Every day, employees are inundated with information from a wide variety of channels. On a normal working day, they need to be informed about important news and be able to communicate with colleagues. It can be overwhelming to keep track of communication channels - the key is to simplify communication to the most relevant channels to keep your target groups informed.
This is easier said than done. The first step is to understand which channels (or touchpoints) are used the most by your employees and are perceived as more relevant. In a recent study, the management consultancy Accelerom, together with the HWZ and Perikom, the professional association for HR management and internal communication, conducted a broad-based survey of 900 employees of large Swiss companies to evaluate the various touchpoints of internal communication with the highest reach and relevance.
We invited Catherine Ammann and Andreas Jäggi to present their study and discuss their findings in our latest ahead x webinar "Which are the most popular touchpoints in internal communication?" on September 20.
The touchpoints listed in the top right quadrant play the most important role in internal communication in terms of reach and relevance.
The results were clear: in terms of reach, the intranet is still the most important communication channel through which employees obtain information. However, the study also revealed that discussions with superiors and colleagues and communication by the CEO/management are close behind.
In terms of relevance, i.e. how the touchpoint performs in terms of the credibility and attractiveness of the information and its influence on employee behavior, conversations with superiors were the clear winner. Unsurprisingly, human interaction and direct person-to-person communication are more important to employees. What was surprising was the finding that older employees are more inclined to use digital channels, which disproves the preconception that young equals digital.
The key takeaway for internal communicators is that while the intranet is an excellent communication tool and platform to reach the entire workforce, it is not enough to drive behavior change. To establish value-adding internal communication for all employees, communicators need to incorporate management communication and dialog into existing internal networks.
If you missed the webinar with Catherine Ammann and Andreas Jäggi on the most popular touchpoints in internal communication, you can watch the full recording via the link below. The webinar is in German.