Survey: communicators feel valued but overworked, as leaders ramp up COVID-19 messaging

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began sending millions of employees home to work in March, internal communicators have expanded their efforts and are feeling more valued by their organizations – and more overworked, according to a new survey by Jack Goodman Communications.

Nearly 90 percent of respondents agree that the value of their work is being recognized, with one communications leader saying, “I’ve never been more popular [or] more busy,” and another indicating that “if there were doubters on the [executive] team, COVID-19 has shown the value of internal communications.” 

Doing more with the same (or fewer) resources

The single biggest change to how organizations are communicating with employees during COVID-19 is more frequent communications, cited by nearly half (49%) of all respondents. But this comes at a price. More than half (54%) are doing more with the same resources, while more than one-quarter (26%) have somewhat fewer resources; only 14% report an increase in resources to do their jobs.

Helping leaders step up their game

Organizations are using their senior leaders to drive more communications about COVID-19 and communicators are overwhelmingly positive about the transparency (100%) and frequency (97%) of these communications. Ninety-two percent believe their leaders are communicating effectively about the pandemic, with several respondents describing their leaders’ communications as more “humanized,” “personal,” and “authentic.”

Expanded communications toolkit

Communicators are using a wider array of vehicles to deliver messages (cited by 45%), including more video, both low- and high-quality; more text communications directly to mobile devices; and greater deployment of internal collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Yammer.

Working from home has limitations

In general, nearly all communicators (92%) believe they are working effectively from home. However, their most significant challenge is finding enough time to get work done, cited by more than half (51%) of respondents. An additional nine percent each cite balancing work and family needs, and maintaining their own morale as their biggest challenges.

Wish list: keeping up the good work

As communicators continue to adapt to the COVID-19 environment, there is a strong desire to sustain the positive changes they’ve put in place. Nearly one-third (30%) would like to continue the increased frequency and transparency of communications. Another 30% want their leaders to be more interactive, express genuine empathy and listen to employees’ concerns. More than one-quarter (26%) will maintain their use of multiple communications channels beyond email, including video and social media.

Where we’re headed

Three months into the pandemic, more than half of communicators (51%) have not yet reverted to business-as-usual communications practices. While more than one-third (34%) “somewhat agree” that they’re moving back to normal, one respondent is interested to see “how organizational cultures evolve to be more human following COVID-19 – as well as more focused on staff engagement.”

This snapshot of our colleagues shows that companies are successfully tapping their internal communications teams as a critical resource during this challenging period. Does this reflect what’s happening in your own organization? We’re interested in hearing your views and we will conduct a follow-up survey in the coming months to see how the needle has shifted yet again.

If you need support engaging with a newly remote workforce, we can help with strategic communications planning, message development, and leadership training: info@jackgoodman.com.  

A note on survey demographics:

The survey was conducted between May 11 and June 9, 2020. Nearly one-third of the respondents (29%) are communications vice presidents, senior directors or directors, while an additional one-third (31%) are senior managers or managers. More than two-thirds (69%) work in corporations, with the balance spread across agencies, non-profits and other organizations. More than one-third (34%) of the respondent organizations have more than 10,000 employees, while an additional one-third (31%) have between 1,000 and 10,000 employees; more than one-third (34%) have fewer than 1,000 employees.