Let’s make comms work better for people

“I came into work today to 73 emails, 18 Teams messages, 7 Viva Engage notifications and a dozen WhatsApps — what do you want me to check first?!”

Someone said this in a focus group a few years back and it’s always stuck with me. Not just because it made me chuckle thinking about the chaos that starts the second you open your laptop, but because it’s genuinely how many of us experience work.

In internal comms, what we do plays a big part of the employee experience. And we need to protect people's sanity and give them their headspace back. That means reducing unnecessary notifications. Clarifying where the important info lives. And making sure messages are worth the time they take to read.

Here’s how you can do it

• Audit your internal comms.
  Map out what’s working and what’s not. Ask people what they actually need, what they could do with less of, and where comms genuinely helps them get work done.
  

• Give each channel a purpose.
  Be clear about the why behind each channel. Is Teams for collaboration? Is email for change information? Help people know where to look for what.
  

• Create rhythm, not randomness.
  Instead of constant pings, build a steady, predictable beat so people know when to expect key messages.
  

• Get to the point!
  Make the key point obvious at first glance, with extra context just a click away for those who want to dive deeper.
  

• Be the hero we all need.
  Ask yourself, does this comms truly add value? Sometimes the HARDEST and most effective decision to make is to say no. No one will thank you for it now, but they’ll soon feel the difference when the messages that do land actually matter.

I dread to ask what the most amount of emails you've ever received in a day is. But I do wonder where that guy is now. I hope someone showed him how to mute those Whatsapp groups!