Nearly three-fourths of communications departments claim to have problems keeping employees “on brand and on message” when sharing company news and information, according to a recent survey of communications professionals conducted by San Bruno, CA-based employee communications platform Dynamic Signal.

Dynamic Signal: The State of Workplace Communications

The survey, titled “The State of Workplace Communications,” sought to analyze some of the challenges communicators currently face when disseminating important information internally.

The survey suggests that when it comes to workplace communications, many companies appear stricken by a lack of awareness regarding the effects poor internal communications can have on work teams (case in point: 59 percent admitted they don't know the fiscal impact that poor internal communications can have on a company.).

As a result of this lack of awareness, many companies continue to rely on outdated modes of communication when attempting to share information. Only 17 percent of respondents reported that their company had invested in software for internal communications purposes. And most cited email as the most effective current means of inter-team communication, even though more than half of the global workforce currently does not have a corporate email address and can’t be easily reached by email. More than half — 55 percent — said some form of mobile application would be better for helping them become more informed and engaged with their company.

While ensuring that staff feel informed and connected was cited as a top concern among communications departments, the survey suggests that disconnection amid widening gaps between distribution channels now characterizes today’s increasingly remote workforce, all factors that can lead to poor internal communications.

Indeed, 44 percent of communication professionals said they felt frustrated by the current tools and lack of platforms available to reach employees in a timely, effective and measurable fashion.

The study also reported that 37 percent of respondents claimed that internal silos pose the greatest challenges for communications professionals when it comes to effective workplace communications.

The Dynamic Signal report interviewed more than 300 global communications professionals in February and March employed by companies staffing between 100 and more than 10,000.