In the fast-paced world of internal communication, finding the right communication tools to align and engage employees is essential. With over 4.3 billion users worldwide, email has long been one of the most reliable and universal methods. However, like most internal communication tools, it faces increasing challenges — including a persistent lack of engagement.
For internal communicators, a lack of engagement isn’t just frustrating — it’s a major obstacle to fostering team alignment and trust. With so much information competing for employees’ attention, how do you ensure that your communication methods stand out, resonate, and inspire action?
The following guide will explore why some communication tools succeed while others fail, as well as actionable strategies to address these issues. We’ll explore the root causes of disengagement in internal communication and uncover smart strategies that can turn your messaging into powerful tools for building connections and driving engagement — including a real-world example of how one company solved its engagement issues.
Ready to discover how choosing the right communication tool can make all the difference for your organization?
Why does a lack of workplace engagement occur?
A lack of workplace engagement happens when employees fail to interact meaningfully with internal communications or feel disconnected from the communication tools designed to connect them. This disengagement can stem from multiple sources, including outdated platforms, irrelevant content, or poor communication strategies.
When employees ignore emails, miss updates on intranets, or feel overwhelmed by inconsistent messaging, it erodes trust, alignment, and organizational culture. Engagement goes beyond surface metrics like email open rates or app logins — it’s about delivering content and tools that resonate, inspire action, and provide real value.
When communication tools fail to engage, employees feel unseen, uninformed, or undervalued. This leads to:
- Reduced productivity: Misalignment and missed messages slow workflows.
- Low morale: Employees feel disconnected from leadership and organizational goals.
- Higher turnover rates: Disengagement pushes talent toward organizations with better communication cultures.
By addressing the root causes of disengagement — particularly in email and broader communication tools — organizations can rebuild trust, enhance collaboration, and create a workplace culture where employees feel informed and valued.
What factors cause employee engagement to drop?
Why does disengagement happen? Several common factors contribute to the decline in internal communications engagement. These issues are often rooted in the way messages are created, delivered, and perceived by employees. Common disengagement factors include:
- Information overload: Employees are inundated with messaging daily, making it difficult to differentiate important notifications from routine updates.
- Generic content: One-size-fits-all messaging fails to address the unique needs and interests of specific employee groups.
- Poor design: Plain-text posts (such as emails and employee app updates) with no visuals, branding, or structure fail to capture attention. This also makes content harder to digest.
- Lack of personalization: Messaging that doesn’t speak directly to an employee’s role, team, or interests can feel irrelevant and unengaging.
- No clear call-to-action: Messages without a clear purpose or actionable next steps often leave employees unsure of what to do next.
- Inefficient timing: Sending messages at inconvenient times or flooding inboxes with back-to-back messages reduces their effectiveness.
- Limited interactivity: Static internal messaging that doesn’t encourage participation or feedback feels outdated and fails to engage employees meaningfully.
Do any of these issues feel familiar? Fortunately, understanding these factors is the first step toward creating messages that employees not only open but engage with fully. And as you can see, the issues don’t always lie in the internal communication tools but rather how organizations don’t know how to leverage and customize what’s at their disposal.
Why lack of engagement is a communicator’s biggest challenge
Here’s the hard truth: uninspiring internal messaging is a recipe for disengagement. Employees are bombarded with messages every day — updates, reminders, and newsletters pile up in their inboxes. Without visually appealing designs or personalized content, more IC emails and messages are easy to overlook or dismiss.
Here’s why traditional internal messaging often fails:
- Generic messaging: One-size-fits-all messages don’t resonate with diverse employee groups. Employees feel unseen and uninvolved, leading to disengagement.
- Plain content: Text-heavy messages without visual elements or branding fail to capture attention. Busy employees are likely to skim or ignore them.
- No interactivity: Employees today expect dynamic and engaging communication. Messages that don’t encourage participation or feedback feel outdated and uninspiring.
When employees disengage from email communication, the consequences are significant. A lack of employee engagement impacts organizational alignment, team productivity, and workplace culture. This leads to talented employees checking out or jumping ship. And it causes a noticeable dip in productivity and profit.
To address this challenge, organizations must rethink their employee communication strategies and adopt modern tools that prioritize connection and relevance. In order for communicators to excel at their jobs, they need to be equipped with the right communication tools.
Case study: How Toyota Finance Australia boosted engagement with Communication Tools
Toyota Finance Australia (TFA) faced a familiar challenge: employees weren’t fully engaging with internal email communications. As a team of one, Internal Communications Manager Emma Mulroney needed a solution to make her emails stand out, capture employee attention, and drive meaningful interaction.
Using Staffbase Email, Emma transformed her communication strategy with the help of professional design services. Here’s how she achieved success:
- Enhanced design: Emma worked with Staffbase to create visually appealing, branded email templates. These templates turned static, uninspiring messages into engaging, eye-catching content that captured attention.
- Actionable insights: With advanced metrics, Emma gained visibility into how employees interacted with her emails. She could track opens, clicks, and engagement, allowing her to optimize content for better results.
- Streamlined creation: The new templates significantly reduced the time Emma spent preparing weekly newsletters. This enabled her to focus on delivering impactful messages, even as a one-person team.
The results were clear. Emma’s redesigned emails not only improved engagement but also strengthened alignment and connection across the organization. By leveraging the capabilities of Staffbase Email, she turned email from a routine task into a powerful communication tool.
How to choose the right communication tool
Selecting the right communication tool for your organization is more than just convenience — it’s about ensuring your message reaches the intended audience effectively. While email remains a cornerstone for internal communication, other tools like employee apps, intranets, and project management platforms (like Jira or Asana) excel in specific scenarios.
Knowing when and how to use each tool can transform your communication strategy.
When to use email
Email is unmatched for delivering clear, consistent, and reliable messages. It provides a structured, formal approach, making it indispensable when clarity and documentation are essential. Here are the best use cases:
- Company announcements: Share leadership updates, organizational changes, or new policies with consistent, well-crafted messaging.
- Crisis communication: Send urgent updates or safety instructions during work emergencies to ensure actionable information is received.
- Global updates: Keep remote and international teams aligned with accessible, time-zone-friendly content.
- Policy and compliance reminders: Communicate critical updates, such as cybersecurity protocols, with reliability and professionalism.
When to Use Other Tools
While email is effective in many cases, other communication tools also shine in dynamic, real-time, or collaborative scenarios. Here’s where other internal communication tools excel:
- Employee apps: Ideal for real-time updates, push notifications, and engaging frontline workers who may not regularly check emails or have a company email.
- Intranets: Perfect for fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and serving as a centralized hub for organizational information.
- Project management tools: Designed for teamwork, task tracking, and ongoing collaboration across departments or teams.
These communication tools complement email by enabling interactivity, streamlining workflows, and addressing diverse communication needs. That’s why many modern organizations bundle their communication tools to devise a multi-channel approach that best meets the needs of their workforce.
How to transform your emails into engagement powerhouses
If your organization struggles with the lack of employee engagement, transforming your email strategy is essential. Here are actionable steps to create emails that connect and inspire.
Personalize your messaging
Tailor content to specific teams, departments, or employee groups. Segmentation ensures that employees receive information relevant to their roles and interests, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
Invest in design
Visuals matter. Incorporate branded templates, dynamic layouts, and compelling images to make your emails stand out. A well-designed email captures attention, improves readability, and communicates professionalism.
Use analytics to improve
Measure what works and what doesn’t. Leverage tools like Staffbase Email to track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and engagement patterns. Use these insights to refine your strategy and ensure continuous improvement.
Keep it interactive
Add polls, surveys, or clickable links to encourage participation and feedback. Interactive emails engage employees while providing valuable insights into their preferences and opinions.
Focus on mobile-first design
Ensure your emails are optimized for mobile devices. This is especially critical for frontline or remote workers who rely on their phones to stay connected. A mobile-first approach guarantees accessibility and usability for all employees.
Schedule effectively
Time your emails strategically to avoid overloading employees during peak periods. Test different sending times to determine when your audience is most likely to engage.
How to incorporate additional communication tools
Modern workplaces require a diverse set of communication tools to engage employees, foster collaboration, and streamline workflows. While email remains a cornerstone, tools like intranets, employee apps, and project management platforms complement email by addressing specific communication needs. Incorporating these tools strategically can elevate your internal communication strategy and ensure no message gets lost.
When to use an intranet
An intranet is a centralized platform designed to foster collaboration, store knowledge, and provide employees with easy access to critical resources. Here’s how it boosts internal communication:
- Centralized knowledge hub: Use intranets to store and organize essential documents, company policies, and team resources.
- Collaboration at scale: Enable employees to collaborate on shared projects and initiatives through discussion boards or shared spaces.
- Streamlined onboarding: Provide new hires with access to training materials, team introductions, and company updates in one location.
- Fostering community: Build a sense of belonging by sharing company news, celebrating milestones, and showcasing employee achievements.
When to use employee apps
Employee apps are particularly effective for reaching frontline workers or employees without regular access to desktops. These apps excel in delivering real-time communication and ensuring inclusivity. Employee app posts and messaging are excellent options for:
- Real-time updates: Send instant notifications about important announcements, events, or emergencies.
- Engagement through polls and surveys: Gather employee feedback and encourage participation in company initiatives.
- Targeted communication: Segment audiences to ensure the right messages reach the right employees at the right time.
- Mobile-first accessibility: Allow employees to stay connected on the go, ensuring they’re always informed and engaged.
When to use project management tools
Additionally, project management platforms are essential for improving workflows, organizing tasks, and enabling team collaboration. Here’s how they enhance communication:
- Task management: Assign, track, and monitor tasks to ensure everyone is aligned on deliverables and deadlines.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Facilitate communication between teams, departments, and stakeholders on shared projects.
- Transparency and accountability: Create visibility into project progress, allowing team members to stay informed and on track.
- Document sharing: Share files and resources in a single workspace, reducing email clutter and improving efficiency.
Why choosing the right communication tool matters
Using the right communication tool ensures that your message resonates and drives action. Meanwhile, misusing tools can lead to disengagement, missed information, or inefficiencies. Here’s three of the top reasons why selecting the right communication tool is critical:
- Improved engagement: Tailoring your tools to specific scenarios ensures your audience is more likely to engage with the content.
- Enhanced productivity: Using the appropriate internal communication platform reduces inefficiencies, such as email back-and-forths for collaborative tasks.
- Stronger connections: By leveraging communication tools like employee apps or intranets, you create opportunities for dialogue and collaboration, fostering a more connected workforce.
Rethinking communication tools to solve lack of engagement
Internal communication doesn’t have to be a source of frustration or disengagement. By adopting the right tools and strategies, organizations can create impactful channels that foster trust, alignment, and productivity. Whether it’s email, employee apps, or intranets, the key lies in choosing tools that meet employees where they are and resonate with their unique needs.
Email, in particular, remains a cornerstone of communication, and when used effectively, it can transform from a routine task into a powerful driver of connection and collaboration. But email is just the beginning. By integrating complementary tools like intranets for knowledge sharing or employee apps for real-time updates, organizations can build a dynamic, multi-channel communication strategy that ensures every employee feels informed, valued, and connected.
Ready to revolutionize your internal communication? Discover how Staffbase Email can revolutionize your strategy and help your organization overcome engagement challenges. Book a free demo today to see how it can assist your workforce in leveraging communication.