Re-engaging people around purpose, strategy and values has been cited as the top priority for organisations, according to Gallagher
Organisational priorities highlighted in Gallagher’s 2021/2022 State of the Sector report include the need to re-engage teams around purpose, strategy, and values, as well as adapting communication channels to better engage workforce as they move to hybrid working models. Improving people manager communications was also cited as a priority.
The survey found that 58 per cent of respondents saw purpose, culture and vision as a main priority, while learning and development were highlighted by 56 per cent as a priority and 55 per cent cited wellbeing as a top priority which includes mental, physical, financial.
Gallagher people experience consultant Matt Frost says: “The importance of making sure people are connected to vision, purpose, and strategy was a really big takeaway for me. 53 per cent of employers were prioritising making sure people were connected to their purpose, vision, and strategy of the organisation. On the flip side of that only 22 per cent of employers are making any changes to those three things. I see that as a weird dichotomy where people are seeing it as a priority but not a lot of people are making changes”
The survey found that 39 per cent of respondents said that adjusting their channels to hybrid working will be a high priority in 2022. A fifth of the surveyed organisations’ internal communication teams have conducted an in-depth evaluation of their channel and employee engagement strategy, and 34 per cent are in the process of doing so. But there have been no significant changes in channel usage yet, though some adjustments are projected in 2022.
Frost says: “People are now working from home and things like Zoom are far more normal than they’ve ever been. An interesting takeaway for me looking at the report is that 19 per cent of organisations have or are going to review their communication channels. There’s this puzzle of organisations wanting to do these things and make sure their channels are effective but only 19 per cent have or are going to review the effectiveness of those channels.”
Employee disengagement was cited by nearly four out of ten respondents as the most significant barrier to internal communication success. As a result, talent retention and recruitment has become a bigger issue this year, with 59 per cent of respondents stating that executives now regard the employee experience and internal communication as a strategy to retain talent.
Gallagher global managing director Ben Reynolds says: “Organisations that reported above-industry-levels of talent attraction and retention were more likely to have taken proactive steps toward such a review, suggesting that adjusting to the new world of work faster is paying off.
“However, this isn’t really about communication anymore, it’s about reinventing the way people share knowledge and information, rethinking how collaboration and innovation can thrive in an increasingly digital workplace, and reconsidering how best to make two-way communications happen in an engaging way.”
People managers’ expectations have developed and increased dramatically as a result of the shift to hybrid working, with 81 per cent of respondents indicating an increase in their people managers’ expectations as communicators.
People managers are a key engagement channel, according to 35 per cent of respondents. But only 34 per cent of respondents provide personalised communication training and 68 per cent provide corporate messages.
The need to enhance and equip people managers with better communication skills is now a top-three priority. This is a first since Gallagher started compiling this survey eight years ago which suggests a clear shift in expectations people managers.
Instead of communicating to employees separately about benefits, wellbeing, and career social, organisations want to build a holistic communications experience by combining everything together and creating a plan that helps people stay connected.
Frost says: “There’s been a sharper focus on overall communications strategy, everything that makes up communications, whether it’s the people experience or the employer value proposition. I’ve seen a great increase in organisations wanting to gather all of these previously siloed pieces and create one experience for their people.”
Reynolds says: “Employers need to see a rise in purpose-led organisations. Covid brought many new challenges to employers, with the most significant in 2022 being adapting to new ways of working and introducing cultural change. On top of this, the need to re-engage employees and attract and retain talent requires a fundamental shift in the narrative, a much-needed one, to include societal themes such as diversity and inclusion, gender equality, and ESG. So, there is much to be done, but we remain optimistic.”
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