Seven Internal Communication Tips to Build Trust and Keep Employees Engaged

Seven Internal Communication Tips to Build Trust and Keep Employees Engaged

In response to a new study that found trust in government and corporations are at an all time low in the United States, Impact’s Associate Vice President Sandi Sonnenfeld recently published an article in O’Dwyer’s, one of the leading magazines covering the PR and corporate communications industry, on the importance of internal communications in building employee trust and improving staff engagement. Below is an excerpt from that larger piece.


To help executives improve how they communicate and keep employees more engaged, below are seven internal communications tips you may find of value:

  1. Vary how you share information.Rather than always defaulting to email, vary the methods you use when distributing corporate or employee-related information. If the news will significantly impact how the organization functions, what it does or marks a key milestone, consider having the CEO leave a voicemail message on everyone’s business phone or creating a brief video message that pops up when people turn their computers on in the morning. Bonuses or raises, like performance reviews, are best delivered individually by a worker’s supervisor.
  2. Be inclusive.While confidential information must be protected, too often companies restrict more general information about their goals, achievements, new products and services and long-term growth to certain types or groups of employees. Creating a two-tier system of those in the know and those who aren’t not only fosters resentment and mistrust, it also prevents support staff and other employees from understanding how their individual tasks and responsibilities helped contribute to the bottom line.
  5. Give staff skin in the game.Granting employees a say in how the company operates boosts productivity and morale because they feel vested in the company’s performance. For example, instead of leadership determining which charities or causes the company supports, let employees decide by setting aside a set amount of dollars, developing a pre-vetted list of trusted philanthropic organizations and asking employees to vote for which organization(s) should receive the money and in what percentages.
  6. Announce all new hires, not just senior executives. Not every hire warrants a press release or even a mention on the firm’s website. The new employee’s supervisor still should introduce the person internally via email or post an announcement on the company’s Intranet, internal blog or social media site(s). Not only will it make the new staffer feel welcome, but it demonstrates the areas in which the company is growing or strategically maintaining or increasing support, which helps all employees better understand the company’s larger goals.


If you are interested in launching an internal communications program or would like some counsel on how to improve it, please don’t hesitate to contact us at

This article originally appeared on O’Dwyers.