Do you have a plan for your internal communications during a crisis? Take a look at these crisis communication best practices so you know ahead of time.
Crisis communication best practices: the only 4 you need to remember
Do you have a plan for your internal communications during a crisis? Take a look at these crisis communication best practices so you know ahead of time.
Jess DeVore
Published:
September 6, 2023
Last updated:
October 8, 2024
What we'll cover
If you’re like most people, you’d probably prefer not to imagine what happens in a worst-case scenario, or a situational crisis.
However, imagining what could go wrong — and how you’ll react to it — is one of the most important things you can do for your business.
An effective crisis communications plan starts with your employees. With early, clear, and consistent messaging, your team can become advocates for your company during any crisis.
By following these four straightforward crisis communication best practices, your stress levels will go from 100 to 10 (hopefully).
The 4 crisis communication best practices you need to remember
Make messaging consistent
Back up statements with action
Balance timeliness and precision
Practice empathy
Let’s have a more in-depth look at each of these practices.
1. Make messaging consistent
Your internal communications during a crisis should convey the same stance and expectations to every member of your team, regardless of level.
That is more effective if you already have an easy, direct line of communication with each member of your organization.
While different roles may need to respond differently, it’s crucial t foster a sense of transparency rather than secrecy to ensure a better response across your organization.
Communicate often to make sure everyone is on the same page, even with constantly changing information.
In a 2020 Edelman study on internal communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, 63% of employees wanted daily updates, and 23% wanted communications multiple times a day.
2. Back up statements with action
It's important for your team to understand how to talk about a situation, but it's even more important for them to understand what's being done — and their role in the process.
As soon as you have a response plan, communicate it to your team. That way, what's being done to resolve an issue is at the forefront of the conversation. Share what your organization's plan is to prevent situations from arising and use as many concrete steps as you can.
Recruit those in your organization who can help with definite tasks. Perhaps the PR team needs to create an official statement, or the development team needs to redesign a product. Whatever it is, let everyone know how they can help to react to the crisis.
3. Balance timeliness and precision
The moments immediately following an event are often the most critical for your internal communications during a crisis.
You don’t want there to be a sudden vacuum of silence where others may be left to speculate. That is the time to get your initial response out quickly, to guide the narrative.
It’s alright to let your employees know there are some things you still don’t know. It’s better to be upfront about how you’re addressing uncertainties than to wait to communicate at all.
With that in mind, it’s also appropriate to take your time to craft a more thought-out response for the long term. Planning for crises means you’re prepared immediately in the event.
While it can be impossible to plan out the details of your crisis response, it's vital to create crisis response documents that lay the groundwork processes for establishing more detailed responses with your team.
4. Practice empathy
The crisis will undoubtedly affect your employees day-to-day, some certainly more than others.
It’s critical to empathize with your employee’s struggles throughout the crisis and recognize where their duties have become more difficult.
A 2020 Catalyst survey on the effects of empathy in the workplace during COVID-19 found that empathetic leaders and managers increase productivity, innovation, and engagement.
Although you don’t want to dwell on how the situation is causing setbacks or difficulties, you can still empathize with your workers while returning to the positive.
Communicate your gratitude for their continued hard work and outline plans to alleviate their stressors.
The Catalyst study states empathetic leadership entails:
Respecting life circumstances
Supporting both life and work needs
Fostering inclusion
Open lines of communication to hear their input and experiences. Solicit feedback through forms, polls, and one-on-one interviews. Let your employees know that you want to listen to their thoughts on tackling the crisis from their point of view.
Show up in more than just writing. Video messages and calls communicate more empathy than written statements.
Final thoughts: 4 crisis communication best practices
Your internal communication during a situational crisis is just as important as your public communication — and perhaps even more so.
That’s why it’s essential to lay the groundwork for a plan so you can react effectively if necessary. Your internal crisis communications should be consistent, actionable, timely, and empathetic.
All the members of your organization deserve frequent, comprehensive, and accessible updates during a crisis.
Psst – looking for crisis communication tools?
Blink’s employee communications app provides an efficient way for you to communicate with everyone in your organization. From company-wide status updates to policy changes through the intranet, the all-in-one app makes connecting with your employees simple.
If you’re like most people, you’d probably prefer not to imagine what happens in a worst-case scenario, or a situational crisis.
However, imagining what could go wrong — and how you’ll react to it — is one of the most important things you can do for your business.
An effective crisis communications plan starts with your employees. With early, clear, and consistent messaging, your team can become advocates for your company during any crisis.
By following these four straightforward crisis communication best practices, your stress levels will go from 100 to 10 (hopefully).
The 4 crisis communication best practices you need to remember
Make messaging consistent
Back up statements with action
Balance timeliness and precision
Practice empathy
Let’s have a more in-depth look at each of these practices.
1. Make messaging consistent
Your internal communications during a crisis should convey the same stance and expectations to every member of your team, regardless of level.
That is more effective if you already have an easy, direct line of communication with each member of your organization.
While different roles may need to respond differently, it’s crucial t foster a sense of transparency rather than secrecy to ensure a better response across your organization.
Communicate often to make sure everyone is on the same page, even with constantly changing information.
In a 2020 Edelman study on internal communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, 63% of employees wanted daily updates, and 23% wanted communications multiple times a day.
2. Back up statements with action
It's important for your team to understand how to talk about a situation, but it's even more important for them to understand what's being done — and their role in the process.
As soon as you have a response plan, communicate it to your team. That way, what's being done to resolve an issue is at the forefront of the conversation. Share what your organization's plan is to prevent situations from arising and use as many concrete steps as you can.
Recruit those in your organization who can help with definite tasks. Perhaps the PR team needs to create an official statement, or the development team needs to redesign a product. Whatever it is, let everyone know how they can help to react to the crisis.
3. Balance timeliness and precision
The moments immediately following an event are often the most critical for your internal communications during a crisis.
You don’t want there to be a sudden vacuum of silence where others may be left to speculate. That is the time to get your initial response out quickly, to guide the narrative.
It’s alright to let your employees know there are some things you still don’t know. It’s better to be upfront about how you’re addressing uncertainties than to wait to communicate at all.
With that in mind, it’s also appropriate to take your time to craft a more thought-out response for the long term. Planning for crises means you’re prepared immediately in the event.
While it can be impossible to plan out the details of your crisis response, it's vital to create crisis response documents that lay the groundwork processes for establishing more detailed responses with your team.
4. Practice empathy
The crisis will undoubtedly affect your employees day-to-day, some certainly more than others.
It’s critical to empathize with your employee’s struggles throughout the crisis and recognize where their duties have become more difficult.
A 2020 Catalyst survey on the effects of empathy in the workplace during COVID-19 found that empathetic leaders and managers increase productivity, innovation, and engagement.
Although you don’t want to dwell on how the situation is causing setbacks or difficulties, you can still empathize with your workers while returning to the positive.
Communicate your gratitude for their continued hard work and outline plans to alleviate their stressors.
The Catalyst study states empathetic leadership entails:
Respecting life circumstances
Supporting both life and work needs
Fostering inclusion
Open lines of communication to hear their input and experiences. Solicit feedback through forms, polls, and one-on-one interviews. Let your employees know that you want to listen to their thoughts on tackling the crisis from their point of view.
Show up in more than just writing. Video messages and calls communicate more empathy than written statements.
Final thoughts: 4 crisis communication best practices
Your internal communication during a situational crisis is just as important as your public communication — and perhaps even more so.
That’s why it’s essential to lay the groundwork for a plan so you can react effectively if necessary. Your internal crisis communications should be consistent, actionable, timely, and empathetic.
All the members of your organization deserve frequent, comprehensive, and accessible updates during a crisis.
Psst – looking for crisis communication tools?
Blink’s employee communications app provides an efficient way for you to communicate with everyone in your organization. From company-wide status updates to policy changes through the intranet, the all-in-one app makes connecting with your employees simple.
What we'll cover
Start your free trial today
See how Blink helps frontline teams stay connected, informed, and engaged.
Inbox zero has always been the dream. But maybe it’s time to dream bigger.
It once defined workplace comms. But today, email is slow, unengaging, and clunky — as anyone lost in a “reply all” chain will tell you. It’s fallen so far out of favor that, for an increasing number of employees, an inbox isn’t even part of the job anymore.
A new generation of employee experience platforms is rewriting internal communication rules. They’re making inbox zero the default — not because people are managing email better, but because they don’t need email at all.
These platforms are introducing faster, more interactive, and more human channels of communication. And they’re transforming how organizations reach their people. Here’s why email can’t carry your internal comms strategy anymore — and the benefits of building a workplace that thrives without an inbox.
The pitfalls of email for internal communication
So why has email fallen behind the times? Because email communication comes with some serious drawbacks.
It’s overwhelming
The reason people dream of inbox zero? Because their email account is overflowing with messages. Employees receive hundreds of emails every day.
What’s more, there’s no clear message hierarchy. Meeting invites, newsletters, urgent safety updates. They all compete for space in the same inbox. It’s hard for employees to see what’s most important at a glance, so critical messages get lost in the noise.
It’s unengaging
Scroll through a social media feed and you’ll see videos, polls, and interactive content designed to grab and hold your attention. Now think about the last email you read. Did it land with the same impact? Probably not.
In a world of TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram, static text feels flat. Emails are competing with these highly visual, highly engaging formats — and they just can’t keep up with audience expectations.
It’s hard to measure
Unless you send all emails via an email platform, it’s impossible to know if employees are actually opening, reading, and acting upon your updates. Are employees skimming? Ignoring? Misunderstanding?
Without robust analytics, it’s impossible to know. It’s then hard to make meaningful improvements to the internal comms experience.
It excludes the frontline
83% of frontline employees don’t have a company email address. Even if they do, logging into a shared portal in the break room is hardly practical.
Email isn’t an effective way to reach frontline teams. So you end up excluding an important segment of your audience — and have to resort to inefficient and unreliable methods of communication, like paper notices and manager phone calls.
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The rise of alternative employee communication channels
Email communication has its limits and alternative internal communication tools are on the rise. These platforms are built to make comms faster, more engaging, and more accessible. And some companies are now ditching email entirely, shifting all workplace communication over to these modern tools.
Today, 70% of comms professionals say they use chat tools and 73% say they use an employee app to communicate as an organization. Here’s what employees at those organizations are experiencing:
A mobile-first platform
The best mobile-first communication and intranet platforms provide the same seamless user experience across all devices, including small smartphone screens. Employees can access updates, resources, and workplace tools wherever they are, without needing a corporate email address.
Notifications + social feed
Instead of digging through their inbox, employees get instant notifications when a critical message lands. They can then head to the platform dashboard to view mandatory reads — or scroll the dynamic social feed, where news is organized and personalized by role, team, or tenure.
Channels for every type of communication
Modern platforms give structure to internal communications. Teams, communities, leadership updates, and company resources all have their own clearly defined channels. So employees know exactly where to go for official memos, knowledge sharing, and details of the latest team social.
Two-way communication
Employees have lots of ways to interact with internal content on a modern comms platform. They can comment on a news feed post, respond to a poll or survey, react with emojis. They can even — depending on the permissions you set — create their own community-building content for your internal channels.
Engaging communications
The best employee intranets borrow from the apps your workers already love. Photos, videos, reels, memes, and visually-rich content make updates short, memorable, and enjoyable to consume. Your messages land — and stick — without adding to inbox overload.
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The productivity + engagement upside of a zero-email comms approach
With modern internal communications software, it’s possible to adopt a zero-email strategy. And the benefits go far beyond clearing inboxes. Here’s what this approach can do for your organization:
Faster information flow. No more waiting for employees to log into a shared workstation to view the latest company email. Critical updates reach everyone through push notifications, ensuring your messages are seen and read quickly.
Clear messaging. The comms experience is personalized to each employee. So people only see what matters to their role, team, or location. This reduces unnecessary noise and helps your messages cut through more effectively.
A stronger sense of belonging. Email wasn’t built for culture-building. But internal communications platforms create shared spaces, where employees can celebrate wins, recognize peers, and feel part of the bigger picture. The result is greater engagement and loyalty across your workforce.
Comms people actually want to read. When comms are visual, bite-sized, and interactive, employees are more likely to read them. They engage with your content and return regularly to your comms platform, so it’s easier to land messages.
Self-service and streamlined workflows. The best internal comms platforms integrate with the other workplace software you already use. Employees can action a message in clicks because all tools and resources are linked.
Equal access across the workforce. Historically, there’s been a divide between frontline and desk-based employees. With a zero-email approach, you bring everyone together. You welcome frontline employees into company culture, strengthening engagement and retention as a result.
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So what does the future of internal communications look like?
In a not-too-distant future, we predict that “inbox zero” will no longer be the dream of employees tackling a never-ending influx of emails. Instead, it will be an organizational norm. And moving beyond email to modern communication platforms will open up a new realm of possibilities for workplace connection.
Comms rethink their playbook
With improved internal communication tools on the table, the comms team can quit their reliance on email. They can meet employees where they are — on their smartphones, scrolling through engaging multi-media content — to create communications that work for every employee.
And, with new communication channels at their disposal, they’ll get creative. Employee-generated content, short-form video, and highly visual posts will become the standard. Comms teams will create Insta-worthy internal comms and find new ways to land messages.
HR and IT invest in an integrated solution
Employee experience isn’t just HR’s job — it’s everyone’s. And, because a single, integrated platform can solve for HR, IT, and comms, this is a setup that more organizations will embrace.
Thanks to deep integrations and single sign-on technology, employees can access everything they need from a single, user-friendly dashboard. Checking up on company news? Requesting a shift swap? Completing the next module of their current training course? It’s all right there, at their fingertips — without juggling multiple tabs and logins.
For IT, that means less firefighting and better ROI from existing tools. For HR, it means higher employee engagement and retention. And for comms, it means a direct line to every member of staff — hard-to-reach frontline workers included.
Teams use platform analytics to take comms even further
The future of comms is data-driven. Teams won’t just hit send and hope for the best. They’ll use platform analytics to see what’s working, what’s not, and where to improve.
That means sharper targeting, smarter campaigns, and data-driven comms strategies that reach the right employees at the right time. Teams can also measure how comms impact big business outcomes, like employee engagement, retention, and customer satisfaction.
Ultimately, analytics give comms a seat at the table. Teams move from being messengers to strategic partners, involved from the start in shaping initiatives and able to demonstrate solid comms ROI.
Stop dreaming of inbox zero. Go beyond email in 2026.
Our vision for the future of internal communications may feel a long way from the comms reality you’re living today. But the truth is, many organizations are already a ways down this path.
They’ve recognized that email is a drain on productivity and engagement. And they’re moving beyond it. No more inbox battles. No more missed messages. Instead, they’re embracing modern, mobile-first internal comms that reach every employee, wherever they are.
They’re making use of multi-media content, notifications, and analytics to ensure all employees get the information and connection they need to succeed in the workplace.
Welcome to another Life at Blink! Today, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on one of our key team members. Sloan Kendall is the Head of Global Partnerships based out of our Boston office. With nearly a year at Blink, Sloan has been instrumental in forging impactful relationships across the industry and driving our global partnerships strategy forward. She describes Blink as a passionate, fast, and fun workplace.
Let’s explore Sloan’s journey at Blink and what she believes makes Blink special.
What initially attracted you to join Blink?
It was clear throughout my interview process and early days in the role that Blink was solving for a unique business challenge. Not just by providing a piece of technology, but because of our ability to show tangible impact on how frontline organizations get work done and what optimizing that employee experience can do for the bottom line. Specifically to my role, I’m always drawn to the opportunity to build something from the ground up.
Equally, it’s evident that our go-to-market strategy is so well suited for an ecosystem of alliance and technology partners. There is no shortage of consultants, system integrators, and complementary technology providers that want to help customers optimize their frontline experience. That shared vision is really inspiring!
What’s a project you are proud of from your time at Blink?
I’m really encouraged by our team’s commitment to and excitement for collaborating with partners. It’s a new motion for the business — and we’ve seen not just our go-to-market and delivery teams embrace the change with open arms, but also our product, engineering, and operational teams. In my experience, that embrace is the biggest difference-maker for impacting revenue growth and customer experience.
What's one thing you’re excited about for the future of Blink?
Even in my relatively short time at Blink, there has been a notable market shift. Engaging the frontline is not a nice-to-have — it’s so clearly a business imperative. We’ve been bullish on that since day one and that growth commitment gets deeper daily with the incredible work we see from our customers, the perspective we gain from our partners, and the business opportunity we hear described in discussions with prospective new customers.
Can you tell us about a recent initiative or program launched at Blink that you found particularly exciting?
Our product team’s overall response to the needs of those migrating from Workplace has been so impressive. We’ve remained true to what we believe will be game changing solutions for frontline-centric organizations, while balancing the need for new features and functionality Workplace users know and love. The extensibility of our platform is such a differentiator and what gets me (and our partners) so excited for the road ahead.
Why do you work for Blink?
At this stage in my career, I’m seeking a balance of opportunity, challenge and fun. I want to feel like we’re working towards something meaningful, while being pushed to think differently or execute faster, all while having a few laughs in between. Blink, for me, has shown it’s got all these key ingredients in the stew!
As we wrap up this glimpse into Blink through the lens of our Head of Global Partnerships, it’s clear that our commitment to innovation, partnership, and exceptional employee experience drives everything we do. From building impactful solutions to fostering a dynamic and supportive culture, Blink is not just a company; it's a vibrant community dedicated to making a real difference.
Stay connected with us for more updates and stories from the Blink team as we continue to push boundaries and redefine what’s possible.
If you’re one of the thousands of organizations using Workplace from Meta to power your internal communications, you’re probably in the thick of figuring out what you need to do next ahead of the Workplace sunsetting beginning in 2025. Researching, selecting, and implementing a Workplace alternative is likely taking up the bulk of your time and energy and may feel like an overwhelming project to tackle.
The good news: With the right platform — and technology partner — you can take the stress out of migration and continue to give employees the intranet features they know and love.
Whatever your vision is for your new platform — maybe a familiar format, or something new and improved — it’s important to get migration right. A smooth migration process can set you up for success and minimize headaches for you and your workforce.
In a recent webinar, Blink’s migration specialists outlined their full 5-step guide to a successful Workplace migration. While we (of course) believe there are lots of benefits to choosing Blink as a Workplace alternative, these steps are relevant to any platform you choose to use.
3 key steps to Workplace migration
Migrating to a Workplace from Meta alternative is about more than moving data from one system to another. A successful migration requires meticulous planning and a launch mindset. It keeps disruption to a minimum and supports a seamless employee experience.
Important steps you need to take when migrating from Workplace include:
Scope and plan the migration
Verify data mapping and reconfigure settings
Activate and engage users
Let’s take a closer look at how these can make or break your migration journey.
#1. Scope and plan the migration
Migrating to any of the Workplace from Meta alternatives available is a huge change — and it’s one you want to get right first time by thoroughly scoping and planning your migration.
Bear in mind that while employee communications platforms tend to have a lot in common, no two tools are identical. There are bound to be differences between Workplace from Meta and your new intranet platform.
To ensure each business function is accounted for, bring together people from across your organization. Discuss platform differences. Gather a wide range of perspectives on platform and migration needs. Also, clarify what you want to achieve with regards to user experience and platform capabilities.
As part of the scoping and planning stage, consider incorporating the following tasks:
Analyze data quality: Take stock of the data you have on Workplace. Are all user profiles activated and complete? Are all groups still relevant? Does your content have contextual elements, like author names and publication dates? Assess which data is complete, which needs to be improved, and which should be deleted or archived.
Review mobile vs. desktop strategy: Consider which data you want to feature on mobile and desktop versions of your platform. For companies with a frontline workforce, it’s wise to include exactly the same data on both mobile and desktop devices — ensuring everyone can enjoy the same great employee experience.
Identify champions and trend-setter groups: To boost early adoption and usage, treat your Workplace migration as a new platform launch. Identify champions and trend-setter groups who will be excited for the new communications hub and encourage peers to join them.
#2. Verify data mapping and reconfigure settings
It can take anywhere from days to weeks to run a migration, with timing depending on:
Your chosen platform
The size of your organization
The volume of data you want to migrate
But as soon as you’ve executed the technical migration, you can begin examining the details of your new platform. The first tasks on the list are verification and reconfiguration.
At Blink, we use our own migration matrix that allows us to clearly map Workplace data and content to corresponding Blink content. However, with any technology switch, it’s always good to be prepared for potential hiccups. Data and settings don’t always transfer neatly to the new platform and post-migration tweaks often have to be made.
To ensure the best user experience post-migration, check that your important data — including user profiles, groups, and knowledge base content — has been transferred correctly, imperfect data has been updated, and settings have been reconfigured as needed.
User profiles
Review the user profiles that have been transferred from Workplace. Check that all details — like names, roles, and profile pictures — are correct. Delete any duplicate users. Also, verify that your organizational hierarchy has transferred correctly, with the right employees assigned to the right managers.
This is a good opportunity to check the permissions and notification settings associated with each user profile. Do this during the verification process and you won’t have to revisit each user profile to make changes later.
Groups
Look at the groups that you’ve migrated over from Workplace. Check that their names are correct. View members and admins to ensure nothing has gone awry during the switch.
You should also take the time to look at dynamic team membership rules to ensure that employees are automatically assigned to relevant groups going forward.
Knowledge base content
To ensure a consistent employee experience, it’s important that users can access the resources they need as soon as they log in to your new internal communications platform. Check that content is in the right place and that users will be able to find it easily. Confirm that all contextual information, including author names and publication dates, is visible and correct. Review permissions for publishing, editing, and sharing rights.
And don’t forget about formatting: Check headings, double-check hyperlinks, and make sure your multimedia content, such as videos and images, looks good and works well.
#3. Activate and engage users
If you’re at this step, it means you’re ready to launch your new intranet to the workforce. Congratulations! To maximize engagement and encourage adoption, you’ll want to give employees an incredible experience on your new platform starting day one.
Decide how you’ll build buzz around the incoming platform. That may mean notifying employees that your new intranet is imminent and incentivizing them to log in on launch day. You can consider running giveaways, creating gamified experiences, or planning a launch party — all with the goal of boosting in-platform engagement.
Remember that you’re launching a social platform: Creating an immediate sense of active community will be the difference between delight and disengagement. By going live with a published backlog of engaging content, employees can be welcomed to the new platform with a lively and pre-populated news feed.
Education is another important part of the puzzle. Help employees get the most from your new solution through training sessions, Q&A forums, and dedicated support channels.
This is also a great time to promote the internal champions and trend-setter groups you identified earlier in the migration process. These ambassadors can spread the word about your new platform, drive activation, and offer support where it’s needed.
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Making your Workplace migration successful
Whether you want employees to instantly feel at home or are relishing the opportunity to start afresh, a clear migration plan can help you minimize disruption and keep the company conversation flowing during the transition from Workplace to your new company hub.
By starting the process with a thoughtful migration plan and ending it with a robust rollout strategy, you can supercharge employee adoption on day one and drive engagement long past launch day.
For our full 5-step guide to making migration easy on you — and your workforce — download our on-demand webinar: From Workplace to Blink: Migration Made Easy for actionable advice helpful for any organization exploring alternatives to Workplace.
Get comms right and you improve collaboration, employee engagement, and the employee experience. But get comms wrong and employees are likely to switch off from the company intranet — making it much harder for you to land critical messages.
A surprising number of organizations miss the mark. While 77% of leaders think the comms they share give employees the context they need to do their jobs well, only 46% of employees agree.
To ensure your comms are as good as they need to be, check that you’ve not fallen into one of these bad internal communication habits.
And if you have, don’t worry! There are strategies to break those bad habits so you can improve employee communications and engagement at your organization.
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7 bad internal comms habits and how to break them
Bad habit #1: Posting inconsistently
When it comes to internal communications, the only thing worse than not posting at all is posting once… and never again.
Internal comms inconsistency can confuse expectations, misdirect attention, and ultimately result in you losing your most important audience — your employees. People may stop checking on the intranet because they’re used to seeing nothing but tumbleweed. So when you do have an important message to share, there’s no one there to see it.
Break the habit: Figure out the cadence that best fits the needs of your organization. Then, make sure there’s new content on the company intranet on a regular basis.
Don’t overlook the power of a daily or weekly update: A whopping 85% of employees said they’re most motivated when management offers regular updates on company news.
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For many, creating a content calendar and writing posts in bulk will help maintain consistency. Sound like you? Try using a scheduling tool. Some modern internal communications platforms may even have this scheduling functionality built in. This way, you can then create and schedule posts in advance, choosing to publish them at a time when your teams are most likely to need and read them.
Bad habit #2: Saying too much
We’ve seen plenty of internal communications messages that try to say too much all at once. They cover one topic in overwhelming depth — or cover a multitude of topics in one post.
If this sounds familiar, it’s a habit you need to break. When you cram too much information into your messages, you risk confusing employees. You bury your central message and encourage your workforce to skim or ignore future comms.
Break the habit: Before you start writing any message, get clear on the most important point you want to convey. Lead with this key message, putting it at the top of your post and adding supporting details underneath.
If you need to share lots of information, try splitting your content into smaller, more digestible chunks. You can then create a post around each part of the news or announcement, publishing a logical series of posts that are less likely to overwhelm employees.
Bad habit #3: Limiting yourself to text only
Your employees are used to seeing a wealth of interactive, visual content in the technology they use in their personal lives. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok know exactly what keeps users scrolling and wanting more: short-form, highly visual, and personalized content.
If you lead with text-based messages at work, you’re unlikely to catch their eye — or contribute to a positive intranet experience.
Break the habit: Hook your audience from the get go by making your internal comms channels feel like a social media experience. Incorporate visuals like short-form videos, polls, photos, and graphics.
This dynamic and engaging content is more likely to grab the attention of your audience and keep them returning to your platform.
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Bad habit #4: Using the wrong channels or platforms
It should be easy for employees to find the information they’re looking for on your intranet. But if you don’t have a strategy for what goes where, they’re going to struggle to find what they need, when they need it.
A poorly governed channel strategy can damage not just the employee experience, but key operational metrics like productivity: Employees spend nearly 20% of their work week looking for internal information or tracking down colleagues who can help with specific tasks.
Break the habit: As the saying goes, “location, location, location!” Consider the format of your employee communications and which channel or platform suits each format best.
For example, it makes sense for an evergreen resource — like a policy or FAQ document — to live on your company intranet, in a resource hub. A short-form update, relevant only in the moment, is better suited to your news feed. And a message hyper-relevant to a specific group of employees can find the right home in the appropriate digital community.
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Bad habit #5: Taking a one-comms-fits-all approach
Send all employees all the messages and you’ll overload them with information — some of it completely irrelevant to them and their role. Employees who grow used to receiving non-personalized internal communications are more likely to skim or ignore critical information.
Break the habit: Ensure that every message is relevant to the employee who receives it.
Pick communication tools that allow you to segment your audience, ideally by team, role, tenure, and location. Then select the relevant audience for each post and resource.
You can also use different communication channels — like a closed team chat or an employee community — to ensure specific information cuts through.
Bad habit #6: Sourcing ideas only from the C-suite
Your business leaders are a great resource for content ideas. But they’re busy people. So if you rely solely on the C-suite, you may find it hard to generate enough content. Plus, by sourcing only one side of the corporate story, making it difficult to tell a well-rounded story that can resonate with any employee.
Break the habit: Get content ideas from your business leaders, by all means. But also involve employees across all levels in the content creation process.
You can do this with the help of an internal communications platform that facilitates two-way communication. Employees can comment on posts, amplifying their impact. You can also identify employee ambassadors and ask them to create employee-generated content.
This approach makes content creation easier for your comms team and — because you’re giving your workforce a voice — improves employee engagement, too.
Bad habit #7: Not getting feedback regularly
Let’s say you’ve successfully done it — you quit all the bad comms habits on this list up until now. Well done! But that doesn’t necessarily mean messages are getting through to your employees.
Without regular employee feedback, you can’t know for sure how employees feel about your internal communications. And that means it’s still a challenge to ensure any changes to your employees communications strategy are meaningful improvements.
Break the habit: Regularly launch employee surveys and polls to gauge how employees feel about your internal communications. Ask them about every detail: cadence, content, channels, opportunities for two-way interaction.
Also, use intranet analytics to identify your best-performing content. When you see what’s working well in terms of effectiveness and employee engagement, you can build more of that into your content schedule.
Not only will your employee comms thrive, your employees will, too: Workers who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work.
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Break bad communication habits and supercharge your comms
These bad communication habits stop messages from getting through. They also lead employees to lose interest in your communication channels, making it even harder for your comms team to be successful moving forward.
But like any bad habit, the ones on this list can be broken, and with the right adjustments, you can prevent bad habits from forming again. Make just a few simple tweaks — like democratizing content creation, posting more consistently, and seeking employee feedback — and you can get company comms back on the right track.
You’ll also build a more informed, connected, and collaborative organization — which is good for business and good for the employee experience, too.
Today’s employees routinely use digital tools to manage their personal lives — for banking, shopping, fitness, and even dating — and now expect a similar level of convenience and connectivity in their professional environments.
Forward-thinking organizations are meeting these expectations through employee experience software platforms that transform how teams communicate and engage. Solutions such as Blink’s employee experience platform enable staff to feel more connected, motivated, and loyal to their company by simplifying communication and recognition.
Frontline teams, in particular, benefit from a unified employee experience solution. The “frontline connection gap” often leaves these employees isolated from leadership and peers, reducing both satisfaction and retention.
A mobile-first employee experience platform, such as Blink, bridges that gap by bringing everyone together wherever they work. It gives each employee a stronger sense of belonging, supports regular recognition, and creates continuous communication that makes work more fulfilling.
This guide from Blink outlines some of the best employee experience software platforms available today — helping you identify the right solution to connect your workforce and elevate engagement across your organization.
Whether your organization has frontline, desk-based, or hybrid teams, an employee experience software platform like Blink’s employee experience platform helps you meet and exceed modern employee expectations and deliver measurable improvements across engagement, operations, and culture. Here’s what effective employee experience software can help you achieve:
Enhanced employee engagement
Low employee engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion, according to Gallup. Employee experience platforms like Blink enable two-way communication, recognition, and collaboration that increase loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity.
Streamlined HR processes
The best platforms automate repetitive and time-consuming HR tasks such as time tracking, performance appraisals, and routine communication. By handling these automatically, HR teams free up time for human-touch, value-add work that improves the overall employee experience.
Improved talent management
Around 65% of frontline employees are unsure how to progress in their careers. Employee experience software provides continuous feedback, coaching, and development tools that help managers identify high-potential talent and guide employees toward advancement.
Data-driven insights
Comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities enable organizations to measure engagement, sentiment, and performance. Blink’s platform, for example, supplies real-time insights that support better decisions, highlight trends, and surface issues early.
Employee recognition and empowerment
Employee appreciation and self-service tools make staff feel valued and informed. Access to essential information anytime, anywhere fosters a sense of support and connection across the organization.
A positive company culture
Transparent communication and meaningful connection — both core features of leading platforms like Blink — build positive company culture. When employees feel proud of where they work, satisfaction rises, churn decreases, and employer branding strengthens.
Key things to look for when choosing an employee experience software platform
Now that the benefits of an employee experience software platform are clear, it’s important to identify the key capabilities that define an effective solution. When choosing your platform, consider these essential features — many of which are core to Blink’s employee experience platform:
User-friendly interface
The best employee experience platforms minimize the learning curve. They should feel intuitive and familiar from day one, encouraging quick adoption across all teams.
Personalization and customization
Every organization is different. Choose a platform that lets you tailor tools and workflows to your company’s structure and employee needs.
Employee self-service
When employees can access the information and tools they need independently, HR teams spend less time handling routine requests and more time on strategic, people-focused initiatives.
Integration capabilities
For a seamless employee experience, ensure your platform integrates smoothly with existing business systems — from scheduling and payroll to communication tools. Blink, for example, integrates across multiple systems to provide a unified digital workplace.
Mobile accessibility
Frontline workers and remote employees often lack equal access to company tools. A mobile-first platform like Blink enables engagement and communication anywhere — whether on the shop floor, in the field, or during a commute.
Analytics and reporting
Select software that delivers robust analytics on engagement, satisfaction, and retention. Data-driven insight helps HR teams make informed decisions and address trends early.
Comprehensive feature set
To reduce the need for multiple apps, look for a platform that combines employee engagement, feedback, rewards, performance management, and learning and development. Blink’s platform consolidates these into one accessible hub, simplifying management and improving the overall employee experience.
15 best employee experience software platforms
1. Blink
Blink is a leading employee experience app and communication platform purpose-built for frontline teams. As a mobile-first solution, Blink unifies dispersed workers and connects them with leadership through an intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
Users can quickly launch pre-loaded or custom employee surveys, add mandatory reads to a shared company news feed, recognize colleagues for outstanding work, and access real-time insights on engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
Built around frontline accessibility, Blink’s Hub centralizes essential information, including pay stubs, schedules, and key documents. Its interface encourages high adoption and consistent daily use — ensuring every employee stays informed, valued, and connected.
Even after identifying the right employee experience management software, securing senior leadership buy-in remains essential. Before presenting your case, gather evidence and insights in the following key areas — all central to the successful implementation of a platform like Blink.
Developed by the team at Blink, the platform brings together communication, engagement, and HR functionality in one secure space. It’s designed to strengthen connections and alignment across all levels of an organization while reducing the administrative burden on HR teams.The essential guide to executive buy-in for frontline employee experience
Scalability: Evaluate how your chosen platform will adapt to your company’s future needs, including long-term growth and an expanding workforce. Blink’s platform is designed to scale seamlessly as organizations expand, supporting larger teams without adding administrative complexity.
Implementation: Assess how straightforward it is to deploy your software and integrate it with existing systems. A solution such as Blink simplifies this step with pre-built integrations and guided onboarding.
User adoption: An employee experience platform only delivers value when employees actively use it. Confirm that your software has a proven record of adoption. For example, 97% of employees at Care Synergy now use the Blink app, demonstrating how intuitive design drives engagement.
Vendor reputation and support: Review customer testimonials and case studies to verify a provider’s reliability and service quality. Blink’s long-term partnerships and customer success programs help ensure ongoing performance and satisfaction across industries.
Case study: Elara Caring
Elara Caring employs more than 32,000 caregivers who provide in-home and hospice support to patients across the United States. The organization faced a significant communication and coordination challenge:
Without company-issued phone numbers or email addresses, caregivers felt disconnected from both colleagues and headquarters.
An outdated manual scheduling process left hundreds of shifts unfilled each week.
The existing HR platform failed to meet employees' operational and engagement needs.
To close these gaps, Elara Caring implemented Blink’s employee experience platform, developed by joinblink.com. The mobile-first platform unified essential communication, scheduling, and feedback tools into a single, secure, accessible application. Managers and caregivers could now share updates through a company news feed, manage shifts in real time, and recognize great work — all from their smartphones.
The impact was immediate. Workforce efficiency improved, communication bottlenecks were eliminated, and employees felt more connected to both their teams and leadership. Ninety-five percent of employees now report stronger connections to Elara, and 96% would recommend Blink’s platform to others in their field.
Culture Amp is an excellent choice if you want to improve your performance tracking process. You can set and track employee targets, create personalized L&D plans, and access historical conversation and 1:1 data so managers can provide actionable feedback.
This employee experience management software also gives you access to a ton of data. This provides a great basis for analysis and insight. And the platform even does some of the hard work for you too, using employee engagement stats to predict staff turnover.
Key features
Reporting and analytics
Turnover prediction tool
Performance reviews
Goal tracking
Pricing
Contact sales team for prices
3. Bonusly
Bonusly is a great option for employee recognition. Employees meet personalized targets and build up points, which they can then use to claim a selection of rewards, all via the platform.
Whether you want your team to go above and beyond for customers, meet their sales quota, or simply engage with a request for employee feedback, Bonusly helps you to promote and recognize the employee behavior you most want to see.
Key features
Peer-to-peer recognition
Employee rewards
Goal setting
Reporting and analytics
Pricing
Core: $3 per user/month
Pro: $5 per user/month
Contact sales team for custom plans
4. Lattice
With Lattice, you’ll find it easy to launch employee surveys, celebrate employee wins, and get real-time experience data with the help of the platform’s Pulse feature and sentiment analysis. Lattice also supports employee development opportunities. It connects individual work to business outcomes so employees can view their progress easily.
Key features
Reporting and analytics
Employee surveys
Employee recognition
Goal management
Pricing
Performance Management + OKRs and Goals: $11 per user/month
Engagement: +$4 per user/month
Grow: +$4 per user/month
Compensation: $+6 per user/month
5. Qualtrics XM
Qualtrics XM offers several products, one of which they’ve designed specifically for people teams. The employee experience platform uses AI and automation, so you can continually gather and assess employee feedback and get to know employee views at every point in the employee life cycle.
Data analytics tools help you to connect employee feedback to customer experience and business outcomes – so you can target employee experience improvements where they stand to make the most difference.
Workhuman is built around social recognition. Team-based social feeds support peer-to-peer appreciation. Employees gain recognition points, which they can exchange for personalized and locally sourced rewards. And an AI-powered Inclusion Advisor gives real-time feedback on recognition posts to prevent unconscious bias and promote a culture of belonging.
Key features
Employee recognition
Performance management
Translation into 34+ languages
Community building
Pricing
Contact sales team for prices
7. Mo
Mo is one of the best employee experience software platforms for team communication and appreciation. It allows you to share successes, recognize results, and reward good work.
Standout features include the Mo assistant, which helps people managers to remember work anniversaries and prompts them to appreciate employees who haven’t had a pat on the back in a while, and the social feed, where you can start conversations, prompt employees to start conversations, and ask for employee feedback.
Key features
Team appreciation
Social feed
Employee feedback
Insights
Pricing
Starter: $3 per user/month
Level Up: $5 per user/month
Contact sales team for custom plans
8. Motivosity
Motivosity provides tools for every stage of the employee journey. From recruitment to onboarding to development to career progression and even an employee’s company exit experience. The basic plan gives you access to a company social feed, great for important announcements and getting to know co-workers. Add-ons include Recognition and Rewards, Manager Development, and Employee Insights.
Key features
Social feed
Employee recognition
Manager training
Surveys and insights
Pricing
Motivosity: $2 per user/month
Recognition and Rewards: +$2 per user/month
Manager Development: +$2 per user/month
Employee Insights: +$2 per user/month
9. WorkTango
WorkTango (formerly Kazoo) allows you to highlight the strengths and skills of peers and employees, while a points and rewards system incentivizes key behaviors. It’s one of the best employee engagement platforms for teams who want to make recognition an integral part of their company culture.
Key features
Employee recognition
Goal setting and feedback
Surveys
Analytics and reporting
Pricing
Contact sales team for prices
10. 15Five
15Five is one of the best employee experience software options if you’re looking to connect employee work with business objectives. Managers and employees can create career paths that motivate performance. Employees can identify their strengths and how these align with their goals.
Key features
Goal setting tools
Feedback
Employee recognition
Manager coaching
Pricing
All of the following prices are billed annually:
Engage: $4 per user/month
Perform: $8 per user/month
Focus: $8 per user/month
Total Platform: $14 per user/month
11. Leapsome
Leapsome is a solid employee engagement software, particularly if you’re looking for a solution that can scale with your company. You can select the modules you need, adapting the software to the size and budget of your organization. With Leapsome, you can run meaningful, well-structured meetings. You can also congratulate co-workers publicly and share private feedback too.
Key features
Employee feedback
Learning and development
Goal setting
Employee competency framework
Pricing
Pricing starts at $8 per user/month with the option to add on the extra features you need
12. BambooHR
BambooHR provides a huge range of HR tools. Teams can use it to track payroll, hours worked, and paid time off. The platform offers recruitment and L&D tracking tools.
As well as making life easier for HR teams, BambooHR has a couple of features designed to improve the employee experience. Wellbeing and eNPS surveys help teams to understand the employee perspective, while performance tracking tools support employee progression.
Key features
Performance reviews
Time tracking
Payroll management
Applicant tracking system (ATS)
Pricing
Contact sales team for prices
13. Officevibe
If you’re looking for an easy and effective employee survey tool, Officevibe is an excellent choice. Officevibe is just one of the HR products available under the Workleap umbrella and this offering is laser-focused on employee experience.
The platform gives managers tools to become better leaders and build happier teams. Pulse and customized surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, and 1-1 meeting tools that guide meaningful and productive conversations are all at a manager’s disposal.
Key features
Surveys
Employee feedback
Employee recognition
Performance tracking
Pricing
Free: $0 per user/month
Essential: $5 per user/month
Pro: $8 per user/month
14. Workvivo
Another good employee experience management software, Workvivo helps organizations streamline their communications and showcase their company culture, even when teams work remotely. When posting on the social feed, employees can link their posts to company values and goals. And with the Badge Feature, managers can recognize employee achievements publicly.
An intuitive platform with a quick and easy setup process, Jostle is another popular employee engagement platform. It works to connect everyone within an organization, providing a social feed and a space for shared documents.
Managers can set tasks and then use built-in chat functions to track progress. They can also separate the social feed by location or team, ensuring that the right information reaches the right people.
Key features
Social feed
Surveys
Peer-to-peer recognition
Document and policy sharing
Pricing
Prices depend upon the number of employees you have. For an organization with 15-50 employees, prices are as follows:
Bronze: $5 per user/month
Silver: $9 per user/month
Gold: $12 per user/month
Smaller organizations can expect to pay more per user. Larger organizations can expect to pay less. Prices for the Platinum plan are available from the sales team.
Additional considerations for HR teams
You may already be sold on a particular employee experience management software, but getting senior leadership buy-in is a vital next step. Before entering conversations about the type of tool you’d like to implement, be sure to gather information on all of the following:
Scalability – Find out if and how your chosen platform will respond to your company’s future needs, considering long-term company growth and an increase in the number of employees.
Implementation – Determine how easy it is to implement your chosen software and whether it integrates with your other existing systems.
User adoption – An employee experience platform provides very little value if employees don’t use it. Check whether your chosen platform has a user-friendly interface and a history of high adoption rates. We’re proud that 97% of employees at Care Synergy are now using the Blink app. Find out more by watching our on-demand webinar.
Vendor reputation and support– Take a look at customer reviews, testimonials, and case studies to find out whether your software provider has a good track record in terms of product quality and client care.
Case Study: Elara Caring
Elara’s 32,000 carers spend their workdays caring for patients in their homes or in hospice settings. The company faced a million-dollar communication problem:
Without company phone numbers or email addresses, carers felt disconnected from their co-workers and head office
Carers wanted shift opportunities but an inefficient manual system meant hundreds of shifts went unfilled each week
The company’s existing HR platform was failing to meet the needs of employees and the wider organization
Elara saw a solution in Blink. Our platform gathered all the information and tools that employees needed in one easy-to-use platform that everyone could access from their smartphones. Employees and managers had access to a social feed, shift scheduling, employee feedback and employee recognition tools.
The result? Improved workforce efficiency and streamlined communications. Thanks to Blink, Elara has transformed the employee experience. 95% of employees now feel more connected to Elara and 96% would recommend the platform.
Workplace burnout is at a record high. More than half of Americans feel dissatisfied at work, and younger people feel it the most. Now more than ever, employees across the US—from new graduates to those in established careers—are putting work-life balance at a premium. A healthy workplace culture, strong communication, and employee engagement can make all the difference, which is why Blink helps businesses create environments where workers feel more connected, valued, and motivated.
With this in mind, we explored not only the industries with the happiest workers but also airports, specifically to better understand where frontline transit employees report the strongest overall workplace experiences, especially in one of the most chaotic environments. Money isn't always happiness, so we also researched employees' well-being, including job satisfaction, stress levels, workplace meaning, and overall employee sentiment, to identify the industries where workers appear to thrive most.
The top five happiest industries:
Airline pilots and flight engineers
Marketing managers
Financial managers
Pharmacists
Computer hardware engineers
1. Airline pilots and flight engineers
Securing the top spot, airline pilots and flight engineers rank as the happiest workers throughout any industry, earning the highest total score of 94.84. Pilots and engineers reported feeling pretty satisfied with their jobs, with a score of 72.0. A meaningfulness rating of 65.5 also indicates that workers feel accomplished in both their personal and professional lives. Employee sentiment also remained exceptionally strong at 92.3%, reinforcing the idea that workers are very satisfied with their careers.
Beyond emotional satisfaction, working as an airline pilot or flight engineer offers financial perks, with pilots and flight engineers earning the highest average annual salary on the list at $219,140. Of course, given the demanding nature of the career, it makes sense that these roles come with higher stress and pain scores of 63.6 and 72.5, respectively. Professionals in this field continue to report the highest overall satisfaction levels, underscoring that the benefits definitely outweigh the challenges in this industry.
2. Marketing managers
Marketing managers earn an impressive total score of 86.298, ranking them second-happiest across industries. Workers in professional and business services reported a happiness score of 62.1, with meaningfulness averaging even higher at 69.0, indicating that many professionals in this field truly believe their creativity and strategic thinking have a significant impact on their work. Marketing managers' employee sentiment is one of the highest recorded scores at 99.1%—meaning almost every single person is happy at work.
The role also offers strong financial incentives, with marketing managers earning an average annual salary of $157,620. Like every industry, this profession also has high demands, as reflected in stress and pain scores of 55.8 and 83.8, respectively. Still, many people report high overall satisfaction, indicating that the fast-paced nature of marketing is often balanced by career growth, influence, and compensation.
3. Financial managers
Financial managers achieved an overall score of 84.99, indicating strong job satisfaction. Professionals in financial activities reported a happiness score of 66.3 and a meaningfulness rating of 68.0, indicating that many workers believe they find their greatest purpose by simply overseeing financial strategy, investments, and overall growth. Once again, workers' sentiment in the financial sector was 99.1%, one of the highest among all jobs, signaling positivity across the profession.
The field also offers highly competitive compensation, with average annual salaries reaching $156,100. Despite the expected responsibility and pressure, reflected in stress and pain scores of 58.0 and 90.1, financial managers continue to report high career satisfaction, showing that the rewards of leadership, expertise, and long-term advancement often outweigh the demands of the role.
4. Pharmacists
Pharmacists earned a strong total score of 84.13, ranking them among the most fulfilled professions in healthcare. Workers in educational and health services reported a happiness score of 61.5. At the same time, meaningfulness reached an impressive 73.6, ranking among the highest across all professions, underscoring the vital role pharmacists play in patient care and community well-being. Employee sentiment also remained exceptionally high at 97.0%, reflecting strong morale throughout their work.
In addition, the profession offers a strong financial cushion, with pharmacists' average salary being $136,030. Working in healthcare, this job, of course, comes with demanding responsibilities, shown by their stress and pain scores of 54.6 and 86.7. Despite the reports, pharmacists continue to share high levels of overall fulfillment, showing that helping improve patient outcomes remains one of the profession’s greatest rewards.
5. Computer hardware engineers
Computer hardware engineers earned a strong total score of 83.39, ranking them among the top five most fulfilled professionals in the workforce. Workers in this side of professional and business services reported a happiness score of 62.1 and a meaningfulness score of 69.0, suggesting that these engineers feel a sense of accomplishment when performing tasks such as designing and improving the technology that gets us through everyday life. Employee sentiment also remained high at 92.3%, reflecting positive attitudes toward career opportunities and innovation within the field.
The profession also offers substantial financial rewards, with average annual salaries reaching $138,080. While the role can involve demanding workloads and pressure, reflected in stress and pain scores of 55.8 and 83.8, computer hardware engineers continue to report high overall fulfillment, indicating that the opportunity to innovate and shape the future of technology often outweighs the job's challenges.
Swipe to see all columns
Rank
Job Title
Industry
Job Satisfaction: Happiness
Job Satisfaction: Meaningfulness
Salary Satisfaction
Employee Sentiment
Job Satisfaction: Stress
Job Satisfaction: Pain
Total Rank
1
Airline Pilots and Flight Engineers
Transportation & utilities
72
65.53
219,140
92.3
63.62
72.51
94.84
2
Marketing Managers
Professional & business services
62.06
68.99
157,620
99.1
55.75
83.75
86.3
3
Financial Managers
Financial activities
66.26
67.98
156,100
99.1
57.99
90.14
84.99
4
Pharmacists
Educational & health services
61.45
73.56
136,030
97
54.61
86.66
84.14
5
Computer Hardware Engineers
Professional & business services
62.06
68.99
138,080
92.3
55.75
83.75
83.39
6
Human Resources Managers
Professional & business services
62.06
68.99
136,350
92.3
55.75
83.75
83.19
7
Software Developers
Professional & business services
62.06
68.99
127,260
93.1
55.75
83.75
82.23
8
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
Transportation & utilities
72
65.53
107,360
92.3
63.62
72.51
82.09
9
Lawyers
Professional & business services
62.06
68.99
145,760
68.77
55.75
83.75
81.91
10
Petroleum Engineers
Professional & business services
62.06
68.99
135,690
74.5
55.75
83.75
81.34
The airports with the happiest workers
1. Salt Lake City International Airport - Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City International Airport has made a name for itself as the airport with the happiest workers, with an impressive overall score of 88.7, backed by a standout job satisfaction score of 115. Employees say they feel valued both professionally and financially, with a salary satisfaction score of 91% showing compensation closely matches expectations. Workplace morale also remains high, with staff giving the airport an average rating of 3.9 out of 5, a sign of a positive culture in an area best known for stress and long hours.
That positive energy extends far beyond airport staff and into the passenger experience. Salt Lake City International earned a passenger satisfaction score of 665 out of 1,000 while maintaining strong operational performance, with only 15.17% of flights delayed and just 0.51% canceled. The airport’s ability to balance employee well-being, efficient operations, and traveler satisfaction sets it apart from other major hubs, creating an environment where both workers and passengers can enjoy a smoother, more positive journey.
2. William P. Hobby - Houston, TX
Heading south, we have Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport earning a score of 86.7 for airports with the happiest workers, possibly because of its impressive overall job satisfaction score of 115. Employees reported feeling especially valued on the finance side, with a near-perfect salary satisfaction score of 99%, suggesting that compensation closely aligns with the role's demands. Workplace morale was even more remarkable, with staff awarding the airport a near-perfect score of 4.8 out of 5 rating, one of the highest employee satisfaction scores among major U.S. airports.
That strong internal culture appears to influence the traveler experience positively as well. William P. Hobby Airport earned a passenger satisfaction score of 643 out of 1,000, showing travelers continue to enjoy the airport despite the pressures of a busy flight schedule. While operational challenges remain — with 20.12% of flights delayed and 1.14% canceled — the airport has maintained high employee morale and a supportive workplace environment. The results highlight how competitive compensation and a positive culture can help workers thrive, even in one of the country's fastest-paced industries.
3. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International - Atlanta, GA
At the world’s busiest airport, keeping employees happy may sound impossible, yet Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continues to soar. Earning a high overall score of 86.0, Atlanta International also shared an impressive job satisfaction score of 115. Employees reported strong workplace satisfaction, as evidenced by a salary satisfaction score of 90%, suggesting that compensation generally meets expectations in a demanding, high-pressure environment. Staff morale also remained positive, with workers giving the airport a rating of 3.9 out of 5, highlighting a steady workplace culture despite the activity.
That balance between pressure and performance extends to the traveler experience as well. Hartsfield-Jackson earned a passenger satisfaction score of 590 out of 1,000; only 10.98% of flights were delayed, although cancellations reached 1.45%. All of these numbers paint a picture of an airport that has learned to manage passenger traffic while still supporting employee well-being, creating a more stable and reliable experience for both workers and travelers.
4. Honolulu International - Honolulu, HI
Honolulu International Airport proves that paradise isn’t just for travelers; employees are enjoying the experience too. Ranking among the airports with the happiest workers, the airport earned a strong overall score of 85.8, along with an impressive job satisfaction score of 115. Employees reported positive workplace experiences and steady satisfaction with compensation, with a salary satisfaction score of 79%, indicating that pay generally aligns with expectations. Workplace morale was especially high, with staff giving the airport an impressive 4.4 out of 5 rating, reflecting a supportive culture and upbeat atmosphere in one of the country’s most scenic travel hubs.
That positive environment carries over to passengers as well. Honolulu International earned a passenger satisfaction score of 617 out of 1,000 while maintaining relatively stable operations, with 16.13% of flights delayed and only 0.77% canceled. Together, these figures highlight the airport’s ability to balance employee happiness, traveler satisfaction, and operational reliability — creating a smoother, more enjoyable experience for everyone passing through Hawaii’s gateway to the world.
5. Portland International - Portland, OR
Portland International Airport is proving that a positive workplace culture can go a long way, even in the fast-moving world of air travel. Ranking among airports with the happiest workers, PDX earned a strong overall score of 85.7, along with an impressive job satisfaction score of 115. Employees reported positive workplace experiences, as evidenced by a salary satisfaction score of 80%, suggesting that compensation generally meets expectations. Morale was especially high among staff, who awarded the airport an outstanding 4.5 out of 5 rating, highlighting a workplace culture employees genuinely enjoy being part of.
Employee satisfaction appears to translate directly into the traveler experience as well. Portland International earned one of the highest passenger satisfaction scores among major U.S. airports, with a score of 683 out of 1,000, reinforcing its reputation as a traveler-friendly hub. While operational challenges persist, with 18.05% of flights delayed and 0.78% canceled, the airport continues to strike a strong balance between employee well-being, operational performance, and passenger convenience, creating a smoother, more enjoyable environment for everyone passing through its terminals.
Salary Satisfaction Score (closer to, or over, 1 means employees are happier)
Employee Sentiment (Average Star Rating out of 5)
Passenger Satisfaction Score (1,000 point scale)
Operational Stress (% Delayed Flights)
Operational Stress (% Canceled Flights)
Total Rank
1
Salt Lake City International
Salt Lake City, UT
115
0.91
3.9
665
15.17
0.51
88.7
2
William P Hobby
Houston, TX
115
0.99
4.8
643
20.12
1.14
86.7
3
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Atlanta, GA
115
0.9
3.9
590
10.98
1.45
86
4
Honolulu International
Honolulu, HI
115
0.79
4.4
617
16.13
0.77
85.8
5
Portland International
Portland, OR
115
0.8
4.5
683
18.05
0.78
85.7
6
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
New Orleans, LA
115
1.06
5
664
22.37
1.54
85.4
7
John Wayne Airport-Orange County
Santa Ana, CA
115
0.8
4.4
730
18.17
0.91
85.3
8
Minneapolis-St Paul International
Minneapolis, MN
115
0.87
3.3
660
13.21
0.84
85.3
9
Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Phoenix, AZ
115
0.91
4.2
634
19.22
0.78
85.1
10
George Bush Intercontinental/Houston
Houston, TX
115
0.99
4.5
606
19.35
1.5
83.8
11
Harry Reid International
Las Vegas, NV
115
0.98
3.7
619
20.5
0.76
83.4
12
San Antonio International
San Antonio, TX
115
1.06
3.9
650
22.26
1.07
83.3
13
Sacramento International
Sacramento, CA
115
0.79
4.1
662
19.64
0.63
83.1
14
Los Angeles International
Los Angeles, CA
115
0.8
4.1
589
18.59
0.75
82.7
15
Detroit Metro Wayne County
Detroit, MI
115
0.97
3.6
649
19.32
1.1
82.4
16
Dallas Love Field
Dallas, TX
115
0.94
4
705
20.3
1.45
81.7
17
Pittsburgh International
Pittsburgh, PA
115
0.99
4.3
639
22.07
1.47
81.6
18
Lambert-St. Louis International
St. Louis, MO
115
1
3.7
602
20.05
1.3
81.2
19
Kansas City International
Kansas City, MO
115
0.96
4.1
691
22.44
1.46
80.7
20
Miami International
Miami, FL
115
0.92
4.3
615
22.95
1.21
80.6
21
Austin - Bergstrom International
Austin, TX
115
0.92
3.7
643
22.36
0.87
80.6
22
Southwest Florida International
Fort Myers, FL
115
0.96
3.8
683
22.91
1.2
80.3
23
Orlando International
Orlando, FL
115
0.96
4
618
23.74
1.06
80.3
24
Charlotte Douglas International
Charlotte, NC
115
0.94
4
581
18.92
1.64
80.3
25
Seattle/Tacoma International
Seattle, WA
115
0.73
4.5
583
20.67
0.99
80.1
26
Cleveland-Hopkins International
Cleveland, OH
115
1.01
4.2
611
22.47
1.72
79.6
27
Indianapolis International
Indianapolis, IN
115
0.98
3.8
713
22.28
1.62
79.4
28
Nashville International
Nashville, TN
115
0.94
3.5
676
21.82
1.2
79.4
29
Washington Dulles International
Washington, DC
115
0.73
4.4
612
19.25
1.38
79.3
30
John Glenn Columbus International
Columbus, OH
115
0.97
3.6
639
22.72
1.41
78.3
31
Denver International
Denver, CO
115
0.79
3.8
596
22.63
0.82
78
32
Raleigh-Durham International
Raleigh/Durham, NC
115
0.91
3.9
688
22.63
1.64
77.8
33
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International
San Jose, CA
115
0.58
3.4
650
17.67
0.68
77.5
34
Chicago Midway International
Chicago, IL
115
0.89
2.8
631
19.55
1.09
77.3
35
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Cincinnati, OH
115
1.01
3.7
660
24.44
1.7
76.9
36
Metropolitan Oakland International
Oakland, CA
115
0.65
3.2
618
18.27
0.73
76.9
37
Tampa International
Tampa, FL
115
0.95
3
709
24.03
1.11
76.9
38
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall
Baltimore, MD
115
0.86
2.9
650
19.37
1.3
76.6
39
Chicago O'Hare International
Chicago, IL
115
0.89
4.5
586
24.72
1.75
76.4
40
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
Fort Lauderdale, FL
115
0.92
3.4
606
24.22
1.26
75.6
41
Philadelphia International
Philadelphia, PA
115
0.9
4.2
570
23.64
1.86
75.4
42
San Diego International
San Diego, CA
115
0.76
3.8
645
24.33
1.19
74.9
43
San Francisco International
San Francisco, CA
115
0.65
3.9
613
24.05
0.86
74.6
44
Palm Beach International
West Palm Beach, FL
115
0.92
3.4
688
27.71
1.39
73.5
45
Logan International
Boston, MA
115
0.71
3.9
608
25.48
1.64
70.8
46
Dallas/Fort Worth International
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
115
0.94
3.8
620
23.83
2.78
70.6
47
John F. Kennedy International
New York, NY
115
0.74
3.6
618
22.07
2.26
70
48
LaGuardia
New York, NY
115
0.74
3.5
637
24.54
2.92
64.8
49
Newark Liberty International
Newark, NJ
115
0.74
3.3
565
26.88
2.65
62.6
50
Ronald Reagan Washington National
Washington, DC
115
0.73
4
623
30.77
3.62
58.3
Happy workers, better workplaces
No matter what industry you work in, there are bound to be both positives and negatives. What everyone strives for, no matter their position, is to work in an environment that makes work enjoyable. Many of the industries displayed are where people feel happiest. Whether you work in healthcare, marketing, or even in airports from Utah to Hawaii, the right work environment can lead to happier, more satisfied employees.
Every industry offers its own advantages, whether it’s strong employee sentiment, competitive salaries, operational efficiency, or even positive, supportive experiences.
Together, these factors help to create workplaces where engaged employees thrive despite the fast-paced demands of each industry.
Methodology
To find out the professions with the happiest workers in the U.S., we analyzed 100 of the most in-demand jobs using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey, where Americans rate how they actually feel at work from being happy, fulfilled, stressed, or in pain — on a 0–6 scale. Responses were adjusted to a 0–100 scale (with stress and pain flipped so the lower values indicate better outcomes), and combined into a single Happiness Score weighted toward happiness, followed by meaning, stress, and pain. Industries with insufficient responses (fewer than 50) were excluded. We then included employee sentiment metrics — Happiness (40%), Compensation (25%), and Leadership (20%) — from the top three companies for each profession on Comparably. The letter grades for each metric were converted to percentage scores (A+ = 97, A= 93, A-=90, B+=87, B=83, B-=80, C+=77, C=73, C-=70, D+=67, D=63, D-=60, F=50) and averaged together to produce a final sentiment score.
For the airport workers ranking, we identified the 50 busiest U.S. airports using Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, then built a job satisfaction score for common airport roles (retail, food service, flight attendants, TSA agents, customer service, baggage handlers) using O*NET metrics including stress tolerance, time pressure, dealing with difficult people, time spent standing or walking, accuracy demands, achievement, relationships, and caring for others. These were grouped into proxy categories — happiness, meaningfulness, stress, and tiredness — to create a final job satisfaction score.
We also built a salary satisfaction score by combining median wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with cost-of-living data from MIT's Living Wage Calculator, averaging a living wage coverage score (airport worker wages vs. single-person living wage) and a living wage competitiveness score (airport worker wages vs. metro-area median).
Finally, we measured employee sentiment via Indeed star ratings, passenger satisfaction via J.D. Power scores, and operational stress via BTS data on delayed and canceled flights — using passenger satisfaction and operational stress as proxies, since happier travelers mean less strain on airport staff. Data accurate as of May 15th, 2026.
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