Dunelm, Internal Communications Manager, Abigail Harrison, reveals how the retailer uses video content to enhance the brand’s internal comms strategy and engage employees. 

“We’ve worked with Meet & Potato for over a decade, they have successfully produced our internal events and video content which has only increased since 2020.  Prior to Covid, video wasn’t commonly used by Dunelm to communicate to our wider teams but since then we’ve definitely increased our focus on it.  We can see the positive impact and engagement that video brings in comparison to other forms of media.

“I think what Covid did teach us is the value colleagues put on being connected to Dunelm and our leadership team. We’ve found the connection to be much stronger when someone presents themselves in video form compared with written presentations.

 

“Following this success video is now an integral part of Dunelms’ annual internal communications plan. We have found short informative videos are well received by our colleagues. We offer our information in a variety of formats, but videos are personal, relatable, engaging and memorable. We now consider video in everything we do. Our ambition is to continue to make personable and accessible communications and video fully supports this.

“It’s been particularly successful within our Colleague Networks at Dunelm (LGBTQ+, Ethnicity and Race, Gender Equality and Disability and Neurodiversity). These communities are run by colleagues, for colleagues and they drive a lot of meaningful change in the business. With the use of video we’ve been able to get so many more colleagues involved and engaged.

 

“Our Stories” was an internal communications campaign that placed our people centre stage. Despite our widely spread team it created a culture of belonging. With the help of the Meet & Potato team we interviewed and filmed people across the organisation to reveal who they are and where their life story has taken them and their families. The results are stunning, revealing an engaged and uplifting mix of cultures and experiences.

By revealing our people’s stories we found:

• Stories are forged by experience, to know someone is to understand their story and their experiences.
• Stories inspire, leaders can connect with their teams by sharing personal stories.
• Stories create trust, a safe place where people can share their own stories.
• Storytelling promotes confidence, colleagues can speak up or speak out as their authentic selves.

“Going forward as an internal communications team, we are always listening to our colleagues, we’ll continue to adapt, but I’m confident that video will remain a key feature in our content plans.”

 

Jo Prosser, Creative & Content Director at M&P (pictured above) added:

“It’s been interesting to see how Dunelm’s internal communications style has developed over the years. There’s been a significant shift towards an open and inclusive dialogue, one which invites everyone from across the business to join in the conversation. By giving colleagues an equal voice, they feel empowered and aligned with the brand values.

“The trend isn’t exclusive to Dunelm. More employees are working remotely these days but organisations still need to engage these people and ensure they stay connected to their office-based counterparts. Video content bridges that gap with a human face and allows the brand story to unfold directly from the people who are responsible for creating it. ”