No matter how much work you put into your newest initiative—from policy changes to new performance review systems—it can’t be a success without the right communication to back it up.
Advita Patel, founder of CommsRebel, A UK-based company that helps organizations cultivate inclusive cultures through effective communication, has strategies to help. Patel gives real-life concrete examples of how HR leaders can foster a workplace culture that encourages constructive dialogue that strengthens your initiatives—rather than derails them.
How can HR leaders embed psychological safety into workplace culture, and what really works?
Psychological safety only happens when people genuinely believe that speaking up will not result in repercussions. In my work, observing and looking out for covert red flags can make a huge difference and I know that leaders can miss the obvious signs, such as team members staying quiet in meetings, colleagues not sharing ideas, high levels of sickness or low performance.
Last year with a financial tech client, their focus groups uncovered that people rarely had the opportunity to share ideas as they worked in a fast-paced environment. So, we transformed their outdated monthly town halls into weekly 30-minute learning huddles.
Each huddle kicks off with team members shouting out colleagues and ends with the leader tackling one anonymous “red-card” question from a digital wall. Within three months, their “I can voice a concern” score jumped 22 points.
We also introduced learning debriefs, which were quick, no-blame sessions when things went wrong. Teams simply share what happened, what they learned and what they’ll do differently next time. The combination of quick feedback loops, visible curiosity and public learning sent a clear message to teams that they are safe to speak up.
What are the most common blind spots in inclusive communication and how can HR address them?
I’ve seen too many HR leaders move on to the next initiative without checking if employees actually understood the benefits changes, policy updates or new procedures they just announced.
At a global manufacturing client, a policy update was announced, and it was at risk of completely missing half the workforce on factory floors. Thankfully, the HR team had a good understanding of internal comms, and they worked closely with me to create things like poster infographics at colleague rest areas, voice notes for supervisors and captioned videos for the TV screens dotted around workspaces. One manager told me later that the care taken to make sure his team were notified had meant a lot.
I always suggest that HR teams take time to understand the personas of the people they want to communicate with and the outcomes they want to achieve. Colleagues are not homogeneous, and people absorb information differently.
It’s also important to remember that the most inclusive HR communication isn’t always the quickest, but it’s always the most effective in driving the adoption and behavior changes you need.
In what ways have you seen internal communication strengthen or derail HR initiatives?
Internal comms can be great partners for HR and can support them in their work. I worked with an HR team in a professional services organization who were launching a major well-being program with a genuine budget behind it.
They invested heavily in creating focus groups to shape the offering, built a beautiful digital hub and trained well-being champions across all departments. They communicated consistently, transparently and through multiple channels and participation hit 87 percent in the first six months.
The opposite scenario played out with a tech company rolling out a new performance review system. Despite the system potentially easing the pressure on managers and being more development-focused, they announced it through a single HR email with a 10-page attachment and gave managers a couple of days to prepare.
Their biggest mistake in this situation was excluding team leads in the process. This resulted in widespread confusion, resistance from middle managers who felt ambushed and a three-month delay while they essentially restarted the entire process. This showed me that even the best HR initiatives die without thoughtful, well-timed communication that brings your people along for the journey.
How has your own leadership journey shaped your work and your advice for HR leaders?
Growing up, I was a quiet observer, which taught me early on to listen to what wasn’t being said. Curiosity shapes everything I do now, and I tend to listen first, before coming up with solutions.
When I launched my consultancy, CommsRebel, I had to build confidence from scratch, pitching to C-Suite leaders without losing my authentic style. I discovered that real credibility comes from clarity and consistency, not corporate buzzwords or pretending to be someone else.
Today, I coach HR leaders to create spaces where people can test ideas out loud, make decisions in the room and feel confident in their work. You’re not just strengthening culture when you consciously model that behavior by asking the awkward question, admitting what you don’t know and giving credit to behind-the-scenes work. You’re showing every employee that thriving confidently at work is actually possible, not just something in your values statement.
