Employee Experience Isn’t a Department. It’s a Conversation

When people talk about employee experience, they often reach for the same language. Journeys. Moments that matter. Culture, connection, purpose. It’s the stuff of strategy decks, vision statements and vendor websites.

But here’s a simpler way to think about it.

Employee experience is how it feels to work here.

Not what you say in the onboarding pack. Not what’s printed on the wall in the kitchen. What it actually feels like — on a wet Wednesday morning when someone’s behind on their targets and unsure what happens next.

And like most experiences, it’s shaped less by intention and more by interaction.

That’s why communication isn’t just part of employee experience. It is the experience.

Experience is not what you promise. It’s what you reinforce.

You can have beautifully designed touchpoints. A clear EVP. A thoughtful onboarding programme.

But if the way you communicate day-to-day is rushed, inconsistent, passive-aggressive or unclear, then that becomes the real story.

Because in most organisations, the employee experience isn’t driven by campaigns. It’s driven by a thousand small moments that either make someone feel seen — or not.

It’s the tone of a manager’s update. The speed of a response. The visibility of information. The way a change is explained, or not explained at all.

And if your internal communication isn’t intentionally shaping those moments, then they’re still being shaped. Just not in your favour.

Who owns employee experience?

That question comes up a lot. HR? Comms? Operations? IT?

The real answer is: everyone. But communication teams are often the only ones who see the full picture. Who sit across functions, and understand the disconnect between what’s being said and what’s being felt.

That gives internal comms a unique opportunity. Not just to share information, but to shape how the organisation is experienced.

Not with spin, but with care. With clarity. With content that feels like it was written for humans by humans.

When communication is seen as a leadership tool — not just a distribution channel — that’s when employee experience gets better. Not louder, but clearer. Not slicker, but more honest.

This is not a side task

Too often, internal communication is positioned as the bit that happens after the decision. But if we really care about experience, it needs to be in the room before the slide deck is even made.

Because how something is communicated is not a follow-up to the experience. It is the experience

It’s the difference between trust and suspicion. Between clarity and noise. Between “that makes sense” and “they’ve done it again.”

A quiet provocation

If you’re in internal comms, you’re in employee experience. Whether or not the org sees it that way yet.

You’re shaping perception, culture, trust and tone — one message at a time.

And if the employee experience doesn’t feel right, maybe it’s not about another strategy refresh.

Maybe it’s about changing the conversation.