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!
Hey Devin, is there a “secret sauce” answer for internal communications when the company is split between admin and field workers? We’ve tried duplicating our messaging to reach them no matter where they are on the job, but things are still falling through the cracks.
Lemme just say, I really appreciate the experimenting! You’d be surprised how easy it is to dance around a new idea instead of just shipping it to see what happens. Now, the result itself? That part doesn’t shock me at all… one of my many IC hot takes is to never, ever, ever duplicate the message. So now that you’ve got that data in your back pocket, I’d consider what a day actually looks like for each of these audiences.
My guess is that your admin/office folks are likely on (or at least near!) their computers most of the day. On the other hand, your field workers are likely moving and grooving at a different pace. I’d guess they’re doing a lot of skimming and relying on those beginning-of-day huddles or an after-work recap to get in the loop on what’s happening back at HQ.
Same company, two totally different relationships with information.
I’d aim to tackle these questions: what does each audience need to hear, and where can they go to get it? Your office team might need the full context, links, background… and they have the screen time to absorb it. Your field team probably needs a quick headline, the action, and a deadline (if there is one!), delivered at the moments they’re actually tuned in: the start of a shift, the end of a day.
That second question (where can they go) matters just as much. For field workers, email alone usually isn’t enough, and it might not even be in the top three… which is okay! Text messaging tends to punch way above its weight for frontline teams, and so does the most underrated channel in all of internal comms (another one of my hot takes haha): their direct supervisor. If those morning huddles and end-of-day recaps are already how your field team gets in the loop, lean into that rhythm instead of fighting it. Comms can make it super easy for those supervisors by providing short talking points or even templates, so the right info can sneak into a routine that already exists.
And if you want to get a little creative? Try a short podcast-style rundown of the most important things to know this day/week — something field workers can hit play on during a drive between sites or while loading up the truck. It doesn’t need to be super polished to be effective… trust me!
But of course before you completely overhaul anything, do some listening! Ask your field workers how they actually get information today. Not how you send it — how they receive it. You might find out there’s a group text going, or that the break room bulletin board/display screen gets more eyeballs than your intranet ever has. The cracks usually aren’t a messaging problem; they’re a mismatch between where you’re publishing and where people are actually looking.
