Our latest member spotlight is on Jamie Angus. Senior Internal Communications Manager at the Health Foundation, Jamie talks career turning points, championing mental health in the workplace and what IOIC membership has meant for his professional development.
I’ve spent the past (nearly) four years as the Senior Internal Communications Manager at the Health Foundation.
We’re an independent charitable organisation working to build a healthier UK. As one of the largest independent charitable foundations in the UK, we provide research, analysis and grant funding to improve health and health care. We spend around £50m a year on our work to improve policy and enable systemic change in pursuit of our mission to build a healthier UK.
And it means I get to work with a bunch of super-smart, super-passionate people to try and influence improvements to the nation’s health. My role is to try and connect the organisation by using our channels and our internal comms expertise to tell our story, making sure people understand and feel part of what it is we’re here to do.
The IOIC has always been (and continues to be) a great resource for internal communicators from any sector. I don’t think there’s a strategy I’ve built in my career which isn’t littered with IOIC references in the footnotes. I’d especially recommend the annual IC Index reports – they’re brilliant in helping to understand what’s going in the profession and the wider workplace trends.
How I fell into internal communication and never looked back
Internal comms is one of those weird professions where I can’t imagine many people have ever sat with a careers advisor at school and gone ‘Internal Communication – that sounds like the career for me’. My two young sons very much still harbour aspirations of being astronauts, fire fighters or Transformers. I mentioned that Daddy does fire-fighting at work on a regular basis but they just looked at me strangely and carried on watching Hey Duggee!
Like most practitioners, I started out in a broader comms role, which had a bit of internal comms as an add-on. But then, over time, I realised that this was the part of the job that gave me the most energy and the most fulfilment. So, I focussed my specialism on internal comms, but took with me the broader transferable comms skills, which I think have set me up for success.
What IOIC membership has meant for my development
I’ve met so many talented internal communicators through the IOIC. It’s genuinely a great network to be part of. I’ve also been lucky enough to be supported by managers and organisations to build my own skills through the comprehensive training and CPD offering from the IOIC. Whether it’s navigating change, storytelling, measurement and evaluation, EDI – the IOIC offers a great package of development for internal communicators, wherever you are in your career journey.
The career moments I'm most proud of
The relationship between internal comms and employee engagement remains hotly contested. But I think it really depends on which organisation you’re part of.
Helping organisations to be great places to work is a real passion of mine. Playing a leading role in helping past organisations to enter The Sunday Times Top 100 places to work lists (2013, 2014, 2019 and 2021) are stand-out achievements for me as I look back over my career.
But I’m also proud of the work I’ve done around mental health in the workplace too. I’m quite open about anxiety (with a healthy dollop of imposter syndrome thrown in for good measure) so campaigns around mental health and normalising discussions around that topic are also legacies I’m proud of.
And there have been a few awards thrown in along the way. Bagging an IOIC award for our employee magazine at Carillion (for those who remember them - that didn’t end well!) but we did do a really great magazine, and I’m really proud of that.
My advice to anyone starting out in internal communication
Follow your values. Find an organisation, or a cause that inspires you. It doesn’t matter what drives you; it could be social justice, financial reward, career progression - just try and match what you’re passionate about with the work that you do.
But also approach what you do with a healthy dose of pragmatism. Internal comms has a fascinating role within an organisation. It’s often said we need to be the moral compass of an organisation and that means you need to build trust and credibility both with leaders and colleagues from across all levels of your organisation. And that’s often a really tricky place to be, especially when things go wrong. You can’t always ‘win’ you often have to use your skills and influence to find a compromise. So deploy pragmatism when you have to, small steps forward are more important than you realise.
A fun fact about me
As I was approaching 30, I decided to set myself a ‘30 things to do before I’m 30’ challenge. One of those included the very broad aim of ‘being on TV’. That’s how I found myself on the set of ITV’s Tipping Point with Ben Sheppard. Having mastered the art of the 2p and 10p slot machines as a kid on summer holidays, how hard could it be? I went out in the first round.
Our latest member spotlight features Dr Alex Gapud, who brings anthropology into the heart of internal communication. Discover his unique take on the profession.
Our latest member spotlight is on Michelle Atkinson, Communications and Engagement Manager (Internal) at Durhham University. From a placement year at British Aerospace to leading internal communications at Durham University, IC has always been where her heart is. She shares how IOIC membership supports her work, the project she's most proud of, and why curiosity is the best career advice she can give.
Our latest member spotlight is on Carly Stevens. She fell into IC by chance and has never looked back. She shares how the IOIC Level Advanced Diploma helped her achieve her career ambitions and why getting the basics right is the best advice she can give anyone starting out.
Our latest member spotlight is on Sarah Wood. She stumbled across an internal communications job posting with no idea what it meant and never looked back. In this member spotlight, she shares how IOIC membership has shaped her career, what she loves most about working with people at every level, and why she thinks IC is one of the best career paths out there.
The UK's leading annual research into internal communication. This year, the findings are a reality check. Based on a survey of 5,000 UK employees in organisations with 500 or more employees, conducted in partnership with Ipsos Karian and Box.
In this new episode of the Future of Internal Communicaiton Podcast, digital employee experience consultant Suzie Robinson shares her experience of working with intranets and her predictions for how AI will transform the workplace in the coming years.
