More than 20 years ago, Andrea Greenhous started blazing a trail in Ottawa with her agency Vision2Voice, which specializes in internal communications. Today, with significant shifts in technology and with more employees working remotely, Greenhous is still pushing the boundaries of her profession.
Greenhous started her Ottawa-based internal communications agency in 2000, after several years in corporate communications. Her business model of focusing on internal strategies versus external was inspired by her time with a global company called Nordeon.
“They had just an amazing culture and people loved working there,” she said. “I just remembered how great the culture was and how communication played a role in that. That’s where I’ve tried to focus my business. How do we use communication inside organizations to improve the employee experience, build trust and understand a company’s purpose?”
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While she was sold on the concept, it hasn’t been easy carving out a niche, especially in Ottawa, she said. Even though the internal communications industry is well established in the United States and Europe, it’s less well known among Canadian corporations.
In Ottawa, she said, most businesses don’t have a person dedicated to internal communications. And because it isn’t a well-known practice, many companies haven’t made room in their budget to hire a third party such as Greenhous.
In the early years, her company worked with the federal government on big projects, doing what Greenhous calls “change communications,” or helping workers through changes in culture and technology.
“What I realized with a lot of these change initiatives, whether I was working with the private sector or public sector, was that organizations didn’t know how to communicate effectively,” she said. “There was a lack of transparency, a lack of openness, of real human communication that builds trust and connection within their organization. So when you try to layer on major or even minor changes, people resist and that change becomes so much harder.”
Implementing better internal communication strategies can be particularly helpful during times of significant change for a company, such as mergers or office moves, she said. Some organizations don’t have an effective communication ecosystem in place, making it that much harder to relay information when it’s needed most. According to Greenhous, an ineffective system results in employees being bombarded with unnecessary information, while the important stuff gets lost in the shuffle.
“Instead of throwing these resources at them when they’re going through massive change, (companies) should be focusing on communicating in modern and meaningful ways from the start.”
Recent shifts in how people work have also led to changes in how people communicate, a challenge that Greenhous and her team have had to take on.
“There’s a big need right now with hybrid work to be able to communicate with employees to give them the tools to understand what’s going on,” she said. “A lot of organizations now have distributed teams. One of our clients, MDA Space, has offices in Ottawa, but also in the U.K., Brampton, Halifax and Vancouver.”
The ways workers communicate has also changed drastically in the past two decades, she said. It’s no longer just about emails; employees now video chat and virtual message throughout the day. With workers so spread out, communication between employees and across departments can quickly break down without efficient internal channels, she added.
On the plus side, she explained, the changing tech landscape has offered plenty of new tools for companies to improve their ecosystem. Greenhous said Vision2Voice often partners with companies to introduce new communication methods.
“There are companies that do modern intranet apps, they call it omnichannel communication,” she said. “It means (an employee) can download an app to their phone and get bite-sized information, look up their pay stub, check their schedule and connect with others.”
She said bringing technology up to date is essential to improving internal communication and boosting employee engagement, morale and trust.
“Employees deserve a modern way to connect at work, just as much as they deserve it at home,” she said. “These tools can target employees. Employees in Vancouver don’t need the schedule for the location in Montreal. They need information that’s relevant to their role and location. That’s really important, to cut down the noise.”
Greenhous was recently recognized for her work helping clients improve transparency and trust within their organizations through internal communications. Last week, the International Association of Business Communicators named Greenhous as one of three people awarded fellow status this year, which, according to the association, is the highest honour the organization can bestow on members.
“It’s humbling, but also gratifying,” Greenhous said. “I’ve been passionate about this for so long. The problem with communication is sometimes it’s hard to prove results and get people to understand the value of your work. Being recognized for this has been super gratifying and validating. I feel very grateful.”
