CorpComms Magazine

This recession has, of course, caused some casualties in our industry but it has also galvanised many businesses into honest appraisal of their services and they have emerged stronger as a result. One aspect of our industry I think will develop significantly this year is attention to return on investment. ROI was thrust into the limelight last year, due to budget restrictions and a much more meticulous approach from those who held the purse strings. The need to better demonstrate the financial impact of our communications programmes will be crystallised by continued budget cuts and general trepidation about the type of lavish spending which has often been highlighted as one of the recession's contributing factors.

There are no guarantees the recession is truly over and companies will still be protective of budgets, but I think the general industry trend will be that of growth throughout this year. Corporate communications will become less restricted, fuelled by the need for businesses to communicate more effectively with staff and stakeholders. Employee engagement will become a real concern for organisations who begin to see the danger of cutting back on employee communications as staff turnover rates increase, new staff training bills rise and productivity falls. The government-backed MacLeod Review already indicated the onset of this worrying trend and businesses will need to address this to ensure their survival.

We believe, just as we did last January, that we are faced with another year of fantastic and exciting opportunities for our industry, which we must be ready to develop. We must be ready to demonstrate the impact of our programmes in financial and factual terms to inspire confidence in our industry. Corporate communications are absolutely vital in helping the UK emerge from the recession with a secure and motivated workforce and this year will provide us with the perfect conditions to incontrovertibly demonstrate that fact.

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