We know that effective internal communications is vital in helping organisations reach their business goals – but while you might be communicating with your workforce, are you listening?
To inform Springboard’s Internal Communications offering, our 2024 survey of Irish employees gathered insights into how internal communications is viewed within organisations.
For the full survey results, download our Internal Communications in Ireland Report 2024 here.
Latest results show that while approximately. 89% of organisations say they gather employee feedback (Global Survey IC Report), 36% of employees say they actually want an opportunity to provide feedback themselves (Axios HQ). Moreover, 54% of employees disagree that there are easy, defined mechanisms for feedback about internal communications, even though many leaders believe there are (Axios HQ). These gaps suggest considerable room for improvement in two-way communication in organisations.
But what are the key benefits of facilitating two-way communications in your business?
Improve productivity and performance
In working environments where employees are listened to and have their ideas not only welcomed but sought after, performance can excel. A study carried out by Gallup found that employees who feel empowered deliver 17% greater productivity. Similarly, a survey by KPMG states that 83% of employees agree that they are more likely to be engaged in work if they have friends within the workplace.
Build trust
Our 2024 survey found that of those who do have the option to give feedback, 58% say that their feedback is addressed only ‘sometimes’. Not addressing genuine concerns or queries from your team can have detrimental effects on employee trust and engagement. One study from Blessing White found that a third of employees become disengaged when employers ask for feedback but do nothing about it.
Make sure that you show that if you are taking employee feedback, you acknowledge and address it. If issues arise, use employee input to find a solution.
Inform the content creation process
Recent research from the 2025 YouGov & Staffbase ‘Employee Communication Impact Study’ revealed that only 43% of employees are satisfied with the number of internal communications they receive, and just 42% consider its quality to be ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’. Listening to what employees actually value, not just how much communication they get, can make messages more meaningful, engaging and genuinely helpful.
Find out if they prefer video over blogs, business updates to wellness tips or communications once a week rather than daily. By listening to your workforce, you can make sure that what, when and how you are communicating benefits your employees, ultimately helping your organisation deliver its business goals.
What next?
So how do you create a culture of inviting, facilitating and actioning two-way communication? As we always advise our clients, the first step is listening to your employees – from actively paying attention to the conversations happening around you, to setting up mechanisms and virtual spaces.
Host open discussion forums such as townhalls and virtual round-tables, where employees can use chat and Q&A functions to share queries and opinions and vote in real time for questions they want answered. If you are carrying out surveys, share the results with them in an open, timely fashion – and don’t forget to share the action plan so they can see you are acting on the feedback. Even the humble suggestion box can be upgraded to a virtual postbox, inviting feedback.
And don’t forget to keep an eye on those conversations happening on your social intranets and internal platforms. These can generate one-off nuggets or give an insight into the type of issues that are recurring, so you can escalate to senior management.
