and integration with other tools.

Intranet Software and Content Management Systems

A well-designed intranet is like your company’s digital headquarters, providing a central location for important information and resources. Modern intranet platforms offer features like:

Secure document storage with easy access to popular documents, like the employee handbook.
Dedicated spaces for company announcements.
Collaboration tools including project spaces, team sites, and shared calendars.
Powerful search capabilities that help employees find what they’re looking for.

Survey and Feedback Tools

Collecting regular feedback helps organizations understand how employees feel and identify gaps in communication. You can gather feedback through:

Pulse surveys
Anonymous feedback channels
Online discussion forums
An open-door policy encouraging employees to come with feedback

Analytics and Reporting Dashboards

Modern HR dashboards help professionals like you track engagement to optimize communication strategy. Tools like BirdEye can help you quickly see metrics like:

Message open rates
Click-through rates
Engagement patterns
Trends in communication effectiveness
Most effective communication channels

With this data, you can tweak your communication style to whatever’s working best for your employees.

Internal Communication Best Practices

Once you have the right tools, it’s time to think about the best way to implement your new communication strategy — and execute it consistently.

Creating a Culture of Open Communication

Building a culture of open communication starts with leadership setting the right example. Encourage managers to maintain regular dialogue with their teams and create opportunities for employees to share their thoughts openly. This can bring immediate benefits, as more than 90% of employees say that they’re more productive when they feel heard by their employers, according to a Forbes report.

Promoting Transparency and Trust

About one-third of employees don’t trust their employers, according to a Qualtrics survey. Building trust in your employees starts with being transparent, but it requires a careful balance.

Share information that helps employees understand company decisions and feel confident about the organization’s direction. But don’t share too much that you’d add unnecessary stress to their workdays.

Using Storytelling to Engage Employees

Stories create emotional connections that facts and figures alone cannot achieve. Being strategic with your storytelling helps employees understand complex initiatives, connect with company values, and see their role in the organization’s bigger picture. Try incorporating some of these tips:

Highlight team members’ success stories to celebrate achievements.
Share compelling stories to explain organizational changes and build support.
Use real-life examples to bring company values to life.

Crisis Communication Planning

Every organization needs a clear internal communications plan for challenging times. Create clear response protocols with procedures for different types of crisis situations, including message templates and clear instructions on who needs to be involved in these communications.

Soliciting and Acting on Employee Feedback

Effective internal communication is a two-way street: Just as you can reach your employees, they should also be able to reach leadership. Collecting feedback regularly through pulse surveys and focus groups can help you see what’s missing and fix what’s not working.

Case Studies: Internal Communication Success Stories

Companies that prioritize internal communications often see remarkable improvements in employee engagement and organizational performance. Here are two inspiring examples you can use to guide your way:

Santander Portugal

This bank revolutionized its corporate culture by creating a series of casual, carpool-style video interviews that showed senior leaders in a more personal light. Instead of focusing solely on business updates, these conversations revealed the human side of leadership. By including these authentic conversations, Santander successfully shifted away from a traditionally formal communication style to create more meaningful connections.

Medtronic

This healthcare technology company tackled the challenge of communicating complex business strategies through a gamification program. Instead of relying on email updates and presentations, Medtronic created interactive challenges to help employees understand strategic initiatives. This approach significantly improved employees’ comprehension of the company’s strategy.

Future Trends in Internal Communications

As you’re looking to revamp your communications strategy today, there will come a time in the future when even today’s most advanced tools and strategies will be obsolete. That’s why it’s important to continue developing your communication strategy and looking at future trends.

The Role of AI in Internal Comms

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we process and disseminate information. You can use AI tools to:

Deliver messages at optimal times based on employee behavior.
Tailor messages to individual roles and preferences to reduce information overload.
Analyze engagement patterns to improve the effectiveness of organizational communication.

Mobile-First Communication Strategies

About two-thirds of users browse the internet on a mobile device, versus only one-third on a desktop, according to StatCounter GlobalStats. That’s why you’ll want to employ a mobile-first approach to your communications. Think short and sweet sentences and paragraphs combined with short bullet lists to improve mobile readability.

Personalization and Employee Experience

The future of internal communications focuses heavily on creating personalized experiences. Through the use of AI, you can create custom news feeds, adaptive learning content, and custom communications that are perfectly tailored to each of your employees’ needs.

Enhance Your Internal Communication Strategy with Wellbeing Support

Communicating with your team doesn’t have to rely on dry emails and extensive memos. Incorporating an effective communication strategy can prevent misunderstandings, align employee actions with company objectives, and help everyone row in the same direction.

While effective internal communication is the foundation of a healthy workplace culture, it’s just one piece of the employment engagement puzzle. When combined with a comprehensive wellbeing program, strong communication practices create an environment where employees feel truly supported and connected to their organization.

Speak with a Wellhub Wellbeing Specialist to see how we can help you create an employee benefits package that builds trust and creates a more resilient workforce.

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[*] Based on proprietary research comparing healthcare costs of active Wellhub users to non-users.