2 May 2007
Helen Love leaves Microsoft
Internal communicator branches out into consultancy work.
Helen
Love, former
manager of internal communications at software organization, Microsoft
UK,
recently left the organization and will now be operating as an independent
consultant with communicatons consultancy, Helmia.
Speaking to the Hub yesterday, Love mentioned that the influx of new talent into internal communication offers plenty of opportunities for communication consultants. "The new guys are desperate for support and guidance in every aspect of internal comms. There's nothing stronger than discussing shared experience to understand how actually to apply knowledge and resources in their specific situation. There's no one-solution-fits-all, so a hands-on approach and personal guidance from someone who has 'been there, done that' can be invaluable," she said.
Waves of excitement
Love explained that over the last few years there have been some new
developments and opportunities in the internal comms marketplace. "We've
seen a subtle transition taking place, which has built
upon some
of the accepted wisdoms around internal branding and reputation and created
a whole new wave of excitement around employee engagement," she
said.
It's now possible to get the undivided attention of the CEO by demonstrating tangible evidence of where employee engagement can directly impact the bottom line.
"I think there's now a growing enlightenment in regard to the role internal communications has to play. It's now possible to get the undivided attention of the CEO by demonstrating tangible evidence of where employee engagement can directly impact the bottom line. They're starting to sit up and take serious notice of internal communications as a critical piece of added value to the business."
Encouraging employee trust
After starting out in marketing 20 years ago, Helen has now been working
in internal communications for over 12 years and has a special interest
in culture-change management and employee trust. Her experience covers
a wide range of businesses and audiences.
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