Measurement
Part of A framework for UK internal communications measurement
A framework for UK internal communications measurement
A framework for UK internal communications measurement: four board-ready measures, own-data ranges and published surveys as context.
What to take away
- UK benchmark ranges for internal comms are thinpublished UK series cover engagement and job quality, not channel performance, so treat them as context rather than targets.
- Choose four measures a board can act onreach, comprehension, feel and behaviour.
- Set your bands from your own baseline first, then check the definition against a published UK series.
- Name the source and the date for every figure, and leave the threshold blank until you have three comparable periods.
Where UK internal comms benchmarks come from
Search for internal communications benchmarks for UK businesses and you will mostly find engagement indices. The Civil Service People Survey publishes an engagement index and theme scores each year. The CIPD's Good Work Index does something similar for a wider UK sample. Neither tells you whether your last intranet post was read.
That gap matters because boards ask two questions. Can we compare ourselves with anyone? Did the last campaign change anything? The first rarely has a clean answer. The second you can build from your own records.
Where a public body runs the survey, the sample is large and the method is published. Those series work as a directional check, not as your target.
Four measures worth putting in front of a board
Platform dashboards tend to count delivery rather than effect. Choose measures by what a board can do with them, not by what happens to be switched on by default. Reach, comprehension, feel and behaviour each answer a different question, and each needs a definition that holds up under scrutiny.
Four board-ready measures
Reach
- Definition
- Opened in five days
- UK reference
- Platform logs
- Cadence
- Monthly
Comprehension
- Definition
- Can restate decision
- UK reference
- Own quiz
- Cadence
- Per campaign
Feel
- Definition
- One agreement statement
- UK reference
- CSPS; CIPD
- Cadence
- Quarterly
Behaviour
- Definition
- Completed named action
- UK reference
- Own system
- Cadence
- Monthly
| Measure | Definition to write down | UK reference | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | Share of UK-based employees who opened or viewed a named message within five working days | Platform logs only | Monthly |
| Comprehension | Share of a sampled group who can restate the decision and their own next action | Your own quiz or interview round | Per campaign |
| Feel | Agreement with one statement, such as "I know how my work fits the plan" | Civil Service People Survey engagement items; CIPD Good Work Index | Quarterly |
| Behaviour | Share who completed the named action inside the stated window | Your own system of record | Monthly |
Two teams can both report a comprehension score and mean different things. Write the question wording, the population, the window and the exclusions next to every number. If a supplier cannot produce those four fields, the number is decoration.
If you are choosing where the data lives, our comparison of corporate communications measurement tools for UK PR teams sets out what each platform keeps, what it drops and what it will never export.
How to set your own bands in five steps
A band is a range you are willing to defend, with the definition attached. Build it in five steps and write each one down.
Five steps to set a band
- Fix the definition on one line
- Collect three periods first
- Set band from that range
- Check direction against published series
- Publish band, source and date
- Fix the definition. Record the question wording, the population, the window and the exclusions on one line.
- Collect three comparable periods before you set anything. Three consecutive months, or three campaign cycles, show a range rather than noise.
- Set a provisional band from the observed range. Use the lowest and highest results in the comparable periods as its edges. If seasonality may affect results, use periods from comparable seasonal conditions rather than adding an arbitrary buffer.
- Check the direction against a published series. If your feel measure borrows Civil Service People Survey wording, compare direction, not decimals.
- Publish the band, the source and the date. Every time the band moves, log what changed.
What the law lets you survey and publish
Employee survey responses are personal data where they identify, or can identify, an individual. Their processing is governed by the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. For practical guidance on anonymity and disclosure risk, consult the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator. Before promising anonymity or sharing small-team results, consider whether individuals could still be identified.
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires directors, when promoting the success of the company, to have regard to the interests of the company's employees.
Turning four measures into a board pack
One page is enough. Show the measure, the band, the period value, the source and the decision the number informs. Anything else invites a discussion about data quality instead of the plan.
One-page board pack contents
- The measure
- The band
- The period value
- The source
- The decision it informs
Set each measure inside a working corporate communications framework that names the decision it serves, so the board sees why the number exists. A measure with no decision attached is the first thing to cut when the pack runs long.
Common questions
What is a realistic survey response rate for UK internal comms?
Response rates vary with survey length, manager behaviour and whether results are published back, so there is no single rate that is realistic for every UK organisation. Compare your own last three pulses rather than chase a national figure.
How often should internal comms benchmarks be refreshed?
Monthly for reach and behaviour, quarterly for feel, and once per campaign for comprehension. Revisit the bands annually, or sooner if a merger or restructure changes the shape of the organisation.
What should we do when a supplier offers an industry benchmark?
Ask for the definition, the sample, the fieldwork dates and the question wording. If any of the four is missing, treat the figure as marketing material and set your band from your own records.
