PR Indonesia Learns Internal Communication Practices from Pertamina
For any organisation, communication is not limited to external parties. Equally important is how an organisation manages its internal communication. As a site for a comparative study, PR INDONESIA organised a Corporate Communication Experience programme by visiting PT Pertamina (Persero) in Jakarta on Wednesday (9/9).
This activity provided an opportunity for corporate communication and Public Relations practitioners from various State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and private companies to directly learn about the internal communication practices implemented by Pertamina.
The visit specifically discussed how Pertamina manages internal communication for more than 43,000 workers, while simultaneously building relationships and trust between the company and its employees.
Asmono Wikan, Founder & CEO of PR INDONESIA Group, explained the reason why Pertamina was chosen as the destination for the comparative study. According to him, Pertamina is regarded as being consistent in developing internal communication practices that have a significant impact on the company.
Furthermore, he noted that forums specifically discussing best practices in internal communication are still relatively rare in Indonesia.
“Of the many companies in Indonesia, Pertamina is one of the few that is truly capable of implementing various internal communication practices that are highly impactful. Through very measurable programmes, Pertamina has successfully increased the internal solidarity of employees, turning them into an orchestra led by its communications team,” said Asmons.
He assessed that the internal communication practices implemented by Pertamina are worthy of being used as a study material and a benchmark for communication practitioners in other companies.
“When colleagues return to their respective offices, they can take insights from Pertamina to subsequently modify and apply them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pertamina’s Internal Communication Manager, Sarah, explained that one of Pertamina’s main focuses in internal communication is building trust among workers.
“Today, Pertamina is receiving a visit from the PR INDONESIA group. We are here to share the intricacies of corporate communication, especially how to build trust among workers, particularly through internal communication. Therefore, we are sharing experiences on how to manage the relationship between the company and the employees themselves,” said Sarah.
In a separate location, Pertamina’s VP of Corporate Communication, Muhammad Baron, explained that managing internal communication for Pertamina is just as important as managing external communication.