New research by ITPR has revealed that although the majority of UK Businesses have an Internal Communication function, they urgently need to change their dated and restricted perceptions of the value and importance it brings to a business.
The headline results show that:
- The vast majority of UK businesses have an Internal Communication function (84%) – however, less than a fifth (18%) have a stand alone department responsible for delivering internal messaging.
- Almost half of UK business decision makers (42%) said that they find it difficult to accurately measure the value Internal Communication brings to their organisation.
- Almost one in five UK Business Decision Makers (18%) said that Internal Communication is not important to a company’s bottom line, despite 88% saying it is important to employee morale and 84% to employee well-being – both of which have a tangible impact on the bottom line.
- 81% of UK businesses capture employee feedback at least once a year.
- While 72% of those companies that capture employee feedback have an internal communication strategy, less than a quarter (24%) act on the information they gather.
The independent market research commissioned by ITPR using research consultants Sapio, looked at how UK businesses are planning, managing, delivering and measuring Internal Communication activity. The research conducted in May 2022 among 200 Decision Makers in HR, Marketing or Communication from companies with more than 100 employees, was built around three core themes – Understanding, Delivery & Measurement and Value.
Anthony Monks, Director at ITPR, said, “The research has provided us with valuable insight into how UK organisations understand and use Internal Communication. Whilst the results show that UK businesses understand the need to have an Internal Communications function, it shows a worrying lack of knowledge and experience gap which may be impacting their bottom lines.”
David Beesley, Managing Director at ITPR, commented, “The results reflect the fact that the impact Internal Communications has on a business is still misunderstood and therefore undervalued. We want to help businesses get to grips with their Internal Communications by using a proven methodology that will help them identify what is, and more importantly, what isn’t working with their existing internal communications. ”
Monks concludes, “Effective Internal Communication is a powerful tool, proven to improve engagement, boost corporate reputation and have a positive impact on the bottom line by aligning employees with the business objectives, mission, vision and value. These results show that UK Businesses urgently need to change their dated and restricted perceptions of the value and importance it brings to a business.”
You can access the report in full here.
Research Methodology
The survey was conducted among 200 Decision Makers in HR, Marketing or Communication from companies with more than 100 employees.
The interviews were conducted online by Sapio Research in May 2022 using an email invitation and an online survey.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 6.9 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
Sample was selected from Online partner panels.