Internal communications is one of the most important tools for keeping your workforce engaged, productive, and motivated. However, your internal communication doesn’t have to be limited to regular corporate messaging, events, or company news. In fact, by spicing up your employee comms with some light-hearted material like entertainment news or local sports content, you can help keep your workforce engaged by your communications and not find them lackluster. In this article we’ll share some simple ideas for spicing up your employee communications that we gathered from working with some leading creative stakeholders in the internal comms space. 
Company Trivia Trivia is a great way to stimulate the brain and have a bit of fun. Hence, it’s no wonder many internal comms leaders are integrating some kind of fun facts or trivia into their communications platforms. Using a simple question/answer template, you can display trivia questions for a set time, followed by their relative answers. Many corporations like to keep their trivia questions focused on their company/industry. However, to keep things interesting, we also suggest including questions related to your employees’ interests such as entertainment, history, local sports, etc. This kind of content, while seemingly simple, is a great way to keep your staff motivated and help them enjoy their internal communications, rather than just having them expect normal company messages. Movie Clips and Quotes Another great way to help your employees maintain that good mood throughout their day is to incorporate some fun movie quotes or clips to liven up their day. Any kind of content that helps your employees crack a smile and lightens their mood is ideal for your internal communications. Simply integrating some quotes, gifs, or clips from some relatable movies/television shows is a great way to give your staff a break from the hustle and bustle of the office. Remember, a happy workforce is a productive one, and you’d be surprised how a few great clips from The Office can help keep your workforce entertained and happy. Local Events Sharing exciting information about local events with your employers is a great way to show them that you care about more than just having them work for you. Try to get your internal communications team to find a good, reliable source about local events and share that information via your comms platform. Whether it be local community events, music festivals, or even the opening of a new restaurant or pub, sharing simple information on these kinds of events encourages your employees to have a healthy life outside of the office. If you’re worried about interrupting the focus of your workforce, consider setting this content for specific times or days (like after 3pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, for example). You’ll be surprised how content like this will get your staff looking and paying more attention to your content, which in turn helps your other brand messaging and company news get noticed too. Highlight Peer-To-Peer Recognition Programs Peer-to-peer recognition programs can be extremely rewarding. If your company runs one of these programs (or something similar) make sure to feature it in your internal communications content. Employees are always surprised and delighted when they notice that another employee took the time to submit a nice compliment about them. There is usually a domino affect, where the receiver them feels motivated to recognize another employee, then you have the a great problem of fielding even more employee recognition submissions to share. These programs are a great way to build camaraderie among your employees and build a supportive atmosphere in your workplace. Some companies may even share links or QR codes via their internal comms to help engage other staff members to take part in the program too. Entertainment Let’s face it; a lot of people love entertainment. From movies and music to sports and TV, people like to take the time to stay informed about new trends in the entertainment industry. Hence, incorporating entertainment-related content is another great way to keep your employees interested in their internal comms. By engaging them with high-quality and recent entertainment news, you simultaneously help direct more of your employers to your regular company content as well. Consider incorporating the latest news, sports, movie releases, music updates, or even celebrity news into a specific part of your comms platform. Remember that there are many different automated sources for this content so you won’t have to worry about creating the content in house and it can become a powerful piece of content that is always updated for you. Make the Most of Your Internal Comms Today So, there you have it; some simple tips to freshen up your internal communications strategy, even if you simply try a couple of them for a month as a test and evaluate the results. Remember to always keep your employee comms fresh and up-to-date, as old content quickly makes it seem stagnant and boring. Internal comms doesn’t just have to be about informing your employees about the company, as the goal should be to keep employees engaged and not just informed. In your next planning session, try to expand your internal comms strategy to incorporate some of the above content and stimulate your workforce. You’ll be surprised by the results.
