The August Paradox: Less Attention Can Lead to More Authentic Internal Comms

August might be the most beautifully chaotic time of the year. Half your audience is setting out-of-office replies that read like tiny manifestos of freedom. The other half is acting busy, working harder than ever to hit quota, but you can catch them gazing out at heatwaves and thinking about faraway destinations they would rather be at right now.

Your executives are scattered across holiday hotspots, sending cryptic messages at 3am their time. Your carefully planned comms campaign is competing with gelato stands and farmers’ markets, not to mention that colleague who's taking a “workation”, joining your Zoom calls from a hammock somewhere in Thailand. 

And you? You're sitting in a half-empty office, staring at engagement metrics that look flatter than a lake, wondering if anyone is actually reading anything you're sending right now.

Welcome to August. It's weird, it's wonderful, and it's exactly when internal communications can and should prove its worth.

Less attention, more impact

Most internal communications pros treat August as a month to endure and apologize for. They delay important announcements, water down their messaging, and spend four weeks counting down to September when "everyone's back and focused". 

But what if August is actually the perfect time for experimenting with your internal communications?

Think about it. When your audience is smaller and less focused on KPIs, you can test new formats without the pressure of perfect execution. You can have more intimate, honest conversations, and build deeper connections with remote workers. And since you have time to actually listen, you’ll find that if you ask the right questions, people will tell you the truth about what's really happening in your company.

What August teaches us about authentic internal comms

When formality melts away and everyone's a little more human, you discover what really matters to your workforce. The polished quarterly updates that generate dutiful nods in March? They feel ridiculous in August. But the honest update about why the office AC is broken and how you're dealing with it? That gets shared, discussed, appreciated.

August forces you to communicate like a human being instead of a corporate communications department. And here's the secret: your employees prefer you that way year-round.

How to win August

You can use this hot, bizarre month to become the kind of internal communications pro who creates connection instead of just moving information. You can also use the breathing room to fix what’s broken and build what’s missing. 

Here are some tips and ideas to make the most of August. 

• Acknowledge the seasonality: Before sending anything out ask yourself: does it pass the "would I want to read this on vacation" test? Messages that work in August sound like this: "Here's what's happening while half of you are enjoying the beach," or "This can probably wait until September, but you might want to know now."
• Embrace the intimacy: With a smaller audience, you can be more personal, more direct, more real, and start conversations.
  Audit your comms channels: It’s a rare chance to do it without the pressure of daily firefighting. What formats generated engagement? What tools help you with catching employee attention?
• Experiment: Test that newsletter format or try that AI video tool you've been nervous about. Use a more casual tone.
• Connect with your remote workers: They're often more engaged in August because they're not fighting commuter traffic or office distractions. They're your August MVPs.
• Global differentiation is key: Different regions have different calendars – right now your APAC team might be fully engaged while your European team is completely checked out. Send region-specific content instead of trying to find the mythical perfect timing that works for everyone. 

One last tip: Take a rest

Maybe the smartest thing you can do this August is to step back and take your vacation days. 

The teams that come back strong in September are the ones who've used the time to think, rest, and return with a new perspective instead of accumulated exhaustion.

Leave your phone home, take a break, touch grass, meet your old friends, remember what’s important in life. Your September self will thank you for it.