“Nobody Tells Me Anything Round Here”

How to replace guesswork with purposeful, inclusive internal communications

You know the phrase. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

It’s the grumble that echoes through break rooms, corridors, and Teams chats in organisations of every shape and size. It’s usually an indication that your internal communications are not doing what they’re meant to do: inform, include, and connect.

But here’s the thing: when internal communications are done right, you don’t even really notice them at all. And you never hear that phrase. Because everyone already knows what’s going on.

Information shouldn’t feel like insider knowledge

At its heart, all communication is about people. We all know this, right? And good internal communication is about access. If important news is only getting to the people who happen to be in the room, or read every email, or know someone who knows someone, then you’re going to end up with confusion, mixed messages and people filling in the blanks themselves.

When people are left out of the loop, aside from the frustration, inefficiencies, and duplication it can cause, it tells people (albeit unintentionally) that they don’t matter enough to be included.

So what do we do about it? Well, it isn’t flashier newsletters or longer emails: it’s understanding your people and meeting them where they are.

Getting the right message to the right place at the right time

You’d think that would be easy, right? But it’s often anything but… especially in larger or geographically spread organisations. And in our post lockdown world, the edges have become even more blurred.

Some of our more familiar comms challenges include:

• Office-based teams might have access to email, Teams, and intranets all day, but they also tend to get bombarded with messages, so cut-through matters.

• Site workers or those in frontline roles probably don’t sit at a desk and may rely more on noticeboards, toolbox talks, or handheld devices.
• Contractors may not have corporate accounts at all, which means they’re often left out unless you deliberately include them through accessible, open channels.
• Hybrid staff can feel like they’re floating in between: not fully in the office, not fully remote, so timing and tone become key.
• Shift workers might miss messages entirely if they’re only sent during core hours. Scheduling and repetition help here.
• Senior leaders often prefer concise, high-level summaries and may be more likely to engage with direct briefings or dashboards than newsletters.
• New starters need more context and clarity than most, and benefit from tailored onboarding comms that don’t assume existing knowledge.
• Global teams may be in different time zones, with different cultural expectations. So language, local relevance, and timing all matter.

The takeaway? Where and how you say something can be just as important as what you say. Good internal comms meets people where they are, both literally and figuratively.

Breakfast and buy-in

The best internal comms isn’t about passing on information, it’s about getting people engaged. And I’ve always found the best way to do that is through … breakfast. Seriously! I’ve always said you can change the world with a bacon sandwich in the right place. And I’m not even joking.

Some of the most effective change programmes I’ve delivered didn’t kick off with slides or slick presentations: we started with a bacon sandwich pop-up. No big speeches or jargon. Just good food, strong coffee, and straightforward conversations. People turned up, asked proper questions and got on board.

Another great example from a large construction project was putting noticeboards next to every kettle, bus stop, and photocopier: anywhere someone might have to wait for a minute or two. The logic was simple: if people gather there, they’ll read there. And they did.

Today, it might be digital signage, mobile apps, or well-placed WhatsApp groups, but the principle remains: if you want to be heard, go where your people are.

Let’s never hear it again

So feeling like ‘nobody tells me anything round here’ is often a symptom of an organisation that’s forgotten how to talk to itself. It doesn’t mean people don’t want to engage, but it may mean that they feel left out, disconnected, or overlooked.

That happens when messages land in the wrong place, at the wrong time, or in the wrong tone. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

A well-functioning internal comms system doesn’t rely on luck. It’s purposeful, intentional, and consistent. It meets people where they are, whether that’s on site, online, between shifts, or by the kettle. Like good infrastructure, when it’s working properly, it becomes almost invisible because everyone already knows what they need to know.

So… sure, let’s put noticeboards by the kettles! But let’s do it to put people at the heart of how we communicate: to inform, to include and to connect.

And that old phrase? It fades into the background — exactly where it belongs.