Hey there, I'm Devin!
Most of the time you can catch me deep in the world of internal comms at Workshop (yes, the Happy Mondays folks!), and while I love AI, there are just some comms questions that need a human who really gets it… that’s me!
Hi Devin,
How do you know when it’s the right time to formalize internal comms as a company? What signals should leaders be paying attention to before it becomes a real problem?
Honestly, if you’re asking the question, there’s a pretty good chance it’s already time. This usually shows up when teams start hearing important updates secondhand, managers are translating messages differently, or employees aren’t sure where to go for up-to-date information.
Internal comms happens whether there’s a strategy or not, because employees have to communicate with one another to get their jobs done. The real question is whether that communication is measurable, coordinated, or even effective. Sometimes yes… but often, not really.
The first step in formalizing anything (in my humble opinion) is getting clear on why you want or need to do it and what problems you expect it to solve. When information flows unevenly (where some employees are in the know and others are left guessing) it can quickly turn into confusion, frustration, or mistrust if it’s left unchecked.
Formalizing internal comms doesn’t necessarily mean building a huge team or launching new tools overnight. Often, it starts with agreeing on ownership, a clear strategy, and a small set of standards for how information is shared.
From there, set a small number of concrete goals that internal comms can help address. For example:
- Make sure employees receive critical information at the same time, regardless of role or location
- Creating clearer, more predictable messaging and channels (automated emails are a great solve here!)
- Improving understanding of company priorities, changes, and decisions
Once you’ve identified those goals, tie em’ back to your company’s mission or vision and be intentional about how you want to communicate, not just what you’re communicating.
For example, at Workshop one of our goals is to create Happy Mondays everywhere. To make that a reality, I think beyond just the frequency of comms. I also consider how messages are written, where they’re shared, and how they look and feel. Those choices shape the employee experience and help create clarity, trust, and a more cohesive environment — one that directly supports both engagement and performance.
