NEW YORK: Ruder Finn has launched an internal communications practice amid rising demand for services to engage apathetic workforces.
"It’s time to focus on culture, on employees the same way as we focus on customers," said SVP Nina Scherr, who is leading the practice in the U.S. Jem Gregory, U.K. senior manager of internal communications, will head the practice in the U.K.
Ruder Finn has described the practice, called Internal Customer Experience or ICX for short, as an end-to-end program to enhance retention, engagement, and recruitment. Its services will include providing staffers a sense of purpose, refitting them with new skills, designing programs that foster collaboration, rewarding and recognize achievements, and helping clients identify and hire the best talent.
The practice will formalize Ruder Finn’s experience in employee communications, digital strategy, and customer experience, Sherr said.
"It’s basically doing what we do, globalizing it, and making sure we have a tight-knit team, where we bring together everything so we’re looking at it from every angle," she explained.
Demand for internal communications services has increased as more companies want to connect with workforces that increasingly rely on digital technology, the firm said in a statement. It cited a 2017 Gallup poll that found a vast majority of employees said they’re "not engaged" or "actively disengaged" from their jobs.
Ruder Finn launched its first analytics tool, Beacon, last month. The firm reported revenue of $67.4 million in 2016, down 9% from the year prior.
