I’m studying how HR and internal communication shape culture together.
I believe the best people strategies are rooted in a symbiotic partnership with internal communications, and that belief has recently guided my transition back to the classroom. I’m currently studying for an MSc in Human Resource Management at Leeds Beckett University, where I’m exploring the strategic link between HR and internal communications, and its ability to shape organisational culture. I’ve worked within that relationship for the past 10 years, most recently at a US-based marketing and communications agency, where I led employee engagement initiatives and HR communications for nearly 400 employees nationwide. In that role, I developed programmes to support team members, as well as the strategies to best reach them, from learning and development to voice of the employee pulses and various wellbeing experiences.
People strategies work best when employees understand them and can see how they connect to the wider business vision, and that’s why I’ve joined the IOIC. The Institute is leading the critical conversations around the challenges and opportunities internal communicators face today, in addition to those still to come. As I progress through my HR studies, IOIC membership keeps communications front and centre. It will also help me to continue building future HR experiences that reach employees in ways that resonate.
I’m drawn to the culture that communication helps build.
My career started in public relations, but I’ve always been drawn to an organisation’s internal culture. Neil Mortine, an industry veteran and longtime mentor of mine, once said that “a great culture attracts the best people, and the best people attract the best clients.” That idea has stayed with me because culture grows when people trust the organisation, understand what’s happening within it and feel able to do their best work. Much of that trust and understanding starts with communication.
Internal communications is where that transparency gets built each day. It’s about connecting the dots and bringing stakeholders along on the journey, so employees feel informed and tied to the organisation’s broader mission. What I enjoy most is seeing it land, often in survey results, in focus groups, even in hallway conversations. Those moments show we’re reaching teams in the ways that matter most, and that’s what makes the work worth doing.
IOIC membership is already supporting my development.
Although I’m a recent member, the IOIC is already supporting my development in meaningful ways. In the past month, I’ve taken part in conversations on psychological safety and employee voice, which are two topics that also sit within the wider HR practice. Another discussion explored introversion and extroversion in the workplace, which is a nuance that matters for HR practitioners trying to reach employees well.
Over the next year, my priority is to keep internal communications at the foundation of my MSc studies, and the IOIC is supporting that goal. Its focus on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) matches the emphasis I see throughout my studies, as well as in my membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Between them both, they keep HR and internal communications linked in my learning, and I’m looking forward to hearing from other IOIC members about how these two areas are shaping practice in their own organisations.
One project I'm most proud of.
Learning and development (L&D) has long been a passion of mine because it shapes so much of the employee experience. In my most recent role, I had the privilege of launching the agency’s first L&D academy for nearly 400 employees across multiple offices and time zones. Although it was an HR initiative, an internal communications strategy helped ensure the academy would reach team members in ways that best supported them.
Employee surveys shaped our initial planning, and leadership focus groups helped us align those insights with learning priorities. The communications then rolled out in stages. We used teaser communications to preview what was coming, and department meeting drop-ins tied the launch to each team’s needs. An All-Hands announcement then debuted the programme and pointed employees towards a centralised intranet hub, where they could register for live sessions or watch content on demand.
The launch moved both employee and business goals forward. In post-session feedback, employees rated the academy 4.7 out of 5 when asked how likely they were to recommend it, and several reported that what they learned in the inaugural session contributed to seven new business wins for the agency. What I’m most proud of, however, is what the launch showed, which is what becomes possible for the employee experience when HR and internal communications work as one.
My advice to someone just starting out in the internal communication profession.
There are many corners of internal communications, but before you start exploring them, spend some time on “your why”, a concept popularised by author Simon Sinek. What attracts you to this type of work? For me, it’s the consistent opportunity to influence and shape the employee experience and, ultimately, the human experience. Internal communications is often about engaging people, and knowing “your why” can help inform your practice so it lands with your audience in the right ways.
When you’re ready to explore, the IOIC’s CPD member resources are a great place to start. They span a wide range of the profession, which makes it easy for new communicators to find what resonates most.
