Insights
Thoughts, views, trends, news and best practice from our diverse team of employee engagement experts.
Turning your intranet into a trusted employee hub
We’ve never had more ways to communicate with employees, yet many organisations are still asking the same question: how do we help people feel genuinely connected to each other and to the business?
Why ‘experiences’ trump channels every time
We’ve never had more ways to communicate with employees, yet many organisations are still asking the same question: how do we help people feel genuinely connected to each other and to the business?
Why people don’t remember channels. They remember experiences
Internal events are no longer “once a year, nice-to-have” gatherings – they’re one of the most effective ways to build culture, connection, and alignment.
Is AI removing our intelligence from measurement?
In our bid to streamline and speed up the measurement process, are we in danger of losing our edge as employee experts? Rebecca Couper-Leonard from our Insight team investigates.
Turning internal events into measurable engagement engines
Internal events are no longer “once a year, nice-to-have” gatherings – they’re one of the most effective ways to build culture, connection, and alignment.
Why comms around change is failing the modern workforce, and how visual communication cuts through
There’s a belief quietly spreading through organisations right now: employees just don’t pay attention anymore. Attention spans are shrinking, people seem disengaged, and the go-to response for business has been to communicate more – more frequently, more clearly, more insistently.
In defence of writing – the human kind
As billions of us are using the same AI tools, we’re in danger of losing originality and imagination especially in creating written content. Editorial manager Debbie Forrester makes the case for the difference that authentic and relatable content makes within organisations, and to trust and engagement.
Inspiring leadership with clarity, context and meaning
According to Mercer’s Executive Outlook Study, 71% of executives say communicating a clear vision is crucial for effective leadership.
Why measuring employee sentiment matters
Many communicators say they are ‘flying blind’, dissatisfied with their ability to measure employee sentiment.
Transforming SharePoint from ‘Meh’ to ‘Must-visit’
Is your SharePoint homepage just another system noticeboard, or is it a vital daily workspace for your organisation? Sequel’s Head of Creative, Nigel Wood, shares his top tips for a well-used and well designed digital front door to your organisation.
Four employee engagement projects and a thing we learned
Well, 2026 has started with a bang for Team Sequel with a range of interesting projects for clients. Here’s four examples of great employee engagement work we’ve been delivering in January – plus one thing we learned!
Time of the season for your intranet
With the new year well under way and spring just around the corner, we’re currently helping a few clients to carry out a good spring clean of their intranets.
Make turning up for in-person events worth the time
Over the past year, we’ve seen a real increase in clients holding in-person colleague events to get people behind new strategy or values, celebrate achievements, or to strengthen bonds with leadership.
Unlocking the potential of Microsoft 365
How can you engage employees with strategically important campaigns that goes beyond sharing information to motivating them to take visible and impactful action?
Motivating people action through engaging technology
How can you engage employees with strategically important campaigns that goes beyond sharing information to motivating them to take visible and impactful action?
What if I need to communicate change effectively?
Whether it’s a shift in strategy, a restructuring initiative or new processes, the effective communication of that change makes the difference between confusion and clarity, resistance and engagement.
What’s the potential of your digital comms landscape?
“It’s so hard to make digital decisions when you don’t know what you don’t know and there are so many potential platforms and apps out there!”
The comms benefits of continuous listening
In a world where change happens by the minute, relying on one way to assess employee attitudes, opinions and engagement levels is like using a paper map in the age of GPS.
5 ways to measure internal comms video impact
We have great case studies on our dedicated video website Sequel Group and here are five ways to measure the impact of your film and video content.
Seven ways to engage internal event audiences
What are the characteristics of an energised and engaged internal event audience?
New to Microsoft 365? We’ll help you get started
Has your IT team bought Microsoft 365 without your input? Are you bewildered by all the different apps within the suite? Are you looking for guidance on how to take the first steps in your 365 journey?
From metrics to meaning: powering engagement with data
Data is a communicators best friend when it comes to shaping successful employee engagement. It gives us powerful insights that help us to evaluate communications effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
What’s our top IC trend of the last decade?
Over 11 years and in 77 chapters, our Trends reports comment on the latest movements and thought leadership in internal communications. But you know what they say – the more things change, the more they stay the same. In reverse order, here are the top three enduring trends of the last decade, and where we think they’ll go next.
Don’t shut the cyber door after the hacker has bolted
Would you leave the house with all your doors and windows open, trusting that no opportunist will pop in to check for valuables?
Webinar: the one comms skill to rule them all
What’s the one skill communicators have that will help their organisations gain a strategy edge in the years to come? That’s the question Sequel’s Nick Andrews put to Jen Sproul, Chief Executive at the Institute of Internal Communications, in our latest webinar.
Why explainer films hold the key to people engagement
Employees’ available time – and their attention span – for training and digesting business information is getting shorter. That means HR and IC teams face growing pressure to deliver information that cuts through the noise. Head of Video, Claudi Schneider, champions the value of the explainer film with its magic ability to engage audiences.
Investing in the power of knowledge
In today’s high-performance workplace, clarity is a competitive advantage. And yet, many internal communications teams are still flying blind, relying on instinct, anecdotal feedback, or outdated metrics to steer and shape their comms.
👍or 👎? Do emojis belong in internal communication?
Dumbing down or adding emotion? Muddling messages or aiding clarity? As more and more young workers use emojis at work, should internal communicators be learning to speak their language?
Lights, Camera, Prompt! Can we trust AI-powered film?
Research shows that the AI-generated video content is booming with new software and tools coming online all the time.
Act now to get your intranet AI ready
One question we’re hearing a lot at the moment is: “With all these clever AI tools at our fingertips, do we even need an intranet anymore?”
Microsoft 365: where every upgrade means something new to learn
Our IC clients tell us that there are many reasons they choose to use the Microsoft 365 suite within their organisations.Digital tools: five reasons why they are our best work friends
Digital tools can make life – and work – more efficient, simplifying complex tasks and freeing us up to do the creative stuff…
Five themes from the IoIC Festival
Following a packed few days at this year’s IoIC Festival, we’ve pulled together the top five things that we’ve taken away as a team.
Minimising cybersecurity risk with engaged employees
It only takes a glance at recent news reports to know that all businesses are under increasing threat of cyber attacks and the associated risks to their customers, their bottom line and their reputation.
To speak or not to speak…
Organisations are now expected to speak out on the big issues. But how can internal communicators advise on which ones to explore, and which ones to politely side step?
Internal comms: a box of surprises?
I recently had the pleasure of running a series of line manager training sessions for one of our client organisations. I talked about the value of line manager communication to organisations and productivity, and set out a toolbox of practical techniques to help attendees have more productive conversations with their teams.
From sent to seen: simple design tips to get your email read
Despite the wealth of new communications channels available to business, email remains a popular and effective way of reaching employees.
Email: extracting value from the champion of channels
Despite the many different communication tools we have, email remains the #1 most used internal communication channel in the workplace
Navigating the culture map
How do cultural differences have an impact on international teams, line manager communications and employee listening?
AI jargon buster: making sense of AI language
AI is transforming the way we work, communicate, and make decisions. But let’s be honest, some of the language around AI can feel complicated, full of jargon that makes it sound more mysterious than it really is. The good news? You don’t need to be a data scientist to understand AI.
The quiet art of active listening
“Having a voice at work can make a fundamental difference to people’s working lives and can help build better relationships between employers and their workforce.”
Why persuasive internal communications needs irrational thinking
What if the key to truly persuasive internal communication lies not in logic, but in the unconscious mental shortcuts your employees make every day? Becky Leonard, Sequel’s Insight and Content Manager, explains why organisations need to start thinking more irrationally. 
Why being clear about organisational purpose impact employee trust
Time and time again we hear from our client organisations that people just aren’t engaging with the bigger picture. Sometimes that’s because it’s unclear or confusing. And sometimes it’s because it doesn’t seem the right approach.
365 ways to use Microsoft 365, but are you using the right one?
If your organisation is using Microsoft 365 but you’re still not sure if you’re getting the best out of it, or understanding the ‘art of the possible’, you’re not alone. 
Defining your digital culture
While the rapid roll out of digital collaboration tools was a business necessity back when many of us went into lockdown in 2020, many organisations are still not adapting their approach to fit new working environments.
The People Workplace: how to amplify employee voice
While hybrid working was hampered by Covid restrictions in 2021, 2022 is the perfect time to turn up the sound of the employee voice across your organisation.
The Purposeful Workplace: how to create a compelling corporate culture
Record numbers of employees have been moved to, well… move, when it’s come to their careers in recent times. The challenge is written large for employers – offer a clear, compelling purpose and corporate culture or your organisation will suffer.
The well workplace: how blurring the boundaries between work and home life and unrelenting change continues to impact employee wellbeing
While the advent of hybrid working promised flexibility and improvements to our work/life balance, the reality has arguably brought new wellbeing challenges that need to be recognised and addressed.
The power of personalisation in employee engagement
Low readership? A lack of organisational alignment? It’s definitely time to be more personal with your internal communications content and audience.
