Inside Insight | Part 1
It’s a great time to be working in internal communications (IC). This year’s Inside Insight survey received our largest response yet, with 557 IC professionals taking part, making up what we believe to be a healthy representation of the industry. In the first of a two-part series, we’ll take you through the key takeaways from the first four chapters, with the final five chapters coming next week.
Profile of an IC Professional
According to Inside Insight 2017, the average profile of an IC professional remains fairly constant, with the majority working full-time in the office, five days a week. The industry is largely female, highly-educated, and based in London or the southeast, with the demographic broadly unchanged. However, it is encouraging to see a varied sector spread of IC professionals, despite financial and professional services predictably dominating overall.
Another ongoing theme is the reported lack of junior talent starting their careers in IC. This raises concerns about where future IC professionals will come from and what should be done to attract junior communications talent and school leavers/graduates into the profession. A notable change is the closer integration of IC and HR, with the number of IC teams within the HR function steadily growing: 13% in 2015, 18% in 2016, and 21% in 2017.
Your IC Department
The sector continues to grow, creating more opportunities. The value and importance of IC are increasingly recognized by CEOs, with 78% of IC professionals believing their CEO truly understands the function’s importance. It’s equally important for the communications director to see the value of IC in their team.
Interestingly, the increase in CEOs valuing IC is happening at a greater rate than with communications directors. Only 59% of respondents feel their communications director values IC as much as other disciplines in the wider comms mix. A shift in valuation will be crucial as the demand for IC within organizations looks set to grow.
Despite the sector’s development, some basics are still lacking; 30% of IC professionals admitted their teams do not have a formal IC strategy. Additionally, where a strategy exists, only 25% review it regularly.
Team Size and Channels
Impact of Brexit
One new topic recurring throughout this year’s Inside Insight was Brexit. In terms of team size, it seems to have had a limited impact on IC professionals and the sector as a whole. 40% of respondents expect Brexit to increase the need for IC in their organizations, and only 25% believe that Brexit will lead to an increase in the number of interims hired in a team.
Development of IC Channels
Although IC channels continue to develop rapidly, often with the launch of new digital and social tools, it’s disappointing that 70% of IC professionals think the use of digital in their organization is poor or average. There has been no improvement in the last 12 months, with exactly 70% of respondents saying the same a year ago.
Check back next week, as we’ll be sharing key findings from the second half of the report, with the final five chapters. For more information, or to request the report in full, please email marketing@vmagroup.com. See you next week!
