Internal Relations

Thus far on my placement I have mainly focused on external communication in relation to my placement organisation (National Disability Services WA). For the most part I am given a task, left to my own devices, and then we’ll evaluate the work I have produced. At times this role can be a little monotonous however today I started to learn about internal relations.
I have had experience with using an intranet, however not with managing one and today the online world opened my eyes. My superiors explained to me the importance of internal communication and how it directly impacts stakeholder relations.
The internal network that the National Disability Services WA uses is quite simplistic however its theoretical benefits are exponentially advantageous. Every employee is given a NDS email account. This alone builds a sense of camaraderie among the staff. Every month an online newsletter is sent around to everyone’s email address and this updates everyone on what’s going on in each office. It is a nationally based organisation so due to the size of the business I think it is a really good strategy to continually update everyone about what each state office is up to. Not only does it recognise different offices or individual’s personal achievements but it also keeps people in the loop. There is usually an updates email from the WA state manager Carlo Calogero every few weeks sent out to everyone’s email account.
The intranet is also great for organising fundraising events. For example my office is participating in Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and so emails were sent out to everyone to both let them know and respond.
It is interesting to note that the style and tone of communication can vary depending on who the author is. If it is a mass email from our State manager then the tone is always very formal, however if the email is more locally intended, (just for our office) the tone and style become a lot more casual.
I am very happy to know that soon I will be able to completely grasp this concept and even be able to help upload information. I have never been that confidant with web content so this also presents and amazing opportunity for me to learn something very important to the PR industry.
It seems that I am continually suprised by the new facets or work the PR industry has to offer.