HRTech Interview with Frank Wolf, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Staffbase
Frank Wolf, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Staffbase highlights more on how internal communications practices can impact organizational growth and alignment in this catch-up with HRTech Series:
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Hi Frank, tell us about yourself and more about your time as Founder of Staffbase. How has Staffbase evolved in recent years?
I started Staffbase because I was frustrated by how internal communication was historically treated. Organizations would treat it as optional, or a “nice to have,” when this couldn’t be further from the case.
Internal communications is one of the most important functions, as successfully shaping change and unifying everyone is more business-critical than ever before. Today, we’re experiencing an entire movement elevating the importance of internal communications and employee experience. Staffbase was an early driver of this change. We started in 2014 with the goal of equipping companies to reach every employee with inspiring communication, and today we are the fastest-growing employee communications cloud, supporting nearly 3,000 enterprises across the world.
As Staffbase continues to grow, we’re excited to showcase how internal communications can deliver far deeper strategic impact than simply being an information distribution channel. It is primed to enable companies to truly stay in control of their narratives. We’re also embracing the future of work, where we will continue meeting customers’ needs through advancements like improved measurement, digital employee experiences and AI.
What are some of the biggest challenges that still largely persist when it comes to internal comms: how can modern HR and business leaders use better HRTech integrations and processes to alleviate these?
Internal communicators juggle a lot of challenges these days, but two areas rise to the top.
First, communicators are so overwhelmed by the pressures of daily business that they don’t have the time to work more strategically. It’s important they have a holistic view of employees so they can allocate their time, share input and show value to the business even more effectively.
Second, internal communicators have strategic goals aligned to the organization and undertake a lot of activities to reach those goals. However, many don’t have measurement tools to close the loop and understand their impact. In fact, according to Ragan Research, 54% of communicators stated that “lack of technology” was their top measurement challenge. Utilizing tools like Staffbase helps communicators meet those challenges head-on. We designed our latest offering, Mission Control, to do just that, through best-practice communications planning and collaboration tools, coupled with next-generation impact measurement.
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What are the base fundamentals of a robust employee communication process or cycle; fundamentals that companies should keep in mind more?
Effective internal communication is vital for any successful company. It’s the backbone of an engaged workforce that creates transparency, trust, and alignment within the organization. Today, it’s even more than a strategic advantage. A recent Gallup poll showed that highly engaged teams had 21% greater profitability compared to teams with low levels of engagement.
Keeping employees informed is the foundation of any successful communication program. Clear communication and context about company changes and goals help employees feel more connected. This helps employees understand how and why their contributions matter
When measuring the business impact of internal comms, what needs to be considered or prioritized?
Prioritizing effective measurement of channel and content performance are critical for continually evaluating the business impact of communication strategies.
Establishing the right channel mix can make all the difference in making sure messages are received as intended. Key channel performance benchmarks, such as registration rate, activity rate, interactions, and Net Promoter Score (NPS) illustrate how employees are interacting with channels and reveal how satisfied they are with how messages are being delivered.
Additionally, content performance analytics uncover how employees understand that information. Analyzing individual pieces of content through potential reach, open rates, visits, views, and visitor numbers provide even more specific insights and connect the dots to overall interest and engagement.
By focusing on content and channel performance, alongside clear, quantifiable goals and objectives, internal communicators can ensure their strategies are effective and contribute positively to the organization’s success.
If you had to share five predictions around the future of employee comms and HRTech, what would they be?
- The role of internal communications will only continue to become more of a priority across organizations and will play a crucial role in shaping work environments and workplace culture. Industry research and accredited studies such as Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report, reiterate the critical connection between employee engagement to business performance and productivity.
- AI will help expand communications within organizations. We’re already seeing the benefits of AI in enhancing capabilities such as content generation, data summarization and insights evaluation.
- Further integration and increased adoption of AI will significantly unify of employee communications tools to deliver more personalized insights for improving engagement, collaboration and information sharing among employees. Internal communicators are perfectly positioned to grow as AI ambassadors for their organizations, and carve a path for AI to make work better for everyone.
- Company culture will only flourish with strong communication built on transparency and trust. As Generation X takes on leadership and management roles, Millennials are demanding more from their employers, and Gen Z has shown their strong sense of self-care. The emerging Generation Alpha is sure to have their own demands for a healthy company culture. Organizations must stay adaptable and open to change, They will continually evaluate their communication strategies and narratives for reaching, inspiring and meeting the expectations and needs of a dynamic workforce spanning generations.
- As we look to the future of workplace communications, internal communicators and HR professionals must focus on building and advancing transparent, honest, respectful, and relevant corporate communications that significantly strengthen employees’ well-being and sense of belonging. While technology will continue to help streamline complexities, as communicators we must continue to use our expertise and knowledge to help shape the employee experience so individuals feel valued and taken seriously.
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Frank Wolf is the Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Staffbase. He’s passionate about bringing modern employee communications into a digital world full of challenges that affect the workplace. Frank has lived in Germany, the UK, and the USA, and is the proud father of two daughters.
Staffbase is the fastest growing employee communications cloud, equipping many of the world’s leading companies with solutions to inspire every employee with motivating communication. With almost 3,000 customers, Staffbase helps organizations such as Adidas, Alaska Airlines, Audi, Blue Apron, DHL, and Whataburger to inspire their people to achieve great things together.Staffbase connects companies with their employees through a branded employee app, intranet, email, SMS, digital signage, and Microsoft 365 integrations, all of which can be managed through a single platform. Staffbase was named a leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Intranet Packaged Solutions. Staffbase also received the 2024 Choice Award for Intranet and Employee Experience Platforms from ClearBox.Headquartered in Chemnitz, Germany, Staffbase has offices worldwide, including New York City, London, Berlin, Sydney, and Vancouver.