Member spotlight Alex Gapud

Making work better: my role in internal communication

I’m a workplace anthropologist on a mission to make work not suck for people because many of us recognise the fact that work is killing us, whether that’s through burnout, struggles with mental health and wellbeing, work-life balance, overwork and the inability to switch off, or the toll work takes on our relationships and family life. Against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis, there’s a growing sense that hard work isn’t paying off like we were promised it would.

My role sits at the intersection of anthropology and internal communication. As a trained social researcher, I’m not ‘native’ to the IC profession, but I support IC practitioners by designing, conducting and interpreting qualitative and ethnographic research on a range of topics - from detailed IC audits and organisational culture to employee experience, diversity and inclusion, and employer value propositions.

Anthropology offers a distinctive lens for understanding how people actually experience work, and it often challenges the conventional, commercially driven narratives that dominate organisational life. I believe numbers have faces and statistics have stories, and that unlocking lived human experience is essential to improving how organisations communicate and function.

To my knowledge, I’m the only workplace anthropologist with a PhD working within the UK’s IC community, and I’m keen to serve as a resource to IOIC members - whether through big-picture thinking, or through training, workshops and research projects that help teams deepen their understanding of their people.

Membership of the IOIC has played a valuable role in supporting this work. It’s given me the opportunity to meet and learn from like-minded peers who are wrestling with similar questions about how to make work better. The community has been an important source of inspiration, knowledge sharing and connection, and I’ve really enjoyed attending the IOIC Festival and contributing to webinars, forums, and IOIC Voice over the years.

Although I didn’t come through a traditional IC background, my previous consultancy focused on IC solutions, and a secondment with the Employee Communications and Experience team at Visa Europe gave me hands-on experience of the day-to-day realities of intranets, newsletters and internal channels - grounding my research expertise in practical IC delivery.

Finding a home in IC: what drew me to the profession

Like many people in the internal communications community, I found my way into IC almost by accident, coming from an anthropology background. Although I loved and thrived in academia, the early-career academic path is an incredibly unstable one if you want to build roots somewhere, so moving into consulting felt like the right step.

I then had the opportunity to join an IC-focused consultancy, bringing my research skills and understanding of culture into the mix and it’s been quite a journey ever since.

What I enjoy most about IC is its ability to create genuine connection within an organisation, particularly when we move beyond broadcast-mode communication. IC has a strong heritage of listening to employees, amplifying their perspectives and acting as their advocates, and I believe there’s a real opportunity to continue strengthening that tradition.

Community, connection and career growth: the value of IOIC membership

As a consultant who came into internal communication from outside the profession, IOIC membership has been invaluable for helping me understand the IC landscape - the challenges practitioners face, the conversations shaping the field, and what’s on people’s minds.

It has also been a fantastic way to meet others, expand my network, and find inspiration from like-minded peers. Trying to bring positive change to the world of work can sometimes feel lonely, and it’s easy to become cynical, but connecting with the friends I’ve made through the IOIC has been genuinely life-giving. The sense of community has made a real difference to both my professional development and my own motivation.

Giving people a voice: a career achievement I'm proud of

I’m proudest of the moments where I’ve helped employees feel genuinely seen and heard. Building trust and creating safe spaces for people to speak openly about their real experiences is incredibly powerful. A few instances stand out - from giving an overlooked group a voice in an EVP research project to using ethnography to surface honest insights from an IC team about their challenges, helping them improve their ways of working.

Perhaps the most meaningful moment occurred during a DEI focus group, when a fellow Asian-American man paused and stopped giving the ‘correct’ answers. He shared that our session was the first time he felt truly seen, heard, and able to speak candidly about the microaggressions and frustrations he faced in his organisation and that the person listening understood and cared. That experience has stayed with me as a reminder of why my work matters and the difference the approach I take can make.

My advice for those starting out in internal communication

Join the IOIC and get stuck in! There are so many amazing people in the community, and there’s so much to learn and many ways to grow and develop your skillset beyond your day-to-day responsibilities.

A fun fact about me

I’ve made a few media appearances over the years; in VICE Magazine, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar but most people don’t know I once appeared on BBC Two as part of a TV miniseries. It followed the process of forming a University Challenge team, and I featured as the University of Edinburgh’s captain during the first year of my PhD.

We didn’t make it to the main show or meet Paxman, but we did take part in the accompanying documentary about putting your university team together and auditioning for the big stage.