In the latest episode of Inside Voice, the series that explores topics that matter inside workplaces, Debbie West brings a panel together to talk about the role of internal communications and employee experience in organisational change.
Her guests were:
1/ Jason Bloomfield, Global Head of People Change and Experience Design, Ericsson
2/ Adrienne Cohen, Change, Culture and Employee Experience Specialist
3/ Nadine Dixon, Internal and Change Communications Specialist in Financial Services
In this episode of the c-suite podcast, part of the Inside Voice series, Debbie West hosts a discussion about the role of internal communications and employee experience in organisational change. She is joined by three experts: Jason Bloomfield, Global Head of People Change and Experience Design at Ericsson; Adrienne Cohen, Change, Culture and Employee Experience Specialist; and Nadine Dixon, Internal and Change Communications Specialist in Financial Services. Together, they explore the importance of effective communication during times of change, the strategies that help achieve sustainable outcomes, and the potential pitfalls to avoid.
Nadine kicks off the conversation by emphasising the critical role internal communications play in successful change. Drawing on her 15 years of experience, she compares change to a healthy sandwich, where internal communications serve as the top slice of sourdough and employee engagement as the bottom. She explains that without clear communication at every stage of a change process, from business or tech transformations to smaller initiatives, employees will be uninformed and disengaged, leading to failure. Nadine also shares a personal story about how poor communications during a redundancy process not only impacted those leaving but also affected those who remained, leading to low morale and decreased productivity.
Jason adds his perspective from a global organisation’s viewpoint, highlighting the importance of not only communicating the what of change but also the why. At Ericsson, with 100,000 employees across 180 countries, he stresses that understanding the reasoning behind a change is vital for employees to embrace and adopt it. He advocates for early co-creation in the communications process, ensuring that messaging is clear, simple, and resonates with employees, thus mitigating the risks of resistance later in the transformation.
Adrienne underscores that successful communication is about people, not just processes. She agrees with Jason’s point about the importance of explaining the why, but also stresses the need for tailoring the communication approach to different individuals and groups, acknowledging that one size does not fit all. For her, the challenge lies in balancing the what, why, and how, and aligning communications with the overall strategy from the outset to avoid confusion and miscommunication down the line.
When it comes to the optimal timing for involving communications professionals, Nadine argues that they should be brought in at the very beginning of a change process, not as an afterthought. She believes that chief communications officers should have a seat at the table, helping to shape the strategy and ensuring that communications are integrated into every phase of a change project. This proactive involvement helps to guide the narrative, understand employee sentiment, and align messaging throughout the process.
Jason echoes Nadine’s view, cautioning against a traditional approach where communications professionals are seen as merely tactical supporters. Instead, he suggests that communications should be driven by the recipient’s needs, focusing on the value proposition for the employee rather than the sender’s perspective. He believes that clear, recipient-focused communications help manage the cognitive load of employees and ensure that messages land effectively.
The discussion also touches on leadership visibility during times of change. Nadine stresses that leaders should not hide away during sensitive periods but should be seen and heard, reinforcing trust and transparency with employees. Jason agrees, noting that in the absence of a narrative, employees will create their own stories, often leading to unnecessary anxiety and confusion. Consistent communication, even when there is no new information, is key to preventing speculation and maintaining trust.
Adrienne then addresses the challenge of balancing transparency with confidentiality during sensitive change stages. She highlights the importance of building trust with employees by being honest about what is known, when it can be shared, and why certain details are withheld. Clear and consistent messaging, along with a single source of truth, ensures that employees have access to reliable information and helps to maintain trust throughout the change process.
Further, Debbie posed a challenging question to Jason regarding the practicality of involving employees in change processes within large organisations. She acknowledged the theory that people should be more engaged in change initiatives, particularly through co-creation, a concept that Jason had mentioned earlier in the conversation. Jason quickly clarified that while the concept may sound simple, it is far from easy. However, he stressed that despite the complexities, the process of engaging employees is essential for driving meaningful transformation within an organisation. He emphasised that the value of the effort lies in its ability to bring about real change, which is what makes the challenge worthwhile.
Jason explained that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to engaging employees, as each situation may require a tailored solution. For example, different strategies might be needed when handling a merger or acquisition, when making difficult decisions such as headcount reductions, or when introducing new capabilities in response to customer or employee demands. Regardless of the situation, he highlighted the importance of having a toolkit of methods that can be applied across different scenarios, allowing for flexibility in how engagement is approached. Drawing from his experience at Ericsson, Jason shared that when he joined the company, there was a strong understanding of customer experience but less so for employee experience. The company was receiving negative feedback about its global employee tools, so Jason and his team set out to address these issues by involving the employees directly in the process.
Jason described how they created a feedback loop to better understand the needs and experiences of employees, even with zero budget. They identified key archetypes or roles who were most reliant on the tools and engaged them in meaningful conversations about their daily experiences, challenges, and aspirations. By doing so, they could translate this valuable insight into action. Jason coined the phrase “Your voice, our action” to capture this process, emphasising the importance of not making changes for the sake of it but rather acting on real feedback. He pointed out that this approach helped build a sense of trust between employees and leadership, moving away from the traditional “us versus them” mentality. Instead, employees felt they were working shoulder to shoulder with leaders to improve processes, which fostered a sense of ownership and a deeper connection to the changes being implemented.
The use of qualitative feedback, or sentiment, alongside quantitative data, also played a crucial role in refining the change process. Jason highlighted how this combination provided a fuller picture of the challenges employees were facing. The team at Ericsson regularly conducted anonymous surveys across a broad range of employees, including those from different seniority levels and geographic locations, to gather both qualitative and quantitative insights. This ensured that the feedback was as unbiased as possible and allowed employees to share their honest opinions without fear of repercussions. By combining this feedback with clear communication about the actions taken in response, the company was able to create a reciprocal value system, where employees could see that their feedback was being heard and acted upon. Jason shared an example of how this feedback loop helped turn around the sentiment around a tool that initially had a very negative net promoter score. Through consistent iteration and prioritising employee concerns, the tool’s score improved dramatically, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach.
Later in the conversation, Debbie asked Adrienne about how to handle resistance to change and the role of misinformation or rumours within organisations. Adrienne suggested that understanding the historical context of change within an organisation is key to managing resistance effectively. She noted that people’s emotions and memories from previous change initiatives could influence their reactions to current efforts. To counteract this, she advised that organisations provide timely, open, and transparent information, particularly through middle management, who are often the first point of contact for employees. She also acknowledged that resistance to change is inevitable and that not everyone would be on board with every initiative. The focus, therefore, should be on making the change process as positive as possible for the majority, so that negative voices do not dominate the narrative.
Nadine shared her thoughts on the importance of embracing colleagues within the organisation, particularly early adopters who can become champions of change. She argued that involving these individuals early on and empowering them to advocate for the change among their peers can help build trust and confidence in the process. The idea is that employees are more likely to adopt change when they see that colleagues they trust are already onboard and supporting the initiative. Nadine echoed Adrienne’s point about the importance of internal communications in change processes, especially in tech transformations.
As the discussion drew to a close, Debbie asked all three panellists about the trends and key learning points that would shape the future of change communications. Jason pointed to the rise of AI, joking that it had become a buzzword, but noting that AI could be used to amplify empathy within organisations. He explained that by using AI to test messaging and simulate different responses from employees, organisations could better understand how to approach change and anticipate potential objections. Adrienne agreed that AI would play a critical role, but she also stressed the importance of treating employees with the same focus and care as customers. She cited research showing that many employees feel they receive better experiences as customers than as workers, and warned that improving the internal employee experience should become a top priority. Nadine concluded by reflecting on the rise of internal communications, particularly during the pandemic, and expressed hope that this trend would continue. She stressed the increasing importance of employee-focused communications, with senior leaders recognising the value of internal comms professionals in supporting organisational change.
The conversation ended on a positive note, with the panellists highlighting the potential for change leaders to continue evolving and embracing new trends, particularly in the areas of AI, employee experience, and internal communications.
