How can we fix our internal comms before we lose more people?

March 11, 2025

Bright Ideas by ColorVizion Lab is the go-to newsletter for people leaders transforming the talent experience. We answer the tough questions people leaders face daily—with straight talk and real solutions. Cassandra Cassillas, Senior Consultant at ColorVizion Lab, answers this week’s question.

❔How can we fix our internal comms before we lose more people?

When leadership goes through company changes, employees shouldn’t be left in the dark.

Silence breeds confusion. Uncertainty fuels anxiety. And cold, careless communication pushes people out the door.

(Think back to the wave of resignations after Elon Musk’s infamous “hardcore” ultimatum at Twitter.)

When leadership fumbles communication, employees have more questions: Do our leaders actually stand by their values? Do they even see what’s happening? Do they care?

If the answer feels like no, they won’t stick around to find out. That’s why a solid internal communications strategy is a must-have.

Only 29% of employees feel satisfied with their company’s communication, according to HR Brew. It’s not because they want more emails. They want leadership to be:

✅ Honest and consistent: No sugarcoating, no surprises. Employees want direct conversations, even when the news isn’t great.

✅ Context-driven: Don’t just announce decisions. Explain why they’re happening and how they’ll unfold.

✅ Genuinely invested: Create spaces for real dialogue through forums, Q&As, and town halls, so people can ask questions and share concerns.

When done right, internal comms reassures your team. You can provide clarity in chaos, consistency in uncertainty, and empathy when it’s needed most.

So yes, the stakes are high. If you get it wrong, you alienate your people. Get it right, and you build engagement, trust, and loyalty.

So let’s talk about how to do it right.

📍A high-level roadmap to rebuilding your internal comms

Fixing your internal comms is about sending the right messages in the right ways at the right times.

Cassandra Cassillas, Senior Consultant at ColorVizion Lab and internal communications expert shares key questions people leaders should answer when getting started:

1️⃣ Set a clear vision: What’s the purpose behind your communications? Are you aiming for better engagement, more transparency, or stronger alignment with company values? Define the “why” before tackling the “how.”

2️⃣ Audit what’s working and what isn’t: Take stock of your current approach. Where are the gaps? Are employees confused about company priorities? Are emails going unread? Are certain teams feeling left out? Honest assessment is key.

3️⃣ Take the lead, don’t wait for employees to chase answers. Are you proactively addressing concerns, or only reacting once employees start asking questions? When change happens, do you communicate early and often, or leave people guessing?

4️⃣Build a messaging framework: How does your messaging reflect both your company’s brand and what employees actually need? Create a flexible structure that can adapt to different situations, whether it’s a big leadership announcement or a response to external events.

5️⃣Be intentional about the format: Are you overloading email while underutilizing live formats like town halls or pulse surveys? Remember, you don’t have to be everywhere, all the time. The channels you use and when you use them should have a purpose.

6️⃣Launch and listen: Are employees engaging with messages, or tuning them out? What feedback are you getting – directly or indirectly – and how often are you acting on it? Always track engagement (email opens, Slack reactions, participation rates, event feedback) and make regular adjustments.

The most important thing to remember is that internal comms strategies are not static, they evolve. Your job as a people leader is to create systems that leave room for assessment, flexibility, and change.

🚨 The internal comms gaps that push your best people away

Even the most well-intentioned internal comms strategies can fall short if people leaders overlook key factors. A well-crafted email or all-hands meeting means nothing if it doesn’t address their real concerns, create clarity, or show genuine care.

Here are some of the most common communication gaps and the consequences of getting them wrong.

❌One-size-fits-all messaging

Not all employees need (or want) the same information in the same way. Leaders often send broad, company-wide messages without considering how different teams experience the workplace.

Example: A company announces a major policy change in a single email, but frontline employees who don’t sit at a desk all day never see it.
How to fix it: Segment your audience. People leaders vs. individual contributors. Customer-facing teams vs. corporate roles. Remote workers vs. in-office employees. Make sure each group gets the right level of detail through the right channels.

❌Failing to close the Loop

Leaders make big announcements about new initiatives, cultural commitments, or strategic shifts, but never follow up. Employees are left wondering: Whatever happened with that?

Example: Leadership rolls out a volunteer program, but a year later, there’s no update on progress. Employees assume it was performative, which hurts trust and engagement drops.
How to fix it: Build regular check-ins and follow-ups into your comms plan – whether it’s monthly updates, progress reports, or town hall recaps. Even if things are moving slowly, acknowledge it. Employees would rather hear “Here’s where we are and what’s next” than radio silence.

❌Mishandling hard conversations (Like layoffs)

One of the biggest internal comms failures are layoff announcements that read like press releases. A vague, corporate-speak email will leave employees with more questions than answers:

Is the company struggling?

Do I still have a future here?

Who is taking over their work?

When leaders fail to address these concerns directly, fear spreads and employees start looking for an exit – not because they were let go, but because they don’t trust they’ll be kept in the loop if more changes come.

“This erosion of trust inevitably leads to a decrease in both engagement and retention as employees look for positions where they feel safer in their role and with the company they’re working for,” Cassandra says.

How to fix it: Transparency and humanity matter. Leaders should communicate layoffs with clear reasoning, acknowledge the impact, and follow up with the people who stay at the company.

When assessing gaps in your comms strategy, always remember this: The way you treat employees in tough moments defines your culture more than any mission statement ever could.

🏆How one startup used internal comms to win employee buy-in

Cassandra once worked with a startup that made a major pivot from consumer to enterprise solutions. This was one of those high-stakes changes that could have easily sparked fear, confusion, and turnover.

But instead of blindsiding employees with a sudden announcement, leadership made them part of the process from the start.

Here’s what they did right:

✔️Early engagement: Leaders communicated before finalizing decisions, inviting employees to contribute ideas and share concerns. This built trust and gave people a sense of ownership.

✔️Multiple touchpoints: They used different channels for different needs: town halls for big-picture updates, small breakouts for deeper discussions, emails for finalized decisions, and Slack for real-time wins and progress.

✔️Bold transparency: Instead of glossing over challenges, they acknowledged risks and uncertainties. This rallied employees around problem-solving instead of fear.

“By the time changes were official, there was widespread buy-in and an eagerness for the next chapter,” Cassandra says.

The bottom line: If you stick to rigid, one-sided communication, you’ll watch your best employees walk out the door. Internal comms should never be static. It needs to be an ongoing conversation that’s agile, open to feedback, and encourages real dialogue.

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For many, there’s only one choice: Pivot.

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