Effectively communicating workplace culture is essential to fostering a cohesive and engaged workforce. A strong company culture gives employees a sense of purpose and belonging, aligning them with the organization’s values and mission. When culture is communicated clearly, it sets the tone for behavior, decision-making, and collaboration, helping employees understand not only what they do, but why it matters. It is pivotal for organizational success.
Culture communication is more than just a one-time message. It requires consistent and intentional effort. Leaders must regularly reinforce cultural values through clear, authentic communication across various channels, from newsletters and meetings to digital platforms. By making culture an integral part of the conversation, companies can create a workplace where employees feel connected, motivated, and committed to shared organizational goals.
According to Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, 77% of employees worldwide feel that they are either not engaged (62%) or actively disengaged (15%). This highlights the need to improve communication strategies to foster a stronger workplace culture.
The most recent of Gallup’s annual global workplace reports provides insight into the fact that many organizations didn’t start with high levels of employee engagement. Rather, building a highly engaged organization is usually a deliberate, multi-year effort driven by leadership.
The report also highlights the importance of company culture. Leaders who cultivate a strong and resilient culture within the workplace prioritize key elements that distinguish them from other organizations.
- They prioritize manager hiring and development because manager-employee relationships are a central factor and focus of employee engagement.
- They integrate engagement into each stage of the manager-employee life cycle. Engagement becomes a vital business strategy. They make it part of their company culture, integrating it into goal-setting and performance management.
- Wellbeing at work and in life in general also helps to improve employee engagement.
What is Communication Culture?
Let’s look more closely at communication culture before we examine its impact on organizational success.
Communication culture in the workplace refers to the set of shared practices, norms, and values that shape how individuals and teams communicate within an organization. It encompasses how information is shared, the tone and style of interactions, preferred communication channels, and the level of openness, transparency, and feedback. A strong communication culture promotes clarity, collaboration, and trust, ensuring that messages are effectively conveyed and understood across all levels of an organization.
Intercultural communication plays a vital role in shaping and enriching a communication culture, particularly in diverse and globalized organizations. It focuses on how people from different cultural backgrounds interact, emphasizing the need for awareness and sensitivity to varying communication styles, values, and norms. This type of communication is closely intertwined with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as it facilitates understanding and effective interaction among individuals from diverse backgrounds. It also promotes inclusivity, ensuring diverse voices are respected and equitably represented in communication.
When integrated into communication culture, intercultural communication helps create an environment where diverse perspectives are respected and understood, fostering inclusivity and collaboration. By recognizing and adapting to cultural differences, organizations can enhance clarity, reduce misunderstandings, and build a more cohesive, culturally aware workforce.
Impact of Internal Communication on Workplace Culture and Business Growth
A strong communication culture is closely tied to organizational success. Clear, open communication strengthens team relationships and reduces absenteeism, further driving productivity and fostering a healthy workplace.
Gallup collaborates annually with Workhuman, a multinational company renowned for pioneering the human workplace for more than 20 years. Workhuman’s primary focus is peer-to-peer recognition, which helps drive employee engagement, productivity, and retention.
The Gallup | Workhuman 2023 report, Empowering Workplace Culture Through Recognition, focuses strongly on workplace culture, digging into why it is so important. For example, it lists words that engaged employees and actively disengaged employees use to describe their workplace culture.
- Engaged employees use the words — caring, friendly, fun, integrity, innovative, inclusive, service, quality, professional
- Actively disengaged employees use vastly disparate words — toxic, disorganized, money, unorganized, stressful, profit, horrible, chaotic, fast-paced
Engaged employees become passionate brand advocates who strongly align with their company culture. Those who are actively disengaged are left in limbo, without a clear purpose or culture that unites employees.
“Disengagement rises, and organizations may soon find themselves with a ‘horrible’ culture that cripples morale and performance.
Gallup & Workhuman
Culture, as they put it “is the soul of an organization,” and communication is key.
Ultimately, effective communication is the backbone of a strong workplace culture, fostering trust, collaboration, and alignment with organizational values. Clear, consistent messaging helps employees feel informed, connected, and empowered to contribute meaningfully to the company’s goals, reinforcing a positive and engaged work environment.
Strong internal communication drives business growth by aligning employees with the company’s objectives, and improving efficiency and decision-making. This boosts productivity, innovation, and employee retention, directly impacting profitability and market strength. Additionally, clear communication reduces misunderstandings and accelerates the execution of strategies, supporting long-term growth and competitive advantage.
Here are some of the ways that culture communication drives business growth.
Employee Alignment
Good communication helps align employees with the company’s mission, goals, values, and company culture. This alignment enhances collaboration and ensures that everyone is working toward shared objectives.
Axios HQ’s The 2024 state of internal communications report includes leadership ratings of what they believe results directly to more effective communication. More than a third (36%) identified better alignment with culture and values. Slightly fewer (30%) said it leads to increased alignment with leadership vision.
Increased Productivity
When employees know their roles and the company’s objectives, they work more efficiently and make informed decisions. Additionally, effective communication ensures employees are aligned with organizational goals, boosting morale and efficiency. According to the Axios HQ report, 39% of leaders say a direct result of effective communication is greater team productivity.
Stronger Employee Engagement
Effective communication fosters a sense of belonging and motivation. It is also key to driving engagement. Close to half (45%) of leaders cited in the Axios HQ report say it results in better employee engagement.
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report highlights that employee engagement is a significant factor in “overall life experiences.”
“When organizations increase the number of engaged employees, they improve a host of organizational outcomes, including profit, retention rates, and customer service.”
Gallup
Employee Experience
Strong communication enhances the employee experience by ensuring that staff feel valued, informed, and supported. Furthermore, when employees feel connected to the culture, their experience improves significantly. This positive experience leads to greater job satisfaction and a stronger sense of belonging.
Gallup defines positive experiences as thriving and enjoyment and characterizes negative experiences as stress, anger, worry, sadness, and loneliness.
Employee Retention
Effective culture communication helps build loyalty and trust, reducing turnover as employees are more likely to stay with a company that fosters transparency and engagement. It is also true to say that when employees feel informed and valued, they are more likely to stay. Strong communication reinforces a sense of belonging, directly contributing to improved employee retention by fostering long-term commitment to the organization.
Workplace Collaboration
Open communication encourages idea-sharing and collaboration, driving creativity and business innovation. Focusing on workplace collaboration ensures that employees can easily share ideas and work together on common goals. Putting it in numbers, the Axios HQ report states that 42% of leaders believe effective internal communication results in stronger teamwork and collaboration.
A case study featured in McKinsey & Company’s Diversity Matters Even More, November 2023 edition, tells what Air New Zealand has been doing with employee networks and collaboration. According to the airline’s Chief People Officer, Nikki Dines, ethnic inclusion remains a challenge, particularly in upper and middle management. To counteract this, Air NZ partnered with a community organization on a program designed to build leadership capability, stressing cultural confidence and providing space to discuss identity.
“Programs like this are growing empathy and understanding, and are helping to shift our culture.”
Nikki Dines
Brand Ambassadorship
Employees aligned with the company’s culture become natural brand ambassadors, sharing positive messages and boosting the company’s reputation externally. It stands to reason that when internal communication is clear and transparent, employees will feel proud to represent the company, improving both internal and external brand perception.
Safety and Compliance
Clear communication also plays a crucial role in safety and compliance. Organizations with good communication practices see a major decrease in safety incidents. Open communication ensures that employees are well-informed about safety protocols and compliance requirements, reducing risks and ensuring adherence to regulations.
Change Management
During periods of organizational change, effective communication is essential to minimize disruptions. Keeping employees informed reduces uncertainty and helps guide them through transitions.
Strong change communication ensures that employees understand the reasons for change, the expected outcomes, and their role in the process, fostering a smoother adaptation and greater acceptance. Effective change communication also builds trust, making it easier for employees to remain engaged and aligned with new organizational goals.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
A well-informed, engaged workforce is better equipped to deliver superior customer service, driving growth.
12 Strategies to Positively Communicate Culture in the Workplace
Effective communication in the workplace goes beyond simply delivering information. As you have seen, it involves creating an environment where ideas, feedback, and collaboration are encouraged. Organizations can enhance employee engagement, strengthen relationships, and build a positive workplace and company culture by fostering open dialogue and promoting inclusive communication practices.
Here are our top 12 strategy-based tips on how to effectively communicate culture to your employees. They include strategies suggested in the Empowering Workplace Culture Through Recognition report mentioned earlier.
#1 Establish Workplace Culture Goals and Values
Start by setting clear culture goals that align with the overall business strategy. This provides a foundation for all communication and ensures that employees understand the company’s cultural expectations about company objectives.
“While your organization’s mission statement and long-term goals may help to describe what your organization does and why, your culture determines how it’s done.”
Gallup & Workhuman
#2 Eliminate One-Way Communication and Involve Leadership
Move away from top-down messaging and encourage two-way conversations. This promotes transparency and ensures employees feel heard, creating a more inclusive environment. Two-way communication fosters mutual respect and helps build trust between leadership and employees, making employees feel more valued and engaged.
Leadership involvement in communication is also critical. Leaders should set the tone by modeling transparent and respectful communication, demonstrating that it’s an essential aspect of the company’s culture. Employees are more likely to embrace cultural values when they see leaders actively practicing what they preach.
Remember that communication is not only about the flow of information but also about active engagement and setting a strong example from the top.
#3 Promote Peer-to-Peer Communication
Fostering a culture where employees collaborate enhances teamwork and innovation. Open peer communication leads to better problem-solving and collective ownership. By encouraging peer interaction, organizations build a collaborative culture where knowledge and ideas are shared freely.
Encouraging employees to collaborate and communicate with each other enhances teamwork, problem-solving, and innovation.
#4 Ensure Transparency
Honest and open communication builds trust within the workforce. Sharing both successes and challenges helps foster a sense of accountability and strengthens the organization’s core values. Transparency also encourages employees to voice concerns openly, knowing that honesty is a key part of the company’s communication culture.
#5 Use Recognition to Reflect Your Workplace Culture
Recognition should reinforce the company’s cultural goals and values. By celebrating actions and behaviors that align with cultural goals, organizations can embed these values deeper into the workforce.
As the Gallup & Workhuman report states, once you have established the culture that you want to create, it is essential to communicate it clearly throughout the organization and generate buy-in. Recognition bridges the goals for your culture from being ideals to becoming tangible behaviors.
“Employees who say their recognition program is aligned with the values of their organization are 4.9 times as likely to strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work compared with employees who indicate their recognition program is not aligned with the values of their organization.”
Gallup & Workhuman
#6 Balance Formal and Informal Communication
Maintaining a balance between corporate and casual communication allows employees to engage meaningfully. Formal settings can clarify objectives, while informal channels encourage creativity and personal connection. This balance helps employees feel comfortable in both professional and casual exchanges, enhancing overall communication.
Using different types of internal communication, such as formal emails and reports alongside casual chats or instant messaging, ensures that communication is both structured and flexible, catering to various employee needs.
#7 Use Technology Effectively
Technology like employee communication software, instant messaging, collaboration platforms, and employee portals can streamline communication. These tools make it easier to distribute important updates and foster daily interactions.
By leveraging different types of internal communication technologies, organizations can ensure that messages are delivered quickly, reaching the right people at the right time. Personalization capabilities, which allow tailored messaging to specific teams or individuals, further enhance communication by making it more relevant and engaging. This is a feature that significantly boosts employee satisfaction and connection to company culture and the company’s goals.
#8 Prioritize Relevance
To avoid overwhelming employees, ensure that communication is targeted and relevant. Providing the right information to the right audience increases engagement and prevents burnout. Tailoring messages based on employee roles, departments, or interests keeps communication focused and impactful.
#9 Elevate Feedback and Recognition Between Peers
Regular feedback and recognition among peers strengthen engagement and foster a supportive and inclusive work environment. Continuous feedback loops provide employees with the opportunity to express concerns and share ideas, ensuring their voices are heard. Consistent feedback sessions help employees feel appreciated and can reveal valuable insights that drive growth and innovation.
While feedback from managers is considered the norm, it doesn’t necessarily happen often. According to the 2024 Gallup & Human report, The Human-Centered Workplace: Building Organizational Cultures That Thrive, recognition already happens more often between peers than from manager or leader to employee. It states that 46% of employees say they receive recognition from a peer at least a few times a month, while only 38% say they receive recognition from a manager in their organization that often. The report also highlights the effectiveness of elevating feedback and recognition through personalization.
#10 Evaluate and Refine Your Recognition Strategy
Make recognition a dynamic part of culture communication by regularly reviewing its effectiveness. Continuously evolving your recognition strategy ensures it stays relevant and impactful as the workforce and culture change.
“Consistent, thoughtful evaluation of how your recognition is being directed is essential to building a culture that is robust and faithful to what you strive to create. Your leaders must ensure that their recognition is not only aligned with your organization’s culture goals but that it is aimed in the right direction for all employees.”
Gallup & Workhuman
#11 Recognize and Reward Good Communication Practices
Recognition motivates employees to maintain strong communication habits. Celebrating effective communication fosters a culture of openness and continual improvement. Publicly acknowledging those who exemplify excellent communication reinforces its importance within the company culture.
#12 Adapt Communication to Changing Needs
A dynamic communication strategy is essential as workplace needs evolve. Organizations should stay agile and adjust communication styles to meet the diverse demands of their workforce. By staying flexible, companies can ensure that their messaging remains relevant and resonates with employees as the business and workforce grow.
How Cerkl Broadcast Enhances Workplace Communication
Cerkl Broadcast streamlines internal communication with personalized, targeted messaging through its Audience Manager. This ensures that employees constantly receive relevant content. The mobile-friendly Broadcast platform allows easy access to information from any device, keeping teams connected on the go.
With advanced engagement analytics, organizations can track employee interaction, measure communication effectiveness, and continuously refine their strategies. Additionally, Cerkl’s new Blast Translations feature enables seamless communication across language barriers, making it easier for global teams to stay informed.
Overall, Cerkl Broadcast provides a comprehensive, data-driven solution that enhances communication and improves the employee experience.
What’s Next
The ability to effectively communicate culture is a crucially important part of any internal communication plan. Of course, it should also focus on employee engagement and the many other elements we have discussed in this post.
The question is, How effective is your internal communication strategy? There is always room for improvement, and you are welcome to download our white paper, The Importance of Internal Communication, for ideas and inspiration. It’s free, and you can access it right now.
FAQ
We communicate culture by consistently reinforcing the organization’s values, goals, and expectations through clear, transparent, and inclusive messaging. This can be achieved through various channels, including leadership involvement, regular updates, peer recognition, and open dialogue that aligns employees with the company’s cultural vision.
A positive communication culture is one where open, respectful, and transparent dialogue is encouraged, fostering mutual trust and collaboration across all levels of the organization. It supports an environment where feedback is welcomed, employees feel heard, and communication is used to reinforce shared values and goals.
Culture in communication strengthens employee alignment with the company’s values, improving engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction. It also promotes transparency and trust, which enhance collaboration, innovation, and overall business success.
