Nine key communications, content and employee engagement trends

June 28, 2021 Updated: September 28, 2022 by

In DWG’s recent annual update on Communications and Content, research author, Nicole Carter, looks at the latest trends in internal communications, content strategy and employee engagement.

The research identifies three key trends within each of the topic areas:

Internal communications

  • Crisis communications – repurposing existing plans and widening the scope of what is considered a crisis to encompass wellbeing and mental health. 
  • Digital overload – coping with communication channel competition and conflict.  
  • Onboarding – helping new hires and people into new roles whilst working remotely.

Content strategy

  • Dynamic content – making content and messages creative and engaging. 
  • Dispersed content and signposting – guiding employees on where to find the accurate and up-to-date information they need.
  • Inclusive content and terminology – the importance of an inclusive mindset within internal communications, helping to create and convey company culture by listening to employees.

Employee engagement

  • Live events and virtual meetings – the need to consider changing technology and potential employee distractions at home when holding events and meetings.
  • Watercooler chat – developing informal conversations and relationships remotely.
  • Accessibility and digital literacy – ensuring that employees with additional needs or those that require assistance to learn new technology or systems are continually supported.

The theme that runs through this report is the strong need for empathy, strategic engagement and careful consideration of all the different elements of communications and content (from big-ticket items such as corporate (online) events to the low-level team chatter over instant messages) in order to support organizations and help them to survive and thrive. 

The report also makes nine recommendations from the research findings for intranet and digital workplace teams to take forward, along with key thinking points. 

An excerpt of this research report is available now for free download:

Communications & Content: DWG Annual Update 2020

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DWG members have access to this full report, and all nine recommendations. This report forms part of DWG’s best-practice Research Library of 80+ reports covering key areas such as strategy and governance, personalization, user experience and change management for intranets and digital workplaces.

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Categorised in: Collaboration, Content management, Digital literacy, Digital workplace, Internal communications, Social

Nicole Carter

Leading on consultancy projects focusing on intranet governance and strategy for DWG, Nicole Carter is a freelance consultant, researcher and editor specializing in intranets and digital workplaces, employee adoption of new corporate systems, smart working and business change. She has a track record of delivering user-focused intranets and systems which make it easier for people to do their jobs. After leading on the successful delivery of the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s intranet, she helped the Scottish Government rationalize its 50,000 pages of verbose content into something useful. This new digital workplace core led to supporting the business and cultural change behind the rollout of a case management system to over 14,000 employees. With a background in smart working, project management, business change, stakeholder engagement and product design, Nicole enjoys the challenge of helping people to actually do something rather than just talk about it.

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