This time we talk to Isabel Salas, Head of Human Resources and Communication at Laboratorios Gebro Pharma, about the different dimensions of internal communication in companies and the importance of multidirectional communication. Isabel shares with us how internal communication is practiced at Gebro, with some very interesting and functional examples.
"Internal communication is being, working, dialog and leadership".
1. who are you and what can you tell us about yourself?
I have been a trainee for more than 50 years. Mother of two people and two cats. I have a degree in political science and sociology, an MBA and a degree in philosophy. I have a passion for art and people. For the last seven years I have been Head of Human Resources and Communications at Laboratorios Gebro Pharma, a company that distributes prescription drugs for health and life.
2. what is internal communication and how important is it?
Communication is a way of being and working in organizations. It is more than just a function. Every human interaction is de facto a communicative process. I see internal communication as part of a culture that enables dialog and everything that arises from it: innovation, exchange, knowledge, democracy, collective intelligence, etc. And I also see it as a fundamental tool of humanistic leadership that aims to develop commitment and promote spaces of emotional well-being in companies.
3. how does Gebro manage the different types of communication?
Depending on the objectives of our communication, we use different communication channels and spaces: Sharing, Connecting, Aligning, Informing, Participating, Congratulating, Recognizing, etc.
For less interactive communication, we use email and streaming (text and video for extremely important information), messages on the intranet (to find out what's going on and how we're doing), a Telegram channel (for instant messages) and Microsoft Teams.
We combine the digital with the personal and hybrid for maximum interactivity. In the digital realm, we have a collaborative innovation platform that combines a social wall (sharing best practices and information about what's happening "on the street") with idea forums (both challenges launched by Gebro and suggestions submitted by employees), voting forms, a suggestion box, a survey to take our pulse, Telegram chats and Whatsapp groups.
On the personal front, in addition to team meetings, we hold an annual staff meeting in December, two cycle meetings and an information session before the start of the summer, which is accompanied by a team-building activity. In addition, there are activities that aim to create a more personal connection between us, such as the typical "breakfast with managers", although each manager decides on the format of the meeting. The "vermouth among employees" is an activity where a host employee invites ten people to a vermouth to get to know each other over a few olives. There is also the "Extraordinary employees" initiative, in which an employee gives a talk or workshop on a topic that is particularly close to their heart. We also involve other people beyond our borders, such as "Singular People", an activity where someone from outside the company brings us up to date on a current topic through a conference or similar.
4. how do digital and face-to-face communication complement each other?
Both are complementary and influence each other. In Telegram, for example, we announce the news that appears on the intranet, in the news we publish summaries of what was discussed in face-to-face meetings. In the speeches of our CEO, Sergi Aulinas, we show video questions sent in by employees. I don't like the distinction that is sometimes made that digital communication is colder and face-to-face communication is more superficial. We try to ensure that both ways convey emotion and warmth through a fresh, friendly, visual style of communication that is aligned with the generations and socio-cultural codes of all Gebro employees. We add a human touch to the digital and a technical touch to the personal.
5. what are the key factors for positive and efficient internal communication?
For me, the most important thing is to start from this premise: Communication is dialog and dialog is listening and talking. Positive communication means making the true architects of the stories - the employees - visible, involving them in the company's decision-making processes and integrating them into the design of the communication policy. An example: the questions of the climate survey were designed by a group of employees, the company values were proposed and voted on by all employees, the faces of the protagonists of the content always appear in the posts, birthday greetings are personalized, and even the creativity of some internal communication campaigns was designed by internal volunteers. There is no better agency for internal communication than the employees themselves.
6 How useful is an intranet for creating high-quality internal communication?
Intranets are spaces for creating communities in the broadest sense. Communities of exchange that create both knowledge for the company and emotional and affective bonds between its members. In this sense, intranets must also be managed by their own users, from the moment of their conception to their implementation. I believe that their quality is also determined by their ability to connect the brains and hearts of their members, firstly, and secondly, by the technological simplicity they offer in all B2E and E2B processes.
