Using Employee Sentiment to Shape Internal Communications

Why does employee sentiment matter to internal communicators?

Using Employee Sentiment to Shape Internal CommunicationsEmployee sentiment gauges how your employees feel about certain subjects and events: it’s an aggregate measure of your people’s collective emotions and energy. Sentiment is a powerful indicator of your organization’s health, a litmus test of the overall vibe, and it becomes especially valuable when you understand why your employees feel the way they do and can do something about it.

For internal communicators (IC), understanding and leveraging employee sentiment is essential to your messaging planning and communications decision-making. Yet, according to a recent Ragan survey, 38.92% of respondents don’t currently measure employee sentiment at all. Of those that do, the vast majority do so by surveying employees. Modern AI tools can help calculate sentiment scores by analyzing what employees say and write.

Since employee sentiment is an indicator of morale, engagement, retention, and performance, this is a valuable metric to track over time and prioritize. If you know what’s affecting your employees’ emotions and perspectives, you can nurture positive employee experiences and target areas that need attention.

Why employee sentiment matters

When employees feel heard and valued, they’re more likely to align with organizational goals and contribute meaningfully. Conversely, negative sentiment tends to hurt engagement and productivity and cause higher turnover.

Communicators and leaders can use sentiment data to:

  • Gauge employee response to events, programs, or narratives.
  • Adjust or launch communications campaigns to change minds and move people in the preferred direction.
  • Become more aware of employees’ feelings about specific topics to take proactive steps to relate to, redirect, or enhance those emotions.
  • Ensure messages sent from leadership reflect the current state of employee morale.

Ultimately, understanding employee sentiment helps IC professionals and leaders communicate more empathetically. If you know the concerns and aspirations of your workforce, you can tailor messages accordingly.

How to measure employee sentiment

Effectively monitoring employee sentiment requires a mix of quantitative and qualitative efforts. Commonly, organizations send pulse surveys – short, recurring surveys that can reveal trends in employee attitudes over time. Qualitatively, organizations often have face-to-face meetings or conduct in-depth focus groups to validate findings or hypotheses. Some ongoing efforts include monitoring communication channels and digital footprints for employee behaviors, concerns, or enthusiasm.

Research also shows that companies can use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze employee engagement and sentiment metrics. A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Academic and Applied Research showed that “AI is increasingly used to predict employee turnover, enabling HR managers to take proactive measures to retain top talent. By analyzing various factors, including engagement levels, performance data, career progression, and sentiment analysis from employee communications, AI can identify patterns and warning signs indicating that an employee may be considering leaving the organization.”

Researchers emphasize that it’s essential to acknowledge the ethical and legal considerations before applying AI to monitor employee behavior, like employee privacy and AI’s potential to misinterpret data.

Sentiment analysis for employee engagement

When you understand employee sentiment, you can act accordingly. IC can use sentiment insights to inform the company’s messaging strategy. For example, let’s say your sentiment analysis reveals negative concerns about upcoming changes to your benefits program. IC teams could then get out in front of those concerns by addressing them directly, potentially changing how people think about the “whats” and “whys” of the changes, helping improve the workplace climate.

  • Acknowledge the feedback. Employees need to know that leadership hears their concerns.
  • Explain how benefits are structured. Transparency is key. If your salaries are competitive in your industry – or external factors constrain your benefits options – communicate this.
  • Highlight non-monetary rewards. When paired with acknowledgment and transparency, it can also be valuable to spotlight the value of non-monetary benefits like flexible work arrangements.
  • Communicate next steps and progress. Lastly, IC needs to keep employees informed. For instance, communicate if your organization works with a third-party benefits broker to compare health insurance options and redesign benefits packages based on employee feedback.

Using employee sentiment to shape internal communications

Additionally, while you can use sentiment to inform your content, you can also use your communications content to help shape employee sentiment.

  • Use positive sentiment to build momentum – share success stories and achievements!
  • Conduct focus groups on certain topics to understand employee needs and build trust.
  • Provide context to help employees understand behind-the-scenes processes and rationale.

Leveraging employee sentiment to engage employees

Employee sentiment is a powerful indicator of organizational success and business outcomes. For internal communications professionals, monitoring sentiment – and tailoring communications based on the workplace climate – will become a core part of the IC strategy. Monitoring sentiment helps teams engage in honest dialogue, build trust, and better engage employees by helping them feel seen and heard.

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