While internal communication is a key part of shaping company culture, only about half of employers surveyed said their employees actually understand the organization’s strategy, vision and purpose, according to a Gallagher report released Feb. 21.
Engaging teams around purpose was the top priority for HR leaders surveyed — reflecting ongoing pushes toward improving employee experience as employers ponder full returns to the office.
Other studies have also shown that a lack of clarity around expectations can lead to massive engagement dips. Confusion can easily slide into feeling disrespected, one expert told HR Dive.
That clarity is especially important for what Gallagher called commonly communicated topics, including DEI, belonging and employee value proposition. Notably, only 4 in 10 organizations surveyed said they had a clearly defined DEI strategy, while 38% said they were still working on it.
"Even though many organizations are struggling to develop and execute on a DEI strategy, employers are deploying a range of tactics in an attempt to make positive strides," Ben Reynolds, global managing director, employee communication practice at Gallagher, said in a statement. “This includes awareness days or events (54%), employee resource groups or champions (48%), DEI training (45%), and a host of others.”
Employee value propositions are also a rising topic of internal communication concern, Gallagher said, because they are becoming more focused on retention rather than talent attraction. And only about half of employers said in the survey that their employees’ understanding of their compensation packages was “excellent” or “good” — a potential problem when workers have said in other surveys that they want more compensation transparency.
