How can you overcome employee resistance to internal communication?

Keep in mind that not all members of leadership value open communication. Therefore, resistance to IC often begins at the top and Communication professionals’s job becomes harder when requiring leadership buy-in. So, if you're new to the job, I strongly advise you to involve leadership in your exploratory IC audit to investigate their sentiments and attitudes towards internal communications efforts. This will allow you to address that critical source of resistance and design solutions with their input as well. That’s just one step closer to overcoming resistance.

That's a good question, in short it's all about the trust and relationship organizations built with the their employees. Like in every other relationship. it's all about authenticity, trust and communication. 1. Is the dialog that we have with them is open enough? how transparent communication approach we have? are you communicating to your employees according to their best needs?are you using modern tools to communicating with them? 2. How are you empowering them to ? in what ways that they would actually matter to them? 3. Are you investing enough time and budget for continuous growth: Invest in development. Building skills boosts confidence and trust in the organization.

In my experience, employee resistance to Internal Comms initiatives often stemmed from a lack of awareness and understanding. This was especially noticeable when companies transitioned from minimal communication to overwhelming and disorganized messaging. To overcome resistance, companies should prioritize listening to their employees' needs and preferences. By planning engaging and relevant content, tailored to the audience and utilizing the right communication channels, organizations can foster a more receptive and impactful internal communication culture.

When it comes to Internal Employee Communications, employees first want to know “What’s in it for me?” and “How does this impact me and my role?”. Communication, regardless of the delivery platform, needs to be clear, concise, and transparent. Leave out marketing fluff and ambiguity, which makes employees skeptical and lose trust. When communicating challenging situations or changes, it’s best to follow up any written communication with an open forum, such as a Town Hall or Ask Me Anything session hosted by executive leaders, where employees can ask questions and get clarity. These type of sessions build trust and confidence with employees.

Resistance often starts "at the top," with leadership team members who don't understand how a strong internal communication program can serve the business and help them achieve company goals. An IC leader can make big strides by presenting benchmarks and other evidence to leaders to support the correlation between high-performing organizations and results - including productivity, retention and overall performance.

Communicate the "what's in it for me" to employees. Show them how internal communication can benefit them personally, such as staying informed about company developments, career growth opportunities, or recognition for their contributions.

When it comes to communicatio, trust and empathy are important factors to consider. Lead by example becomes a very important component of the strategy. Having leadership involved in the process, engaging with employees and building trust will help their willingness to be part of something bigger

Los beneficios de la Comunicación Interna debe hacerse tanto implícita como explícitamente. -Implícita: Los hechos son los mejores embajadores. Si comunicamos con transparencia, empatía, asertividad y cercanía, estaremos construyendo una comunicación que despierte el interés de los colaboradores. Es importante revisar las métricas y activar canales de escucha activa con los diferentes colectivos. -Explícita: No debemos dar por hecho que todos los colaboradores comprenden la importancia y el impacto de la una buena Comunicación Interna. Los responsable de este área debemos trasladar de forma clara los distintos beneficios de la Comunicación Interna, además de crear fuertes alianzas para enriquecer las comunicaciones con la co-creación.

Address Concerns Proactively: Be transparent about any changes or developments within the organization that may impact employees. Address concerns and questions proactively to mitigate uncertainty and build trust.

Yes, I agree. If we miss the "What's In It for Me" factor in our communications, then the audience loses interest. They are a mind frame to resist communication. More than their intention intent, it is their reflex mind that controls this block towards communication because they find it less important to them. Remember, always take the "Must To Know">"Good To Know" method.

Employee involvement serves not only as a tool to overcome resistance to internal comms but also opens a channel for deeper insight. I find this particularly invaluable when dealing with sensitive issues or discussions around company values. For example, when the employees in one of the companies I worked for started raising concerns about our carbon footprint we set up the green committee that not only organized eco-initiatives in the office but also gave ideas for internal awareness-raising activities. When employees feel heard and valued in their organization, it cultivates a sense of belonging and encourages open dialogue, which is key to maintaining a healthy and productive work environment with efficient internal communications.

Involving middle-management in internal comms is a must. Top management and the BoD often understand the importance of communications, but going down the ladder team leaders, department heads and supervisors are a valuable chain. However, they are also the biggest gatekeepers unless they clearly understand the "what's in it for me"

Employees like to be engaged. It is two-way communication that can engage them. otherwise, they become resistant to your communications. It is a diffusion method that is not a Top-Down or Bottom-Up approach - it should be a diffusion to make it work every nook and corner for employees to access, comment, share, and be a part of it.

Training and coaching new managers and leaders in communication best practices is invaluable. So many upcoming leaders have no training or experience in providing and soliciting feedback, leading meetings, expressing recognition or managing performance issues. All of these are important parts of internal communication.

Foster Two-Way Communication: Create opportunities for employees to share their thoughts, concerns, and feedback. Encourage open dialogue and actively listen to their perspectives. When employees feel heard and valued, they are more likely to engage with internal communication efforts.

Offer training sessions or workshops to help employees improve their communication skills and understand the importance of effective communication in the workplace. Provide resources, guidelines, and best practices to support them in their communication efforts. Also, keep monitor and tweak the approach as needed.

I reject the notion that employees resist communications. In my experience, they're clamoring for it. They just want to know the truth - and your perspective on it. They'd want to know the challenges instead of just all the "rah rah ain't we great" stuff they typically get. Employees are almost always left out of the "why" of things as if they don't understand the complexity of business. Employees are smart. They get why a business has to do certain things they may not agree with. And as a communicator, I understand that some things are sensitive. Figure out what you can authentically say about everything that is on your employees minds. Don't leave them to make up the story themselves and tell it to each other. Ask what they want to know!

Before sending a communication analise your content with this sentence: “No one is interested in my communication.” Then, try to do your best to attract people’s attention with the message that you want to send.

Produce and Provide A Clear Communication Strategy While it is a given that any communication specialist would create a communication strategy, it is important to engage and carry along the people for whom the strategy is created from the beginning. This will help employees feel the need, involved and aware of their contribution, ownership, and participation to ensure the success of the idea of internal communication. Ensuring that the strategy aligns with the values of the company and its employees cannot be fully achieved without contributions and feedbacks from the employees.

Train managers. Equip managers to have effective conversations and keep teams informed. They're critical communication channels to employees. You may consider this solution along the way.

Its possible that resistance is not towards internal communications as such, but can be towards methods of delivery because of generational difference. For example if you have employees that have a more old school approach, i.e. they prefer printed bulletins on a board, they might react negatively if you only start pushing digital channels as they feel that they don't know how to use/access them