2022: it’s a wrap, folks!
2022, nearly done. Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Maybe. It’s not even Christmas yet. But the end of the year is always a good time to reflect and, so, with our mince pies and mulled wine at the ready, we thought we’d take a moment to look back at 2022: what we predicted would happen, what actually happened and where we think 2023 is heading as a result.
Flick back through the calendar and it’s crazy how much has changed in a year. Last December the omicron variant was everywhere. Mask wearing was mandatory in indoor public spaces, so was self-isolating and the government was yet to lift its recommendation that people worked from home where they could. But there were glimmers of hope on the horizon, with talk of all restrictions being lifted early in 2022 and a general feeling that maybe, fingers crossed, we were past the worst. All of which meant that when we made our predictions for 2022 we were hoping for a year of adjustment, that the ‘new normal’ of hybrid working would be here to stay and we’d all be busy figuring out how to ensure it was a success. Specifically, we said the job for Internal Comms Managers this year would be to:
· Convince leaders not yet on board that hybrid working was the future
And:
· Make comms more personal, with a focus on employee mental health.
Now, whether you did organise more walking meetings or start offering yoga and meditation classes we don’t know (although we certainly hope some of you did!). What we do know from our clients and the various conferences we’ve been so pleased to return to in person this year, is that 2022 has been a year of not just adjusting but re-adjusting. Helping your businesses and employees accept that some things have changed forever but that in a lot of ways it’s good to be back, to be in the office again, to reconnect – in person – with colleagues.
We know navigating that shift has been more difficult for some than others and, along with HR, in-house Internal Comms teams have rightly recognised it as their role to ease that transition, so we’ve seen more clients coming to us wanting a greater understanding of their colleagues’ wants and needs. Nothing has screamed this more than the sheer number of internal comms audits we’ve been asked to do this year, with people wanting to make sure their communication cuts through the noise and really resonates with colleagues. It also means a lot of the things we’ve started seeing in 2022, which won’t be new to anyone in internal comms, will continue to be pushed forward in 2023. Things like:
· Meeting in person where possible and, when it’s not, ensuring the technology used is equipped for collaborative working.
· Giving employees a genuine voice. No more ‘talking to the hand,’ asking for feedback but not acting on it, it’s all about involving employees in the process. Whether that’s helping to decide your company’s values or asking them about their onboarding experience in order to improve it for future joiners – we listen, we act.
· Simplifying the language and connecting better. Changing the mindset that says you’ve got to use formal business language or corporate jargon and thinking – and therefore speaking – like your audience. It’s all about fostering that emotional connection with staff, something being recognised more and more as an important factor in employee happiness.
· Cheerleading all the good happening in the business, big or small. Internal Comms as motivators and inspirers in-chief, reminding people there is joy to be had at work and sharing that joy so everyone has something to be cheerful about.
· Being more judicious when it comes to the timing and quantity of communications. People have never been busier and information overload is a problem, so we all need to recognise that sometimes in communications, less is more.
And all of the above will help us focus on a 2022 point that we’ll continue to push through 2023: the need to make comms more personal. People are still fatigued by all that we’ve had, and continue, to face. Human-centred communication is more important that ever before, and we’ll be reminding you of that in the New Year.
Just remember, if the above feels daunting, we’re here if you need us in 2023. But now we’ve been all reflective we’re going to wrap it up. We’ve still got tonnes to do before we break for Christmas: work projects to wrap up, presents to wrap up and because it’s been so chilly lately we’ll be doing all of that while wrapped up warm. So this, folks, really is a wrap.
Ps. We sincerely apologise for our overuse of the word wrap. Something about the time of year must have got to us. Just be glad we weren’t trying to rap this out too.
