If new research by the Charted Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is anything to go by then its findings should serve as a much-needed wake-up call to PR practitioners who have been guilty of neglecting their internal communications strategies.

The results of the study will be presented at the forthcoming CIPR Inside Annual Conference taking place this October. It will be a welcome reminder to an industry that is so preoccupied with getting external messages right that internal communications is often left to fall by the wayside.

According to the report, which surveyed more than 300 internal comms specialists, 91% of respondents said that they spent less than a quarter of their time on employee feedback and research. What’s more, 71% said they dedicated less than a quarter of their time towards line manager and team communications.

This was despite the fact that 81% said they felt they needed to focus more of their efforts on employee feedback.

So if PR practitioners who actually specialise in internal comms feel they are neglecting employee engagement then what does this say about the wider PR profession?

Clients of PR service providers clearly understand the marketing benefit of public relations, but when it comes to internal communications the value of PR is not always clear.

So, above all, the CIPR report highlights the need to remind our clients about exactly why internal PR is so important.

Every organisation needs strong communication right from the top to the very bottom, both for staff morale and to function efficiently.

A particular problem for many organisations is that senior managers can end up becoming completely detached from what’s going on at ground level. But, by encouraging employee feedback and engagement, managers are able to get a better insight into the everyday problems that an organisation faces.

Not only that, but customer feedback also provides a invaluable source of information on ways in which to improve and innovate and also ultimately helps to give everyone a say.