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We’re so proud to welcome Samaritans — the charity supporting anyone in distress, any time of day or night — to the Blink family. 23,000 volunteers and 300 staff across the UK and Ireland now have a single place to connect, communicate, and celebrate their collective impact.

And if their first-day buzz is anything to go by, this is going to be big. 💚

A digital front door built for a volunteer-powered organization

99% of Samaritans’ people are volunteers. That makes this launch a little different from our usual rollouts — less “sprint,” more “purposeful marathon.” Their approach has been thoughtful and rooted in accessibility and inclusion.

To meet their unique needs, the Blink and Samaritans project team spent the last few months building the platform with volunteers, for volunteers — including:

• Accessibility upgrades shaped by blind and visually impaired volunteers
• Default display of Sams names (the names used within some branches) for those volunteers who use them
• Meaningful tweaks driven by 260+ Blink Champions across the organization

The result: A modern social platform that feels intuitive, familiar, and built for how Samaritans actually works.

Blink truly feels like a platform designed to enhance connection while still making it accessible for all.
‍_{Annah, Listening Volunteer & Blink Champion}

Bringing everyone together 

While Samaritans has access to a variety of channels to support communication between volunteers and staff, different tools are used in different areas. Now, for the first time, every branch, hub, volunteer, and staff member has easy access to one shared digital channel.

On Blink, Samaritans can:

• Share organization-wide news and updates in real time
• Create dedicated spaces for fundraising, outreach, training, IT support, and more
• Run private branch groups that auto-sync membership via a  central database
• Empower two-way conversations across teams and roles
• Keep personal phone numbers private while still enabling chat, voice, and video calls

Blink provides a new opportunity for us to improve the way we communicate and collaborate together here at Samaritans. It also supports communication within dedicated interest groups, where volunteers and staff can come together and share information or ask questions.
‍_{Charlotte, Engagement and Change Manager}

A collaborative rollout with impact at the center

When we hosted the Samaritans internal comms team at our London office to mark the launch, their feedback was unanimous: Blink is the can-do partner they had been looking for.

They praised our collaborative partnership behind the scenes and willingness to take on tough challenges — from accessibility requirements to unique volunteer needs. 

But the real magic starts now. As thousands of volunteers begin exploring Blink, contributing ideas, and shaping what communication looks like next, this rollout becomes something bigger: a stronger, more connected Samaritans community.

Welcome to Blink, Samaritans. Your impact is extraordinary — and we’re honored to help bring your people closer than ever.

G2’s 2024 fall reports are now live — and Blink has made some major moves in employee communications categories.

We’re excited to have improved on our strong G2 ratings from spring 2024, where we were recognized in the employee communications, employee intranet, frontline worker communications, and employee engagement software categories.

Let’s take a closer look at G2’s fall results and explore what they mean for Blink — and our customers.

An introduction to G2 rankings and reports

G2 is the world’s most trusted software marketplace. It provides software reviews and comparisons and — every quarter — it releases its G2 reports.

These reports are based on the reviews of real software customers. They highlight the very best software options available and help users find products capable of solving their business problems.

To create its ranking and reports, G2 assesses software providers based on the following indices:

Results Index. To create its Results Index report, G2 looks at whether a software platform meets user requirements. It also looks at estimated ROI, product adoption rate, and how likely users are to recommend the product to a friend.

Usability Index. The Usability Index is all about how easy it is to use a particular software. G2 looks at ease of use, ease of admin, and the percentage of users who adopt the product.

Relationship Index. For its Relationship Index, G2 ranks software companies on the quality of their support. Users are asked whether a software provider is easy to work with — and whether they’d recommend this software product to a friend.

Implementation Index. To create these rankings, G2 looks at user opinions related to ease of setup and the length of time it took to go live.

Grid Report. The Grid Report is G2’s analysis of the competitive landscape for a particular software category. Each available product is plotted on the grid according to its market presence and user satisfaction.

Enterprise Grid Report. G2 segments its reviews based on the size of the company its reviewers work for. In its Enterprise Grid Report, G2 only includes reviews from enterprise companies — those with 1,001 or more employees.

Regional Grid Report. G2 also highlights the top 50 companies from each global region. A company’s region is determined by where it was founded, where its executive team resides, and where the majority of its workforce is located.

Blink’s G2 rankings for fall 2024

So how did Blink perform in the fall G2 results? We jumped up a number of spots in key employee communications categories:

• Blink moved up two spots in the Relationship Index for Employee Communications and is now ranked #2 out of all employee communications software for customer service.
• Blink also moved up two spots in G2’s Grid Report for Employee Communications, again ranking #2 out of all employee communications software.
• Blink moved up four spots — coming in #2 — in the Enterprise Grid Report for Employee Communications.

But that’s not all! Here’s how Blink performed in employee communications, frontline worker communications, and enterprise social networking categories.

Employee communications

G2 ranked Blink as one of the top three software providers in all of the following categories:

• Usability Index for Employee Communications
• Relationship Index for Employee Communications
• Results Index for Employee Communications
• Grid Report for Employee Communications

According to G2, Blink is user-friendly, provides good customer support, and produces business results. Blink is also an industry leader in the internal communications space, with high levels of software satisfaction and performance.

In addition, showing that it performs well for large organizations, Blink was listed as one of the top three software providers for the following enterprise company categories:

• Enterprise Results Index for Employee Communications
• Enterprise Implementation Index for Employee Communications
• Enterprise Grid Report for Employee Communications

As well as being well-reviewed by users, products included in the Employee Communications category must be able to:

• Create internal content campaigns
• Personalize distribution of communication
• Segment company into designated groups
• Allow employees to subscribe to topics or content of interest
• Analyze performance of content shared within the application

With a news feed, content hub, instant messaging, survey, recognition, and digital form features, Blink gives companies everything they need to improve internal communications. Our app fosters a culture of two-way communication, so organizations can keep staff informed and engaged.

Frontline worker communications

Blink also ranked highly when it comes to frontline worker communications. It’s featured as one of the top three software providers in the following categories:

• Usability Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms
• Relationship Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms
• Results Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms
• Enterprise Results Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms

Products included in the Frontline Worker Communications category must be able to:

• Provide real-time messaging capabilities, allowing frontline workers to communicate quickly and efficiently with their co-workers and supervisors
• Provide the ability to broadcast announcements and updates, such as policy changes or emergency alerts, to specific individuals, groups, or the entire workforce
• Enable the sharing of documents, manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and other resources
• Provide survey and feedback tools to gather insights from employees
• Have a specific and designated use case for frontline and deskless workers

Unlike other platforms in the space, Blink was designed with the frontline workforce in mind. It’s a mobile-first employee communications app with the same great features and user experience across desktop and mobile device versions.

Employees can access Blink from their smartphones. They don’t need a company email address to log in. And with single sign-on technology, they have easy access to the internal communications, company resources, and coworker connections they need to thrive in their roles.

Enterprise social networking (ESN)

This quarter, Blink received recognition in the Enterprise Social Networking category and received a new badge: 

• Enterprise Europe Regional Grid Report for Enterprise Social Networking (ESN)

To qualify for inclusion in this category, a software product must:

• Allow users to create and maintain profiles that include information such as contact info, skills, expertise, and interests
• Have an activity feed or timeline that displays real-time updates, posts, and interactions from users or groups
• Allow users to engage with content via likes and comments
• Enable users to upload, share, and collaborate on a variety of files or document types
• Allow users to send direct messages in one-on-one or group conversations
• Organize groups or communities based on employees’ interests, projects, or departments

Blink provides informal, interactive communication channels that support bottom-up and peer-to-peer communication. Employees can share updates and photos directly with their co-workers, building connections across the organization even if they work remotely or on a company’s frontlines.

With social tools and communication channels, the Blink app is helping organizations boost employee experience and employee engagement.

What customers are saying about Blink

The G2 rankings above are all based on real Blink customer reviews, like these ones:

Blink is our hero!

Reviewer: Daisy T

Company size: Mid-market: 51-1,000 employees

Rating: 5 stars

“Our frontline absolutely love being able to post out things themselves, and they feel part of the community of colleagues. We had a slight manager / frontline divide before Blink — but now it’s helped everyone feel involved and equal. We also love the Hub as it allows people to be self-sufficient! The customer support is absolutely excellent!”

Blink review

Reviewer: Matt M

Company size: Mid-market: 51-1,000 employees

Rating: 5 stars

“Blink has been a game changer for our organization. The timeliness of employee communication has increased dramatically, allowing us to exchange crucial information with our team in real time. As an Emergency Medical Services provider, all branches of our organization need to be in constant communication. Since implementing BLINK, we have benefitted from a dramatic culture change.”

Blink: Boosting employee engagement across a mobile workforce

Reviewer: Laura P

Company size: Mid-market: 51-1,000 employees

Rating: 5 stars

“We love that Blink tackles our past challenges of inconsistent messaging and low engagement, especially with our remote and frontline workforce. Its functionality across desktop and mobile apps allows staff to easily access company messages, connect with colleagues, and utilize systems on-the-go. This fosters a two-way communication flow between managers, teams, and the entire business, boosting teamwork and knowledge sharing. Employees actively use the system to post, engage with each other, and build a more collaborative work environment — that’s what makes it a game-changer for engagement.”

Blink: The all-in-one employee communications platform

G2 consistently ranks Blink as one of the best employee communications and frontline worker communications platforms on the market. So if you want to improve internal communications or employee engagement at your organization, Blink could be just the software solution you need.

Blink. And see what we could do for your organization.

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HR and employee engagement conferences are more than educational forums for people management insights (although that’s absolutely one of the benefits of attending these events). They are also a gateway to exciting, lucrative networking opportunities — it’s no wonder that huge businesses are built on running conferences for HR and people leaders.

Which employee engagement and HR conferences are best for you to attend in 2023? We’ve put together a list of the events worth your time and the speakers you should be lining up to hear from.

The importance of employee engagement conferences

Every organization strives to engage its workforce, making employee engagement investments and running employee engagement programs. And yet, the latest surveys illustrate that 79% of employees don't feel engaged at work meaning that we’ve still got work to do. 

Disengagement is widespread — particularly when it comes to frontline employee engagement — and every business can take bold steps to improve.

Employee engagement is about inspiring your staff to be the best version of themselves. It requires a proactive attitude, one that picks employees up and motivates them to find their feet and climb higher. 

But the opportunity to engage employees can only be achieved by seeking out the tried and tested advice of experts. And that’s where employee engagement conferences come in.

What's the link between employee experience and employee engagement?

This is a topic we see come up a lot, but there’s an easy way to remember where employee engagement fits within employee experience.

Employee engagement is the target you're trying to hit and employee experience is the means to get you there. 

Employee experience covers everything an individual sees, hears, feels, and believes while at work. It’s made up of countless interactions (or ‘moments that matter’) across the employee lifecycle, from the initial onboarding process to daily tools and responsibilities. Employee engagement, on the other hand, is how demonstrably committed a worker is to their role and your organization.

What are the 4 Cs and 3 Es of employee engagement?

Driving employee engagement is easier when you have a simple guide to follow. Here are the seven key points that will take center stage at employee engagement conferences in 2023:

• Contribution - employees need to feel they have an active role to play in your company and that their work is making a notable impact
• Connection - whether working remotely, on-site, or on the frontline, it's important to avoid working in silos by forging meaningful relationships with co-workers
• Communication - having a management team that’s accessible and approachable offers employees the means by which to speak up and take part
• Confidence - members of staff need certainty in their role, to allow them to perform to the highest of their abilities, without worrying about the health of the company or if their job is at risk
• Empowerment - instilling employees with a sense of trust and authority gives them the motivation to go that extra mile
• Enablement - in order to improve productivity, every employee needs to have the right tool for the job, so ensure their technology needs are met
• Energization - give your staff a reason to act, in an age of unmotivated employees resorting to quiet quitting, incentivize your workers to go above and beyond

The challenges and benefits of frontline employee engagement

Frontline employee engagement challenges

When it comes to frontline employees, there are several unique challenges to consider. And all too often courses, articles, and guides don't feel as relevant or relatable — as if they've been written with one (office-based) employee model in mind.

Frontline workers feel disengagement more acutely than most other professions. For one, there’s the disconnection inherent in their line of work, separating them from their co-workers and the wider organization. This deals a heavy blow to morale and productivity in the process.

The trick is to find an employee engagement solution that suits the frontline’s needs and requirements. It should speak to their inconsistent sense of belonging with the company and offer clear development to help employees build careers with your organization, rather than ‘just jobs’. 

This goes beyond empty investments and initiatives. Frontline employees want to feel listened to, recognized, and included in strategies that directly affect them, rather than being an afterthought.

Frontline employee engagement benefits

The truth is, we all know the benefits of an increase in engagement. Employees that are committed, motivated, and engaged at work deliver more and perform better — and that means your bottom line improves across each and every level of your organization.

Absenteeism and health and safety incidents fall significantly and employee turnover plummets as staff engagement soars. With this, your competitiveness in the industry and attractiveness to prospective new hires is solidified. For CHROs, this is what makes the job feel great and it's understandable to see why employee engagement conferences are so appealing.

Learn more about how frontline organizations can improve employee experience and engagement through Blink’s customer case studies.

11 must-see HR and employee engagement conferences for 2023

UNLEASH America 2023

• Date: April 25-27, 2023
• Location: Las Vegas, USA
• Ticket Price: $1,695

Priding themselves on securing top industry names, you can expect to see representatives from Amazon, Deloitte, Capital One, UPS, Microsoft, and many others, all sharing their invaluable talent management insights.

With a strong focus on HR tech, UNLEASH is the ideal opportunity to explore how technology is changing the future of work across all industries — and the investments you can make to elevate efficiency. It's a must for those in HR and employee engagement.

CIPD Festival of Work

• Date: June 7-8, 2023
• Location: London, UK
• Ticket Price: Free!

This convention is not to be missed. One of the biggest of its kind, the CIPD Festival of Work boasts an impressive roster of guests. Organizations with frontline workers will be particularly interested in hearing from Danny Mortimer, CEO of NHS Employers, Tunde Agoro, Head of ESG at Hydrock, Fiona Brunskill, Chief People Officer of Transport for London, and Toby Culshaw, Global Head of Talent Intelligence at Amazon.

And for that specific focus on employee engagement, CIPD has two keynotes lined up: ‘Maintaining engagement through periods of change’ and ‘Employee listening — the key to retention and employee engagement’.

SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2023

• Date: June 11-14, 2023
• Location: Las Vegas, USA
• Ticket Price: $1,995-$2,495

Energetic, vibrant, and fun — SHRM's annual conferences are well-known in the HR world. SHRM’s mission is to offer the widest possible reach with its events, covering ways to improve every facet of working life.

This gathering of industry professionals from all walks of life guarantees that every organization has something to gain from the expansive four-day HR conference.

HR Summit

• Date: September 28, 2023
• Location: London, United Kingdom
• Ticket Price: TBD

HR Summit is the UK’s home for HR networking. Understanding that your time is precious, their goal is to pair you up with professionals that can answer the burning questions you have and provide the solutions you need.

They achieve this by organizing pre-arranged, face-to-face meetings between delegates and key industry suppliers. The event also features an array of cutting-edge technology, as well as HR products and services, all presented without a pushy hard sell.

HR Vision

• Date: May 9-10, 2023 and October 4-5, 2023
• Location: Amsterdam, Holland and London, UK 
• Ticket Price: £1,499-£2,499

Technology is a main talking point at many HR conferences. The tools we use to manage staff and improve business practices are growing exponentially — and HR Vision dives into the tech that’ll revolutionize your workflows.

The aim of this HR conference is to empower your workforce with the right HR technology and connect People leaders to an impressive set of speakers. Look out for Brady Pyle, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA, Stephen Pierce, Deputy MD and CHRO of Hitachi Europe, and Cath Possamai, CEO of Recruiting Group, British Army, and other big names on the HR Vision agenda.

CHROs particularly interested in HR technology should also look at HR Technologies conference in London on 3-4 May.

Western Cities HR Conference 2023

• Date: October 4-6, 2023
• Location: Edmonton, Canada
• Ticket Price: $120

The idea of a sprawling event can feel overwhelming for those new to the employee engagement conference scene. Thankfully, there are more intimate options, such as Canada's Western Cities HR Conference 2023. 

This event is made up of personal interactions with like-minded professionals and is designed to help managers gain a better understanding of their employees’ challenges. And with a focus on improving employee experience to drive employee engagement, this year's Western Cities HR Conference may be the best option for those looking to dip their toe into the HR conference experience.

HR Technology Conference & Expo

• Date: October 10-13, 2023
• Location: Las Vegas, USA
• Ticket Price: $495-$1,825

Delivering the best HR tech on the market is what a lot of HR conferences pride themselves on. But for companies looking ahead to the horizon, they want to know what the next leap is, several years down the line — and how they can get in on the action early.

For those businesses, HR Technology Conference & Expo is where it's at. The organizers certainly know that having your finger on the pulse and investing in HR technology is a reliable way to improve your company’s HR standing.

Gartner ReimagineHR Conference

• Date: September 11-12, 2023, October 23-25, 2023, and December 4-5, 2023
• Location: London, UK, Orlando, USA, and Sydney, Australia
• Ticket Price: $3,700-$4,250

While still too far away for an agenda to have been published, we’re expecting more top-quality content from Gartner’s ReimagineHR Conference in 2023. Attendees of this employee engagement conference will learn how to tackle pressing issues within talent management, such as attrition, while keeping one eye on what’s coming further down the line.

What's more, this is a great opportunity to explore leadership development, culture building, and improved strategic decision-making — all to help your business operate at its highest possible level.

Workday Rising and Workday AMEA

• Date: September 26-29, 2023 and November 14-16, 2023
• Location: San Francisco, USA and Barcelona, Spain
• Ticket price: TBD

Workday’s online employee engagement content was available until April 2023 and it’s bringing the in-person experience to San Francisco and Barcelo towards the end of the year. 

With a rallying cry of “It’s time to rise”, Workday Rising’s conference content is always inspiring — and helps deliver more than a few of those employee engagement 4 Cs and 3 Es. It’s energizing and empowering, designed to enable People leaders to excel in their roles. You’ll also connect with fellow leaders and gain greater confidence in the work that you do.

How to get the most from an employee engagement conference

With so many options in mind, having a clear game plan will result in the best takeaways and ROI from your experience. Here's what you should focus on:

Research and planning

What are the particular challenges your organization is facing? Will improving retention have the most impact or do you need to create a culture of communication? Understanding where you’re at today and where you want to be in the future is a great way to prepare for employee engagement conference season.

While it might not look like it on the surface, each HR conference will have its own niche angle. Research the speakers, investigate the talking points, and read reviews of how engaging and effective their output is. What you want to see are the success stories, so you can become one too.

Organize your time

HR conferences are designed to wow you. There are multiple stands, panels, and events that will draw your attention, but having a clear itinerary will keep you on track. Keep the exact timings and locations of must-see sessions marked down to avoid disappointment. But don't overload yourself either. Make sure you schedule breaks and allow for chance encounters, too.

Network before, during, and after

Speaking of encounters… The best thing about employee engagement conferences is that you’re with like-minded professionals. Hunt down the group chats or hashtags on sites like LinkedIn to build those connections in advance, then make time in your schedule to introduce yourself in person.

And, perhaps most importantly, keep the fire burning. Maintain momentum and keep in touch to convert that conference acquaintance into a strong business connection.

This is particularly important for HR leaders from frontline organizations. As we know, there are very few conferences that cater specifically to the frontline employee engagement challenges, so use the events listed above to find your allies. You can support each other from there!

Meet Blink at an employee engagement conference near you

Here at Blink, we don't just talk about HR conferences — we attend them too. Take a look at the exciting employee engagement conferences we'll be attending this year. And whether this is your first time or you're a seasoned pro, come and say hello.

Some comms strategies stream seamlessly, while others are stuck buffering with no end in sight

Let’s face it: We live in a world where content rules. We’re constantly streaming, scrolling, watching, and sharing. And just like our favorite shows and platforms, every internal communication strategy has its own vibe — some sleek and polished, others functional but messy, and some… a little too obsessed with rainbows and brand tone.

You wouldn’t launch a new show without a trailer — so why send an update without context, curation, or a hook?

Think about it — your comms platform has viewers (aka employees), admins (your comms team), and its own programming lineup (all those emails, updates, videos, surveys, and shoutouts).

So, here’s the big question:

If your internal comms strategy were a streaming platform… which one would it be?

This is part personality quiz, part gentle diagnosis, and all good fun. And who knows — it might just help you spot a few things to fix, finetune, or completely rethink.

Netflix: The overcommunicator

Tagline: Volume overload. No one knows what to watch.

You’re the king of content volume. Like Netflix, you’re publishing constantly — newsletters, CEO updates, campaign launches, benefits reminders. There’s always something new when employees log in, but just like binge-watchers lost in an endless homepage scroll, your audience is overwhelmed. It’s communication without curation — and everyone’s tuning out.

Pros: Rich, varied content. People know where to find it.

Cons: Information fatigue. Nothing feels urgent, so everything gets ignored.

It’s time to curate like an editor. Use weekly digests, “Top 5 things to know,” or audience targeting to surface the right content to the right people — and give your employees some breathing room.

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HBO Max: The prestige broadcaster

Tagline: Prestige content — but only for the few.

Your internal comms are prestige TV. Like HBO Max, your content is polished, strategic, and often award-worthy — think slick leadership videos and brand-perfect announcements. But it’s top-down and infrequent, designed more for executives than everyday teams. The result? High production value, low connection on the ground.

Pros: Executive trust, strong brand storytelling.

Cons: Limited accessibility. The “everyday” content is missing.

As your next step, pair your prestige comms with grassroots content. Empower local teams to share stories. Make space for informal, in-the-moment updates alongside strategic comms.

Amazon Prime Video: Functional but frustrating

Tagline: Function over feel.

Your intranet is basically Amazon Prime Video. Everything’s technically there — tools, policies, updates — but good luck navigating it. The interface is cluttered, search is a mess, and the content isn’t exactly curated. Like users lost in Prime’s endless menus, your employees might log in, sigh, and log right back out.

Pros: One source of truth.

Cons: Low discoverability. Employees check out before they find what they need.

The name of the game? Simplify. Highlight most-used tools, audit stale pages, and clean up the homepage. Make your digital workplace feel more like a front door, not a storage closet.

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Peacock or Paramount+: The niche network

Tagline: Great content. Tiny audience.

Your comms have cult-classic energy. Like Peacock or Paramount+, you’ve got a few loyal fans and some hidden gems — but overall, your platform just isn’t top-of-mind. Maybe it’s an underused email list or a team SharePoint that rarely gets checked. Great content, but a limited reach means employees are missing the message.

Pros: Focused, relevant updates.

Cons: Low visibility. People say, “Wait — that was announced?”

Time to go multi-channel! Promote your channels like you would a new show launch. Use mobile notifications, digital signage, and team huddles to raise awareness. Great content deserves more viewers.

Disney+: Family-friendly and heavily branded

Tagline: All smiles, no spice.

You’ve mastered the brand voice. Like Disney+, everything in your comms world is polished, upbeat, and totally on-message. It’s a clean, curated experience with beautiful visuals and strong storytelling — perfect for onboarding and mission moments. But after a while, employees might start wondering: Where’s the real talk?

Pros: Strong visual identity and consistent voice.

Cons: Lack of vulnerability. Feels too “corporate.”

To take your strategy to the next level, try mixing in unfiltered stories from employees. Showcase real feedback, day-in-the-life clips, or candid shoutouts. People trust people — not just polish.

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Hulu or NOW: Slightly messy — but people still use it

Tagline: Organized chaos.

You’re Hulu in the US or NOW in the UK — a little bit of everything, with a side of chaos. Your comms live across multiple tools, old and new: Slack threads, SharePoint pages, WhatsApp chats. It’s inconsistent and messy, but it works — because your people have figured out where to look. (Even if they wish it were easier.)

Pros: Content variety, team-specific relevance, enough routine to maintain engagement.

Cons: Fragmented user experience. No single source of truth.

It’s time to unify and streamline. Build a comms hub that feels intentional — not accidental. Keep the local flavor, but tie it all together with a central mobile-first platform.

Apple TV+: All style, not enough substance (yet!)

Tagline: Gorgeous ghost town.

Your comms platform is Apple TV+ — sleek, modern, beautifully branded. It looks amazing and sets a high bar for design. But once you get past the homepage? There’s not much happening. Content is minimal, engagement is low, and employees forget to check in. Pretty isn’t enough — it needs purpose.

Pros: Strong design, great adoption potential.

Cons: Low repeat engagement. Employees say “it looks nice” — but don’t use it.

Try to focus on day-to-day value. Share timely updates, celebrate wins, and surface useful info like shift changes or HR tools. Pair aesthetic with utility.

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YouTube: The employee-led engine

Tagline: Employee-generated magic (with a dash of mayhem).

You’re YouTube — and you’ve handed the mic to your people. Your internal comms are powered by shift videos, peer shoutouts, team stories, and crew takeovers. It’s authentic, bottom-up, and wildly engaging. Sure, it gets a bit chaotic without guardrails — but that realness? That’s what employees keep coming back for.

Pros: High engagement, peer-to-peer connection.

Cons: Needs light moderation and content alignment.

Our recommendation? Set the stage for success. Spotlight standout creators, guide content themes, and introduce a few soft guardrails to keep things safe and focused.

What’s your ideal mix?

The truth is, no internal communication strategy is just one platform. We’re all working with a blend — a little Netflix here, a little HBO there, maybe even a dash of YouTube energy for good measure.

But thinking about your comms this way? It helps. It surfaces what’s working — and what might need a reboot. So ask yourself:

• Is your content too polished when it should be more conversational?
• Do you only reach a select few — but leave the rest of your workforce buffering?
• Are you focusing on sharing it all when what your people really want is clarity?

Build your “comms bundle” — the perfect mix of trust, relevance, usability, and creativity. And just like your ideal Friday night lineup, it should be easy to find, engaging to watch, and worth coming back to.

‍Blink. And flip the script on internal communication in your organization.

In 2020, digital transformation in the manufacturing industry was valued at $263.9 billion USD. This figure is anticipated to reach $767.8 billion USD by 2026. As business leaders in manufacturing, you probably already know all about how DX on your production line can improve your machinery, drive your production rates and refine your overall output.

But what about your day-to-day, run-the-biz systems? How can digital transformation in manufacturing also benefit your wider company operations and employee performance? How can you utilize DX in manufacturing to craft a more meaningful and engaging employee experience, and what other bonuses may you discover along the way?

At Blink, we know a thing or two about transforming the employee experience through the right digital tools and technologies. So with this guide, we are providing you with a comprehensive introduction to the key benefits of digital transformation in manufacturing and why it's essential for your organization right now, with a core focus on the digital employee experience and how you can transform it in your business.

What is digital transformation (DX) in manufacturing?

Digital transformation (DX) in manufacturing is the process of implementing new digital technologies to improve and refine processes in a manufacturing organization. This typically involves a range of procedures, from improving communication and collaboration to adopting new manufacturing methods, or automating tasks.

A digital transformation strategy works to improve the overall efficiency, productivity and profitability of a manufacturing organization by integrating new digital technologies – such as employee engagement tools, Industry 4.0, big data analytics, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) – into company processes.

And while we all know that production machinery and tech makes up a huge part of your company processes, it’s important to see the wider picture, too. DX can actually have a significant impact on the behind the scenes operations of your business, including how you communicate and engage with employees, distribute knowledge and connect teams, recruit new talent, and even support the wider community.

By undergoing DX in all areas of your business and integrating stronger digital employee experience strategies for your workforce, you can in fact unlock a range of surprising benefits for your organization.

Main goals of manufacturing digital transformation

"It's not possible to pick just a short list of technologies and declare them to be the next big thing. Any innovation project is always a combination of different technologies and thoroughly designed processes aiming to achieve business goals."

Max Ivannikov

But what are some of the main goals that manufacturers are focusing on for their digital transformation initiatives? As this industry whitepaper discusses, the main goals of manufacturing digital transformation can be segregated into four broader areas:

• Cost reduction: Leveraging digital technologies to reduce costs in areas such as supply chain management, employee performance, production planning and inventory control.
• Competitive advantage: Utilizing digital technologies to gain a competitive edge in the market, such as through improved customer/employee experience, product customization and data-driven decision making.
• Agility: Increasing flexibility and adaptability in the face of changing market demands, such as through improved supply chain visibility, predictive maintenance and agile business processes.
• New business models: This could include refreshing manufacturing processes, investing in digital technology to improve processes company-wide, and otherwise finding new revenue streams through digital transformation initiatives.

Common roadblocks to DX in manufacturing

Some common challenges organizations see when undertaking DX in manufacturing include:

• Competitive market: In a highly competitive market, your current digital capabilities and processes may not be enough to stay ahead. And with the swift upturn in DX investments in the market, it can be difficult to keep up with competitors who are already rapidly integrating new digital technologies. While you might feel on the back foot, it's important to remember that digital transformation is a long-term investment, and there are always opportunities for growth and sustainable improvement.
• Distributed workforce: It can be difficult to know where to begin with digital transformation, especially for manufacturers who have a distributed workforce and may not have a clear understanding of the specific needs and pain points of their frontline employees. This can make implementing new processes, rolling out communications and combating employee attrition particularly challenging. We'll dive deeper into how to enable DX by empowering your frontline workers later in this post.
• Costs and fees: Adopting new digital technologies and processes can be a costly investment, and there may also be additional fees for training and implementing these changes company-wide. It's important to conduct thorough ROI analysis and carefully weigh the potential long-term benefits against the initial costs.
• Resistance to change: Change can be difficult, especially for employees who have been working in a certain way for many years. This is why it's important to have clear communication and a strong employee engagement system in place to help employees transition and adapt to the new digital technologies and processes.

  Enabling DX by empowering the frontline

As we mentioned, a distributed workforce and lack of visibility into the specific pain points and needs on the frontline can make DX a challenge for manufacturing organizations. But by focusing on empowering your frontline workers, you can not only improve their experience and enable better communication, but also gather valuable insights to inform your digital transformation efforts.

One way to do this is through a mobile-first approach, providing frontline employees with devices and applications that allow them to easily access the information and communication they need, wherever they are on the factory floor. This not only improves productivity, but also allows for better data collection and analysis to inform DX initiatives.

Another key aspect is giving your frontline employees a voice in the digital transformation process, through tactics like regular check-ins and surveys, as well as dedicated onboarding and training programs. By actively seeking their input and understanding their specific needs, they will feel more engaged and empowered in the DX journey.

Frontline specific tech like Blink's employee app allows for better communication, feedback and overall engagement with your frontline workers. This helps to address common DX challenges such as unclear frontline needs and resistance to change, while also improving productivity and efficiency on the manufacturing floor.

With real-time employee engagement analytics, manufacturers can also track the impact, employee satisfaction and ROI of their digital transformation initiatives, supporting cost reduction efforts and decision making.

 One great example to illustrate this is our work with JFE. When Canadian manufacturing company JFE approached us, their frontline workforce was disconnected due to outdated technology and communications, and they were facing large shortages in the labor market.

We overhauled their current technology and communications processes with a real-time communication solution by offering channels to funnel information, the ability to communicate with their operating teams through chats and a central hub to give employees access to company information in one place. 

As a result, JFE was able to improve their recruitment processes, employee engagement, satisfaction and, crucially, its workers’ safety. With our help, they took the company from 300 to over 450 employees, and were able to promote initiatives in both recruiting and retaining staff to make them a more attractive employer to staff and new recruits.

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Interested in seeing how Blink's employee app can support your manufacturing digital transformation efforts? Schedule a free demo today.

6 unforeseen benefits of DX in manufacturing

So, you already know the production benefits of implementing DX in your business, but what about the benefits of DX solutions for the back of house? Here are 6 key benefits of DX in manufacturing that you just might have overlooked in the past.

1. Reduce staff turnover & recruit the right talent

More than 90% of manufacturing leaders believe that DX is important for their success, IDC states. They go on to predict that global DX spend among companies in discrete or process manufacturing industries will total more than $816 billion in 2025.

Hiring and retaining the right people in a competitive market can be a challenge for manufacturers, but DX can help. And with the IDC statistics above, it's more important than ever for manufacturers to keep up with digital transformation efforts in order to stay competitive in the recruitment market and attract top talent.

Adopting new technologies can make a company more attractive to potential employees and improve employee satisfaction and retention. It allows you to modernize, stay competitive and attract the right employees even when competitors are vying for the same pool of skilled workers with high DX spend.

In addition, frontline-specific tech can boost your employer value proposition as a manufacturer. You listen to how the frontline thinks and feels, allowing you to build trust with the entire workforce and reduce churn.

2. Improve worker health & safety

According to the Workplace Safety Index 2020, workplace injuries are a key driver of loss for U.S. businesses, costing more than $1 billion per week and $59 billion annually.

As we mentioned before, the rise of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing industry has seen various manufacturers investing in new digital technologies to automate, modernize and enhance the entire process.

And with losses like these reported in the WSI, the key aspect of this modernization in the manufacturing industry is safety. By improving traditional manufacturing processes, boosting direct communication and implementing predictive maintenance, manufacturers can improve worker health and safety at the workplace.

With a frontline app like Blink, manufacturers can also gather direct employee feedback on safety concerns and act on them quickly, as well as offer training materials, policies, procedures and updates to ensure a safe work environment. 

Additionally, with research showing that engaged workers are more aware of their surroundings and best practices around safety and are more likely to take steps to protect their co-workers, by investing in and driving employee engagement throughout your company, you can improve worker health and safety as a whole.

By promoting a culture where employees feel comfortable to speak up about concerns or risks, actively participate in risk management and adhere to policies and procedures, manufacturers can see a decrease in injury rates and overall improvement in the health and safety of their workforce.

3. Increase your bottom line

The latest data suggests that digital transformation investment for manufacturing companies increases business value. Gartner reports that 36% of manufacturing enterprises realize above-average business value from IT spending in digitalization at a reasonable cost when compared with peers.

Opportunities for driving profit and increasing your bottom line don’t only come from your production line. Keeping the wider picture of DX in mind, you can utilize digital tools to drive business value through improving your run-the-business functions (like finance or human resources)

DX in an organization’s HR function, in particular, have shown increased employee engagement and statistics show that highly engaged organizations benefit from:

• 18% higher sales
• 23% difference in profitability
• 43% difference in turnover.

With employee engagement tools that provide streamlined workflows, real-time frontline communication and intelligence, seamless scheduling and product updates in addition to new production tech like IoT and augmented reality, manufacturers can cut down on extra expenses and improve the overall efficiency of all their operations.

This ultimately drives up profits and revenue and increases business value, with your teams performing at their best by using the latest and greatest technology solutions.

4. Boost Employee Engagement

The digital transformation process can also boost employee engagement. Adopting new, modern technologies can make employees feel more valued and appreciated, improving job satisfaction and retention rates.

Currently, Gallup data notes that industrial manufacturers haven't quite caught up to other industries in terms of adopting digital tools to improve employee engagement, with only 25% of manufacturing employees stating they felt engaged at work.

DX offers new ways for frontline employees to communicate with each other and leadership, improving transparency and overall communication in the workplace – a key component of employee engagement.

With frontline-specific tech designed to engage employees like manufacturers, you can gather key employee feedback and act on it to improve processes and enhance overall employee engagement. 

Further, according to the Chron, employee satisfaction is a reliable predictor of employee retention, meaning you can reduce churn and cut recruitment costs at the same time by improving the engagement your employees have with their digital tools.

Simplified, improved communications and streamlined, intuitive workflows means DX can enhance employee satisfaction levels for frontline workers, in turn, boosting their levels of engagement with their new tech and your employee retention rates.

And with the distinct improvement in profitability, sales and turnover that engaged teams provide as we highlighted above, it’s clear that investing in employee engagement initiatives is worth it from an ROI perspective.

5. Improve employee productivity 

It’s obvious how traditional digital transformation solutions help improve quality on the production line. But did you know that implementing DX to improve your employees’ engagement can also lead to huge productivity boosts? 

In the manufacturing sector, DX is not only about staying competitive or cutting costs – it's also about supporting your current employees; finding innovative ways to drive their motivation and productivity for a better overall business performance.

TechNative tells us that businesses must embrace innovative digital tools to make the employee experience seamless and personalized, creating a stronger emotional connection to the day-to-day experience of work.

Adopting new digital solutions, like frontline intelligence, predictive analytics and real-time communication solutions, allows you to foster connection with your frontline employees and act on their feedback to streamline day-to-day tasks. As such, your employees will feel better supported to be productive and efficient in their roles, and can produce their best work.

These employee technologies also offer product updates that keep everyone aligned with company goals, as well as streamlined workflows and schedules, reducing miscommunications and errors and allowing for maximum productivity.

So, not only does investing in digital transformation for your frontline workforce improve their overall job satisfaction, it also leads to a significant increase in motivation, productivity and output. It’s a win-win!

6. Build a positive brand reputation

In today’s day and age, it’s no secret that a company’s reputation is everything. In fact, the World Economic Forum has stated that a company's reputation can account for a quarter of its market value. Additionally, 87% of executives believe that reputational risks are more pressing than any other strategic risks.

As the digital transformation movement continues to evolve, your reputation as a manufacturing leader hinges on how well you adopt and use technology for success. Investing in new digital solutions for your frontline workforce is not only beneficial for your employees and your bottom line, but also for building a positive brand reputation.

By boosting employee engagement, satisfaction and productivity with technology, you’re not only improving the experience for those within your company, but also for your potential new hires and even your customers. With employees better equipped to provide top-notch service and meet customer demands efficiently, you can create a more positive customer experience and, ultimately, attract new business.

On top of that, adopting digital solutions for your frontline workforce also demonstrates your commitment to innovation and staying ahead of the competition in the manufacturing industry. It shows potential employees, investors, partners and customers that you’re dedicated to improving processes and creating a successful future for your company.

4 DX in manufacturing tips

Create a DX roadmap

According to LTI’s whitepaper: 

"Business leaders must move away from industry stereotypes, understand technologies, and help firms ride this wave with a competitive advantage by developing a successful transformation roadmap."

A DX roadmap, or digital transformation roadmap, is a plan that outlines the specific steps and timeframes for the adoption of new technologies to achieve your DX goals. This roadmap may be long and contain a number of different steps, but this allows you to stagger your digital transformation initiatives over time, prioritizing the areas that align with your current goals and business requirements.

To create your DX roadmap, you first need to understand the current state of your business. Your KPIs from above will come in handy here. Without knowing your starting point, it is impossible to map out a clear path to your goals. Therefore, knowing where you currently are is essential. 

Your DX roadmap should outline key objectives, success metrics, technology investments, roles and responsibilities, and timelines. Begin implementing new technologies, methods, and processes one step at a time, starting with those that will have the biggest impact on your desired goals. And don’t forget to measure and evaluate your progress regularly to ensure you stay on track.

Remember the bigger picture 

Remember, digital transformation is a long-term investment, with long-term value. Digital transformation is changing the way people do business. 

Great digital leaders sift through the latest technologies to identify which ones will have the biggest impact on their business, and then prioritize those implementations. Keep in mind that digital transformation is not just about adopting new technology, but also about changing processes and culture for maximum efficiency and success. 

And even with the relevant new technologies and industry trends to guide your digital transformation, you want to be uniquely positioned from your competitors. So, it's vital that you consider the wider market picture and how your DX transformation fits into it.

Consider your USPs. Can you provide a swift turnaround time based on your unique manufacturing technologies or streamlined business processes? Do you provide a second-to-none customer service journey because your customer-facing employees are always in direct contact with your frontline? You want these to be considered when mapping out your DX journey.

Set, monitor and measure your core transformation goals 

To undergo digital transformation in any industry, you need to know your transformation goals. According to Asana, the best way to understand if your digital transformation strategy worked is by monitoring your business success metrics.

For the manufacturing industry, these success metrics might include employee engagement rates, retention of clients or employees, a reduction in accidents and errors, increased efficiency in production, and sustainable business growth.

Make sure to align these goals with your business key performance indicators (KPIs), as this will ensure that the entire company is on the same page about what constitutes success for the digital transformation. Plus, it's important to regularly track and measure your progress towards these goals, adjusting as needed.

To do this, look for DX solutions that allow you to access Frontline Intelligence, providing you with key metrics, analytics and insights into your employee engagement, satisfaction and even retention rates. With handy tools like this included in your DX roadmap, you are set up for success in achieving your core transformation goals.

Communicate well and often 

As Mckinsey recommends for those undergoing digital transformation in the manufacturing industry:

“Communicate well and often. Establish an effective engagement plan and regular communication with critical senior stakeholders, site leaders, and a cross-functional core team.”

In short, communication is crucial for the success of your digital transformation. Keep all stakeholders, from top executives to frontline employees, in the loop about your DX roadmap and progress towards goals. This will ensure that everyone knows their role in the transformation and can work together towards success.

And don't forget to communicate with your employees! Driving employee engagement and buy-in for the digital transformation is crucial. They will be the ones driving and implementing these changes, so it's important that they understand the benefits and their role in making them happen.

Effective communication can also help with any potential resistance to change from employees. By keeping them informed and involved with easy-to-use, two-way conversations, you can work towards getting them on board with the transformation.

Accelerate your digital transformation today…

It's clear that leaders in the sector must prioritize DX efforts to ensure they're keeping up with competitors and improving overall satisfaction among their workforce. 

From minimizing the time spent switching between apps and logins, to sending real-time communications and vital updates, DX allows manufacturers to improve the employee experience in a modern, digital way, and boost their bottom line in the process.

Engineer a better employee experience for your manufacturing workforce today with our frontline employee engagement app. 

Designed specifically for industries like the manufacturing industry where workforces don’t have 24/7 access to a computer, or even a company email account, our platform is here to transform how you do business. Our app rethinks outdated frontline tech and offers a modern, digital solution for your frontline employee engagement.

Request a free demo today to see how Blink can transform your manufacturing business.

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What exactly is doomscrolling?

We’ve all been there.

Silencing our nightly wind-down reminders and ignoring the unopened book on our nightstand as we endlessly scroll through increasingly negative news articles and social media posts — only to feel worse afterward.

It’s called doomscrolling, and it’s not just a buzzword. It’s a real problem.

Coined — and escalated — during the Covid pandemic, doomscrolling is the growing habit of constantly consuming negative articles on news sites or social media. What may begin as a well-intended desire to stay informed on world events can quickly devolve into a downward spiral of distressing content. For instance, searching for updates on the economic market can lead to a flood of articles on recessions and layoffs, and looking up the latest on a local election can unearth politically divisive headlines. It’s an especially easy trap to fall into on smartphones, as our social media apps algorithmically learn how to keep us scrolling for more.

The unending cycle of stress caused by doomscrolling has the power to infiltrate not just our personal lives, but our professional ones, too. It exacerbates feelings of anxiety and pessimism that people can inadvertently bring to work with them, hindering workplace satisfaction, focus, and productivity.

And if you don’t think your workforce is impacted by the doomscrolling dilemma, you may be surprised: A recent survey revealed that nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults who use social media — and, generationally, a whopping half of Gen Z adults (53%) and millennials (46%) — said they occasionally or frequently doomscroll.

The good news? Employers can help to reverse this trend and improve employee well-being.

Enter: The power of positive internal comms

If we consider the average 8-hour workday, employees spend a third of their day — or more — at work and on workplace tech platforms. This means that internal communications leaders have an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in mitigating the damage of doomscrolling and creating corporate content that uplifts the workforce.

Let’s explore four ways that internal comms teams can help their workforce detox from doomscrolling and boost employee spirit — whether they’re on the frontline or in the front office.

1. Gauge the mindset of your employees

Doomscrolling, and overall negativity, can be detrimental to an individual’s mindset, focus, and overall well-being — making it a priority for HR and people-facing leaders.

To lift up employees, an important first step is acknowledging the challenges that people may be facing and understanding the state of the workforce. In addition to having open conversations with employees in team meetings or one-on-one check-ins, internal comms teams should consider conducting company-wide outreach.

Short-form polls, which people can respond to anonymously, can be a great way to gauge how employees are feeling across the organization. By conducting a quick poll or pulse survey on how stressed people are feeling outside of work, or how supported they feel by their manager or employer, organizations can establish a baseline for employee morale and track sentiment over time with follow-up check-ins.

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This is also an excellent chance to see what employees are looking for in their company’s internal comms. Employees can share their thoughts on the frequency, formats, themes, and channels they prefer the most when it comes to receiving information from their company, helping internal comms to ensure their important company updates and culture-building messages aren’t lost in the noise.

2. Create a positive communications culture

Long gone are the days of internal comms being just corporate news-sharing and policy updates. Today’s most successful comms plans include telling uplifting stories from across the organization as part of a broader effort to improve employee engagement and retention.

By regularly celebrating company wins (like the opening of a new facility), recognizing employee contributions, and celebrating big milestones (such as birthdays and work-iverseries), internal comms teams can establish a rhythm of lighthearted and positive content. Not only can this help to counterbalance negativity outside of work, it’s a good step toward humanizing and strengthening internal storytelling overall.

For employers who have a significant population of frontline workers, the risk of disconnect and isolation can be much greater, given the very nature of how and where they work. These team members may want more frequent and engaging updates — think personal shout-outs from coworkers or short-form videos from people leaders — that highlight their hard work and the positive impact they’re having on the organization.

Bonus points if all of this employee celebration and recognition is happening on a mobile platform where everyone can engage and chime in with their own comments of appreciation.

3. Encourage connection over isolation

Employers of any size and scope — and especially those who have a combination of office-based, frontline, and remote workers — know how difficult it can be to build a cohesive sense of community. When not all employees have a company email address or access to a work computer, how can you reach everyone where they are? And, maybe even more importantly, how can they connect with one another?

This is where a mobile-first internal comms platform can be a game-changer. Virtual chats and communities give employees a dedicated place to communicate with each other. By mimicking the most collaborative parts of social networking apps like Facebook, internal comms leaders can facilitate social connection and create a unifying and fulfilling employee experience.

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And with easy photo- and video-sharing capabilities, employees can be not just consumers of internal comms content, but creators as well. Consider encouraging employees to generate and share their own content — giving coworkers visibility into their day-to-day roles, for example, or virtually checking in from their current worksite. This can be a great way to incorporate more voices and bring a new level of authenticity and personalization to your internal comms strategy.

4. Promote a digital peace of mind

Even when it comes to uplifting internal comms, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

Part of the appeal of doomscrolling is that it’s easy to mindlessly scroll on and on — the last thing we want workplace platforms to do is encourage the same behavior. Internal comms teams can mitigate the endless scroll by keeping their messages positive, avoiding information overload, and making their digital workplace super relevant.

Sharing content based on team, role, or region, for example, can minimize potential information overflow. Likewise, labeling critical company updates as mandatory reads can help internal comms ensure their must-read messages are being seen, while providing flexibility to employees to engage with or dismiss other posts as they see fit. And organizations that offer employee well-being solutions, such as a mindfulness app, can create an internal resource hub that quick-links to helpful employee benefits where they’re easy to find and use.

Finally, as a rule of thumb, internal comms should serve as external eyes and keep a pulse on what’s happening outside of work. Be sure to stay up to date on current social conversations that may be causing distress, as well as upcoming events that may cause heightened anxiety. By factoring these concerns into monthly or quarterly plans, internal comms teams can more proactively create content that’s timely and helpful to employees across the organization.

Don’t let doomscrolling get your employees down.

Detoxing from doomscrolling is about more than just unplugging from technology, which is often difficult or — for some employees — outright impossible. It’s about thoughtfully using workplace platforms to create an encouraging and supportive environment at work.

By taking a more strategic approach to employee morale and implementing these uplifting communications strategies, internal comms teams can help their people stay positive, connected, and resilient — even during the most uncertain times.

‍Learn how you can uplift your workforce with an inclusive and interactive internal communications platform. Discover Blink today.