There’s more to measuring internal communications than you think

Over the years, internal comms professionals have wracked their brains to find the most effective and beneficial way to measure their internal comms channels. 

Tracking the impact of internal comms on employee engagement continues to elude even the brightest minds.

KPMG leads the way with its Employee Engagement Plus Index, an online diagnostic tool that looks at engagement in relation to proven drivers. 

Tracking engagement as a single entity often provides results that are difficult to act on. 

Without understanding what other elements are impacting engagement within a company, we will struggle to understand and put into action measurable results. 

We know that engaged employees are more committed to their organisation and are more likely to go the extra mile. With improved measurement tactics the bewilderment that tends to surround measurement can be replaced with solutions that benefit both employees and employers. 

KPMG has provided an interesting case study in using measurement in a way that produces useful results. This employee engagement survey is based on the understanding that a company’s greatest asset is its people, making employees central to an organisation’s performance. 

Instead of looking at engagement alone, KPMG’s employee engagement survey looks at it in unison with the factors that are proven to boost it. 

These include leadership, communication and work commitment. 

By understanding what is increasing or inhibiting engagement, a business can use the survey results to make targeted actions that will achieve long-term improvements, including a positive working environment and improved bottom-line results. 

Malcolm Pace Debono, Director for People and Change in KPMG in Malta, has expressed how it is critical for organisations to develop an engaged workforce. 

The introduction of this employee engagement survey is definitely a step in the right direction. 

How do we use this to benefit our own measurement?  

When analysing the engagement of our own channels, it is important to discuss not only the channels in isolation, but as part of a group of factors. 

If your employees are your greatest asset, then you want to make sure that they are being heard, they know their future with you is important, and that you want their working environment to aid their job. 

By understanding more about how your employees engage with your organisation as a whole, you can begin to understand the part your IC channels play in each contributing factor.