How HR Communications Strengthen Internal Communication Strategy

What is internal communication?

Internal communications (IC), or “internal comms” for short, is the workplace function that facilitates effective organizational communication. Some organizations have an internal communications department, while in others it is a responsibility of corporate communications, marketing, or HR. Either way, internal communications as a function refers to the communication that occurs internally between company leaders, communications professionals, and the rest of the company. Unlike external comms, which speaks to outside entities (e.g., media, customers, suppliers), the audience for internal comms is primarily employees. The purpose of internal comms is to keep people informed and engaged.

What is HR communication?

Human resource (HR) communication refers to the messages shared by a company’s HR department with its employees, applicants, and candidates. HR communication focuses on HR-related topics like onboarding, career growth, benefits, and compensation. In a small organization, an HR generalist or manager may be responsible for handling HR communications. In mid-size organizations, an internal comms person may work closely with an HR professional. And in the largest organizations, there may be a dedicated HR comms team.

What is the difference between HR communications and internal communications?

The primary distinction between HR communications and internal communications lies in the topics each is responsible for. Think of internal comms as a generalist and HR comms as a specialist. While internal comms covers everything from financial performance to project milestones to company-wide newsletters, HR sticks to messaging about people programs and policies.

How do HR comms and internal comms overlap?

Both functions are responsible for communicating information to employees. HR and IC teams may collaborate on messaging. For example, let’s say a company is being acquired. In an acquisition, employees will hear from both internal communications and HR comms.

• Internal communications will handle the big-picture messaging, including timing, business rationale, and what it means for the company’s future. They’ll coordinate town halls and distribute FAQs to keep people informed.
• HR comms will focus on the people impact: who’s affected by team changes, what happens to roles or benefits, and what support is available. They’ll also help managers handle tough or sensitive conversations.

What are examples of HR communications?

HR communication typically falls into two large categories: people programs and policies. Let’s look at a few examples in each category.

1. People programs. People programs are initiatives designed to support and engage employees. This includes efforts such as goal setting and performance reviews, learning and development programs, well-being and mental health benefits like employee assistance programs (EAPs), new hire onboarding, and more. If it’s an initiative that focuses on the career growth or well-being of employees, it’s likely a “people program.”
2. Policies. These are official codes of conduct, rights, and requirements. Policies focus on behavior, safety, operations, and benefits. This category includes legal obligations such as anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies, time-off policies (e.g., PTO, sick leave, family leave), benefits (e.g., 401(k)s, insurance), compensation details, workplace safety protocols, and more. If the topic feels like it belongs in a rulebook, it’s likely a policy.

What’s the role of HR communications?

HR communications exists to keep employees informed, safe, and compliant. HR communicators play a crucial role in translating HR initiatives—including complex benefit and insurance information—into clear, concise messages that employees can easily understand. 

By generating awareness and understanding of people programs and policies, HR comms can drive the adoption of programs and benefits. They can motivate employees to complete surveys, encourage them to submit performance reviews, and inspire them to celebrate colleagues through recognition programs.

Ultimately, HR comms is responsible for helping employees feel informed and supported from their first day with the organization to their last, and every day in between.

How to create an HR communication strategy

1. Determine your goals.

What are the objectives of your HR comms? If you also have an internal comms team, those two functions need to identify distinct responsibilities. A goal may be to increase email open rates for benefits-related emails. Or maybe you want to increase participation in the company’s employee recognition program. To create an effective HR communication strategy or plan, begin by clearly outlining your goals.

2. Gather data.

Next, it’s helpful to gather relevant data. If you want to increase open rates for benefits-related emails, what is the current open rate? What’s an appropriate open rate to aim for in your industry? Other helpful data:

• Intranet traffic for HR-related content
• Message engagement on platforms like Slack or Teams
• Employee knowledge of benefits and policies (measured through pulse surveys or 1:1s)
• Common HR-related FAQs submitted via email or sent through a messaging platform
• Open enrollment completion rates
• Engagement survey response rates
• Industry benchmark data like PoliteMail’s Internal Email Communications Benchmark Report

3. Brainstorm your topics.

Based on your goals and existing data, what topics do you need to communicate about? Is the focus on boosting open enrollment participation? Or do you need to prioritize building more awareness of your well-being benefits? Use data to prioritize your topics.

4. Develop a content calendar.

A calendar can help you plan and schedule future messages. Outline what messages you want to send, to whom, when, and via what channels. Base your planning on annual events, employee needs, and key HR initiatives. You can use data to determine the optimal day and time for messaging, tailored to the specific audience.

5. Measure and iterate.

To optimize your HR comms, you’ll want to continuously monitor your performance. Go beyond email open rates to measure key metrics such as attention, click-through rates, read time, time-on-page, bounce rates, employee feedback, and more.