Latest news with #Workplace
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Rethinking Internal Communication for the Modern Office
By Nikhil Bhardwaj Internal Communication (IC) is often mistaken as a tactical function reserved for transactional updates and routine announcements. But in truth, it is the cultural heartbeat of an organisation. It has the power to unite dispersed teams, strengthen shared purpose, and drive strategy with clarity and conviction. In a world where hybrid work is no longer the exception but the norm, internal communication is no longer just a support function—it is a strategic imperative. The Shifting Role of IC Once viewed as an administrative adjunct to HR or administration, internal communication is today evolving into a leadership function, especially when clubbed with External communication. Ideally, the communications mandate, both external and internal, should be with one leader so that there is a good interplay between the two, and strategic priorities can be best handled, as well as external realities and industry news communicated effectively within the organisation. Internal Communication plays a critical role in shaping the employee experience, building leadership credibility, supporting change management, and reinforcing an organisation's values at scale. Great organisations are not built on processes alone. They are built on belief, and belief is built through communication. When IC works well, it goes beyond informing. It aligns, it energises, and it makes people feel seen and heard. Though organisations have varied designs and forms, ideally, the corporate communications function should report directly to the CEO or sit close to top leadership. When communication is strategic, not reactive, it becomes a competitive advantage. Be it External or internal. Focus on Message, Not Medium Today's workplaces are saturated with platforms, emails, chats, intranets (web and app), virtual townhalls, digital noticeboards, collaborative tools, and more. Each of them serves a purpose. But platforms are not the strategy. They are just enablers. Let us consider a few examples: Organisation-wide emails: Still widely used but often overlooked due to inbox fatigue. Relevance and brevity matter more than meeting tools like Teams or Zoom: Great for collaboration, but not ideal for platforms like Yammer, Viva Engage, Workplace or Slack: Useful for dialogue but often suffer from low adoption or fatigue due to fragmentation of apps: Basically, used as portal apps for apps that matter, like attendance or business/utility apps, etc. Instead of chasing the next best tool, what truly works is clarity of intent. Who are we speaking to? Why should they care? What do we want them to feel or do? The medium is important, but the message must lead. Crafting Formats That Resonate A blanket approach rarely works. Different demographics respond to different formats. A good IC strategy speaks to employees in the way they prefer to be communicated with. Some formats that are gaining traction include: Leadership/industry-specific podcasts for passive engagement during commutes or memes, and short explainers for younger audiences who process visual cues newsletters or desk drops that create a tactile moment in a digital world. Digital newsletters are gaining popularity, thanks to their much lower cost, ease and speed of distribution. Be it flipbooks or HTML ones, but printed ones seem to be more popular. Remember, artefacts of communication are essential!QR-linked video messages (in addition to email links) that provide instant access to stories in motion. Plus, people love QR codes. Short reels that tease or amplify key campaigns and drive engagement with longer content. The format is not just a vehicle; it carries the tone and emotion of the message. What Gets Measured, Gets Improved It is tempting to judge communication by how often it is sent. But frequency is not effectiveness. True success lies in engagement. Open rates, click-throughs, feedback polls, and even passive sentiment analysis can reveal what resonates and what does not. A recent report by Gallagher's State of the Sector 2024 shows that only 42 per cent of organisations consistently measure IC effectiveness. Yet, 74 per cent cite employee engagement as a top priority. There appears to be a disconnect between intent and insight. Metrics matter not for vanity but for direction. They help us listen better. Building a Culture of Conversation Internal communication should never be a monologue. The most impactful organisations do not just cascade messages from the top. They foster a culture where feedback, dialogue, and stories from the grassroots are valued just as much as leadership messages. From leadership blogs, video interactions, and cross-functional spotlights to user-generated content from employees, IC has the power to celebrate the everyday and spotlight the extraordinary. And when employees feel heard and represented, they are more likely to be engaged, productive, and loyal, especially when content is co-created along with them. Because ultimately, IC is not about channels or campaigns. It is about people. And when people feel connected, included, and inspired, they bring their best selves to work. Internal communication is not just a department. It is a mindset. One that sees employees not as audiences to be managed, but as co-creators of culture. One that values simplicity over jargon , conversation over instruction, and authenticity over polish. When done right, internal communication does not just transmit information. It transforms intent into action. It gives voice to purpose. And it becomes the quiet force behind extraordinary workplaces. (The author is head – corporate communications, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance. Opinions are personal.)
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Google faces threat that could destroy its business
In the early 2000s, Google (GOOGL) was just finding its footing among internet users who enjoyed it for its ease of use. It quickly outgrew its competitors, and by the mid-2000s, the verb "Google" was born, acting as an predictor of the search engine's future dominance. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter What started as just a search engine became much, much more as Google continued to develop as a company. In 2006, it launched the suite that would eventually become Workplace, which eventually drew millions of businesses to use it for their own needs. That same year, it also bought YouTube, and by adding the video sharing platform into its business model, it gained another enormously valuable property to add to its portfolio. Related: Google's quiet AI win spells trouble for Amazon Today, billions of people across the globe use Google's wide range of products every day. Alphabet (GOOGL) , Google's parent company, holds a rare spot as one of the magnificent seven stocks known for its high level of influence. Simply put, it's hard to imagine a world where Google doesn't have enormous sway. And while the company isn't going anywhere, it's now facing the biggest threat to its business model that it's had to contend with in a very long time. Image source: Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images As the AI boom continues to transform the landscape of the tech world, a new type of user behavior has begun to gain popularity on the web. It's called zero-click search, and it means a person searches for something and gets the answer they want without clicking a single link. There are several reasons for this, including the AI Overview section that Google has added to the top of many search result pages. This isn't a bad thing, but what's interesting is why Google is leaning into AI Overview in the first place: millions of people are opening ChatGPT instead of Google to search for the things they want to know. Related: Jim Cramer makes a bold statement on AI job threats This makes sense, as large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT deliver answers based on an enormous amount of information scraped from the internet, so asking it versus Googling saves you a lot of time. Rather than click through web results looking for the answer to your query, an LLM can do that across a massive amount of information, condense and highlight the best of it, and reply within a few seconds. This is why billions of people flock to ChatGPT every month-and why its newest announcement presents a big problem for Google. On July 9, Reuters exclusively reported that OpenAI would soon launch its own web browser to challenge Google Chrome's dominance. If people behave the same way with the new browser as they do with ChatGPT's app, 500 million weekly active users would rush to it instead of Google for their search needs. That could translate to a big drop in search traffic, a problem Google is already dealing with. According to a document reported by Search Engine Land, executives were already discussing and preparing for the drop last year. Perplexity also announced its web browser, Comet, on the same day. For now, it's only available to Perplexity Max subscribers and has an invite-only waitlist that interested parties can sign up for. As these new products reshape the search landscape, OpenAI especially has a chance to take away something that has belonged to Google alone for a long time. It's hard to say how the situation will develop next, but one thing is sure: Google needs to move fast because one of its biggest businesses is in danger. Related: OpenAI makes shocking move amid fierce competition, Microsoft problems The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
CNA
06-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - The Wellness Hour - Can AI replicate EQ?
CNA938 Rewind Play On World Emotional Intelligence Day, The Wellness Hour explores a rising concern in the age of AI—are we neglecting EQ? While tools like ChatGPT may outscore most humans on IQ, they lag behind in EQ. Dr Sue McNamara from global EQ non-profit Six Seconds joins Cheryl Goh to discuss the risks of relying on emotionally tone-deaf AI, the rise of the 'emotional recession' in workplaces, and why empathy and emotional agility are now must-have skills for the future of work.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nominations deadline for 2025 Chicago Top Workplaces is Friday
This is the final week to nominate organizations for recognition as a Top Workplace in Chicagoland. For the 16th year, the Chicago Tribune will honor outstanding workplace culture in the region. Any organization with 75 or more employees in the region is eligible to compete for a Top Workplaces award. Standout companies will be honored this fall. The final deadline for nominations is Friday, June 6. Anyone can nominate any organization, whether it is public, private, nonprofit, a school, or even a government agency. To nominate an employer or for more information on the awards, just go to or call 312-878-7356. There is no cost to participate. To qualify as a Chicago Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a 25-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Companies will be surveyed through June. Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 65 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year. For the 2024 awards, 158 Chicagoland employers earned recognition as Top Workplaces.
Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Nominations deadline for 2025 Chicago Top Workplaces is Friday
This is the final week to nominate organizations for recognition as a Top Workplace in Chicagoland. For the 16th year, the Chicago Tribune will honor outstanding workplace culture in the region. Any organization with 75 or more employees in the region is eligible to compete for a Top Workplaces award. Standout companies will be honored this fall. The final deadline for nominations is Friday, June 6. Anyone can nominate any organization, whether it is public, private, nonprofit, a school, or even a government agency. To nominate an employer or for more information on the awards, just go to or call 312-878-7356. There is no cost to participate. To qualify as a Chicago Top Workplace, employees evaluate their workplace using a 25-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete. Companies will be surveyed through June. Energage, the Pennsylvania-based research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 65 markets nationwide and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year. For the 2024 awards, 158 Chicagoland employers earned recognition as Top Workplaces.
