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It's time for your annual internal communications check-up.

You’ve invested in an internal communications platform, so you’re good to go — right?

Not so fast.

The technology landscape has evolved rapidly, and so have employee expectations. In fact, research shows that companies with outdated communication tools experience 23% higher employee turnover and 40% lower engagement compared to those with modern, mobile-friendly employee communication platforms.

Modern internal communication solutions are no longer just message boards or email replacements. They’ve become go-to hubs for connection, collaboration, and engagement. The best ones don’t just help your internal communication strategy survive — they help it thrive by providing features that enhance everything from onboarding to day-to-day tasks.

If your employee communication software hasn’t kept up with the times, it could be holding your business back. How can you tell? Here are five key signs that your internal comms platform might be letting you — and your employees — down.

#1. Your mobile experience is MIA

If your platform is a desktop-only by design, it’s time for a reality check. For deskless and frontline employees, mobile access isn’t just nice to have — it’s a necessity.

Think about it: Frontline workers like delivery drivers, retail associates, and healthcare staff are rarely in front of a computer. If your employee communication software platform doesn’t offer full functionality on mobile devices, you’re potentially excluding a significant part of your workforce from critical updates and engagement opportunities.

A truly effective platform ensures that all employees can easily navigate communication channels, tackle daily operations like shift scheduling, access real-time collaboration tools, and get important resources directly from their smartphones.

The gap between desktop and mobile functionality creates unnecessary barriers. Your remote employees or mobile workforce might feel undervalued or left out, leading to disengagement.

To create equity, your platform must deliver the same robust experience on every device, ensuring that everyone stays in the loop — no matter where or how they work.

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#2. The 1990s called — they want their static platform back

Does your employee communication tool feel like an old-school bulletin board?

Today’s employees are growing increasingly familiar with dynamic and engaging platforms like Instagram and Facebook. If your platform isn’t offering key features like short-form videos, interactive news feeds, or user-generated content, don’t be surprised if your updates aren’t getting the traction you want.

The modern workforce expects more than a repository for company updates. They want to feel connected, heard, and inspired. Platforms that incorporate a wide range of features inspired by social media — such as stories, polls, and real-time messaging — foster two-way communication and increase employee satisfaction. Consider short-form videos that replace long email threads, or how you can enable user-generated content to allow employees to showcase achievements or share ideas.

An outdated, static system doesn’t just fail to engage — it can actively alienate employees. By mirroring the tools they already use in their personal lives and providing a user-friendly interface, a modern internal communications platform helps bridge the gap between work and life, fostering a sense of familiarity and connection.

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#3. You’re stuck in a click-a-thon

Ever feel like you need a GPS to navigate between business applications?

If your team has to jump between multiple tools to take employee surveys, respond to polls, fill out forms, or reach the company intranet, you’re wasting time and energy — and so are your employees.

Employees shouldn’t have to open a new app or browser tab every time they need to complete a task. An effective internal communication tool centralizes these capabilities in a single platform, letting users seamlessly deploy and respond to surveys, forms, and polls within the same digital workplace through single sign-on and powerful integrations. Not only does this save time, but it also reduces cognitive load and frustration.

Simply put: The easier it is for employees to engage with company content, the more likely they are to participate. A unified platform creates a frictionless employee experience by streamlining workflows, keeping communications clear, and ensuring that no task gets lost in the shuffle.

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#4. Your platform looks like it belongs to someone else

Your internal communication platform should feel like an extension of your brand. If it’s generic and non-customizable, it’s missing a major opportunity to reinforce your company culture.

From colors and logos to tone and messaging, your platform should reflect your organization’s unique identity. A white-labeled solution ensures that employees see your brand — not someone else’s — every time they log in, reinforcing brand familiarity and loyalty over time.

And customization shouldn’t stop at aesthetics. The functionality and usage of your platform should align with your company’s values and communication goals.

When your platform mirrors your brand identity, it fosters a stronger connection and a sense of community between employees and the entire organization. It shows that you care about creating a cohesive, immersive experience that resonates with your workforce.

After all, branding isn’t just for customers — it’s for your employees, too.

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#5. Insights get lost in a black hole

Do you have any idea what’s actually working? If your platform isn’t giving you analytics on employee engagement, sentiment, and reach, you may be winging it with your strategy.

Internal communication software isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. To truly understand your workforce, you need data-driven insights. Advanced analytics can reveal which messages resonate most, which channels drive engagement, and where improvements are needed. Metrics like click-through rates, sentiment scores, and survey responses provide a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not.

Without these insights, you’re essentially shouting into the void. Modern internal communications tools don't just deliver your messages; they also show you how they’re received. With the right data at your fingertips, you can continuously refine your approach and create communications that truly connect.

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Time for a check-up?

In a landscape where finding talent is competitive and resources can be limited, a healthy internal communication platform isn’t a luxury — it’s an investment in business success. If these red flags sound all too familiar, it might be time for an upgrade.

With the right internal communication tool, you can help you empower your workforce today and set up your workplace culture for success in 2025 and beyond.

‍Blink. And assess the health of your internal comms platform.

Digital inclusion is the ability of individuals and communities to access, understand, and use technology in a safe and meaningful way. More often, we hear of digital inclusion and digital equity as social concepts — do citizens have equal access to health tech solutions, for example, and do they have access to the internet in order to participate in society? 

But frontline digital inclusion and digital equity for employees are just as important.

Frontline digital inclusion is essential in order to bridge the connection gap between the frontline workforce and the rest of an organization.

By understanding frontline digital inclusion better, we can help create a more equitable global workforce where everyone has access to the tools, resources, and people they need to succeed. In doing so, we encourage increased employee engagement, and unlock productivity and performance for the business, so everybody benefits.

What is digital inclusion?

Before we get into the specifics of frontline digital inclusion, let’s start with some definitions.

Digital inclusion is an important concept in the modern world as access to technology and digital services play an increasingly critical role in people’s lives. It refers to the ability of individuals and communities to access, understand, and use technology in order to take part in society, regardless of their social or economic backgrounds.

On a larger scale, digital inclusion projects serve to create equity where it isn’t already: between those who have access to digital resources and those that don’t. Frontline digital inclusion is one example of this concept in action, as it refers to providing equal opportunities for frontline workforce members to use technology in their daily activities.

Digital inclusion comprises three key areas: 

1. Accessibility
2. Digital skills
3. Connectivity 

Accessibility

Digital accessibility refers to the ability of all individuals to access digital content, tools, and services, including those with disabilities, sensory impairments, or neurodiversities.

On a global scale, improving digital access involves a wide range of considerations, such as providing alternative formats of content (such as audio or braille versions), designing websites and applications to be inclusive, and ensuring that digital services can be accessed in different languages or formats.

Digital skills

Digital skills refer to a range of abilities needed to use digital tools, devices, and communications applications effectively. Understanding their purpose and how they can be used to benefit the user also falls under this definition.

Digital education and training initiatives are important for helping people to develop the skills they need to be digitally included. Digital skills are an essential part of being digitally literate in today’s world, allowing individuals to take advantage of all that technology has to offer.

Connectivity

Digital connectivity refers to the ability of individuals to connect to the internet and online services, as well as the infrastructure and internet connection that supports this.

Enabling digital connectivity involved providing internet access in areas where there is none, or setting up public Wi-Fi networks in remote locations. This is particularly crucial in developing countries, where access to the internet can be a huge advantage.

What would digital inclusion look like for the frontline?

Frontline digital inclusion includes everything from having access to devices and software, understanding how they work and how to use them properly, and being able to take advantage of the same digital services as those in higher positions or working at HQ.

Accessibility

Workers should have access to the digital tools needed for their roles, whether their job is desk-based or not. When frontline employees have digital equity, they are able to better perform their daily work tasks using relevant software and mobile-optimized platforms.

Language is particularly important to consider here. Frontline environments like healthcare are becoming more divergent and employees are speaking a broader range of languages between themselves and with their patients. Any technology provided to them has to be easily translated to avoid crucial messages being missed.

Digital skills

Digital skills can be thought of in two ways when it comes to frontline digital inclusion. 

One: is the tool intuitive for the frontline or has it been designed with desk-based workflows in mind?

And two: are frontline employees being offered relevant training, onboarding, and support for the digital tools provided?

You might need to create additional resources for improving digital skills, such as tutorials, videos, and webinars. You can also direct them to key employee engagement champions who can empower them to use their new tech effectively.

Connectivity

Connecting your organization from the C-Suite to the frontline brings about a huge wealth of benefits, from ‘soft’ benefits like belonging and inclusion, to ‘hard’ benefits like the effective flow of information and a faster time to response.

Mobile-first digital technologies — like accessible and engaging frontline employee apps — help ensure your teams stay connected in-field and are able to access everything they need.

The digital divide: understanding frontline digital exclusion

By now, you’re hopefully as sold on the idea of frontline digital inclusion as we are. It’s not only an ethical imperative, but a business one too.

So what’s currently stopping digital equity on the frontline? Why are so many frontline workers experiencing digital exclusion?

Frontline teams typically lack access to the digital resources needed to perform their roles. They may also be offered existing tools and services that fail to meet their needs. Digital inclusion barriers may come from a lack of familiarity or understanding of how to use the tools, a lack of technological infrastructure, or simply limited access to devices and software while working in the field.

To put the problem into numbers:

• 34% of frontline healthcare employees can’t easily access workplace systems on their mobile devices
• Nearly 20% of frontline healthcare employees aren’t using their company intranet
• … and two-thirds of that 20% don’t know how to

With a digital divide like this, it's no surprise that frontline organizations are seeing a drop in the usage of and engagement with their digital channels (more on this below).

In short: we have to combat digital exclusion in order to deliver digital inclusion. And at work, that starts with the frontline.

Frontline digital exclusion in action

Digital exclusion wastes time and money. It can also be a serious contributing factor to employee disengagement. 

• At home health provider Elara Caring, employees were choosing to drive up to an hour each way to collect their paystubs in person as it was too difficult to access this information online
• For the same employees, a lack of communication between head office and the teams in the field left them feeling unsupported and disconnected
• Transport provider Stagecoach hired a full-time role just to manage platform password reset requests from frontline employees

See how Elara Caring and Stagecoach achieved frontline digital inclusion with Blink’s frontline employee app today.

We know that bridging this digital divide adds value. 

Organizations with the highest degrees of digital connectivity and empowerment are able to grow in ways that other businesses can’t. Here’s why…

Why is digital inclusion important for frontline teams?

How digital exclusion impacts frontline engagement

• Feelings of exclusion negatively impact employee engagement and therefore care and commitment
• It becomes difficult to understand frontline employee engagement. Paper-based employee engagement surveys go unanswered and unanalyzed — and if you can’t understand engagement, you can’t improve it either

How digital exclusion impacts frontline performance

• Employees will naturally drift away from your business objectives and mission statement when kept at a digital distance 
• Frontline staff become less invested in their day-to-day activities and more burnt out, negatively impacting performance.
• With fewer development opportunities due to digital exclusion, frontline workers don’t feel motivated to take on new roles or responsibilities and their growth becomes stunted

How digital exclusion impacts frontline profitability

• Operations can easily become chaotic and ineffective without an efficient flow of information between co-workers and departments
• Higher costs as recruitment and retention come under threat; the ‘leaky bucket’ of labor supply means that significant funds are deployed to the finding and training of a replacement workforce who might not stick around for long anyway
• Fresh challenges arise around recruiting and retaining new employees as the business loses its reputation as a good place to work
• Disengaged organizations see 23% lower profitability than highly engaged ones, and the longer employees remain in a disengaged state, the harder it is to turn around

How digital exclusion impacts frontline retention

• Digital exclusion can result in rising frustrations, poor employee morale, and low satisfaction due to the lack of adequate tools and resources available
• As 52% of frontline workers claimed they would leave their job over tech tools, it’s clear that these frustrations can have an impact on your employee turnover rate, too
• The average annual employee turnover rate is estimated at 18%, yet some frontline industries and organizations are experiencing much higher turnover levels. US frontline retail employees, for example, have a historic turnover rate of over 60%

Three actionable tips to drive your frontline digital inclusion efforts

Now for the how: here are three actionable tips to consider when driving digital inclusion for your frontline employees.

1. Understand who’s responsible

First and foremost, you must understand who is responsible for driving digital inclusion in your organization. While traditionally this has been the job of the CIO or CTO, it's clear that others in the C-Suite such as Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) can have a major role to play. 

As one Forbes states:

“Given how technology has infiltrated the entire C-suite, it’s clear that while CTOs and CIOs are still in charge of which technologies to purchase and deploy, their collaboration across departments is expanding. They need input from the entire executive team to ensure their investments match and support the overarching goals of the business and leverage collaboration to have the greatest impact.”

Analysis by Deloitte (pictured below) also explores the role of the C-Suite in managing the hyper-connected workplace. Touching on how CHROs, CIOs, CROs, COOs, and individuals can adjust to the changing world of hyper-connected work, this analysis provides an excellent starting point for organizations to better understand the roles and responsibilities of each C-Suite member.

However, important to remember that true employee techquity requires buy-in and team effort from not just the entire exec team, but also heads of HR/People, Internal Comms, and that all-important first-line manager. In fact, it's crucial to leverage the first-line frontline manager if you are going to succeed with frontline digital inclusion.

A CEO might only spend 6% of their work hours with the frontline, despite these staff members representing up to 80% of their business. Conversely, frontline managers spend the most time with the frontline, yet are often overlooked and undervalued. With first-line knowledge, your inclusion efforts will be much more effective.

With all this in mind, placing responsibility for frontline digital inclusion squarely on the C-Suite is too limiting. It’s important to have a comprehensive strategy in place with clear roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders.

2. Create a frontline digital inclusion strategy 

Take inspiration from the UK Government Digital Inclusion Strategy and create a frontline digital inclusion strategy for your organization.

A digital inclusion strategy for the frontline should include a comprehensive assessment of existing technology access and resources available to frontline employees. This assessment should cover areas such as:

• Device availability (i.e., laptops, tablets, and smartphones)
• Internet connection speeds and access to data on your work sites
• Availability of learning and training materials
• Access to technical support
• Any other resources necessary to ensure successful digital integration

Once a comprehensive assessment of existing resources has been completed, your frontline digital inclusion strategy can be created and regularly updated:

• This strategy should include objectives, goals, action plans, and resource requirements necessary to achieve the desired outcomes. Improved employee engagement, enhanced customer service capabilities, and increased productivity are all in reach
• Regular reviews and updates of the strategy are key to its success. Employee engagement KPIs and frontline analytics should be established in order to track progress made against the strategy
• Finally, a successful digital inclusion strategy should include continuing education and training initiatives for frontline staff. These initiatives should focus on upskilling employees in areas such as data security protocols and best practices for the platform you choose.

Check out the digital inclusion checklist at the end of our guide for more strategic guidance.

3. Enable, engage, and understand your frontline

Achieving frontline digital inclusion requires enabling, engaging, and understanding your employees.

By combining the three, you can create an effective frontline digital inclusion strategy that puts your employees on the path to success.

Enable

Enabling your frontline with the right technology goes beyond simply providing them with a device and internet connection. It’s about equipping them with tools to succeed in a digitally-connected workplace.

For deskless workers, this might include:

• Content Hub: A central hub that's accessible on the go, storing critical policies, procedures, schedules, and guides in one place
• Digital Forms: Creating and distributing mobile-first digital forms, gathering data, and automating key processes. No hassle. No paper. No IT support tickets
• Single Sign-On: Access to all applications from one single app, without the hassle of remembering usernames and passwords
• Integrations: Integrate your existing tools and apps into new employee tech for intuitive and streamlined use

Engage

To receive engagement from your frontline, you have to earn it. This means providing digital tools that encourage engagement, as well as recognizing and rewarding input.

For example:

• News Feed: Bring the whole company together with a News Feed that's fun, familiar, and easy to use — you might just reduce time spent on non-core tasks by up to 90%
• Secure Chats: Create an intuitive, seamless communications experience for everyone with secure, mobile-first chats
• Recognition: Provide instant, personalized recognition for every employee, directly to the palm of their hand

Understand

To truly understand the digital experience of your frontline staff, you have to take the time to get to know them. This means listening, empowering their voice, and understanding how their experience affects their job performance.

• Analytics: Utilize powerful analytics for insight into the people and relationships that make your organization tick
• Surveys: Ditch paper surveys, build trust with your frontline, and get more data with short, regular Pulse surveys designed for higher engagement

Your frontline digital inclusion checklist

Digital inclusion is an important factor in the success of any organization. To measure the success of a digital inclusion strategy, there are certain key points that should be checked:

1. Start with user experience: Understand the experience of your frontline staff by listening to and empowering their voice, and understanding how their experience affects job performance
2. Offer digital support: Make sure all employees have access to online services, regardless of their digital literacy
3. Utilize powerful analytics: Leverage analytics for insight into the people and relationships that make up your organization
4. Take surveys and measure engagement: Replace laborious paper surveys with short, regular, mobile-friendly Pulse surveys to gain more data and build trust with employees
5. Provide tailored digital tools: Choose tools that are tailored to the needs of your deskless employees, and ensure a seamless user experience
6. Offer recognition: Show appreciation for employee performance with rewards, badges, shout-outs, and leaderboards
7. Invest in collaboration: Connect employees with one-on-one conversations, secure chats, and team communication tools to foster a culture of collaboration

By following this checklist and leveraging the right digital solutions for your organization, you can make sure that no one is left behind as you strive for greater digital inclusion. With Blink, this is made easier than ever.

Blink. And you bridge the digital divide

Frontline digital inclusion is an important and essential program — and it’s not as complex as it sounds.

By understanding the unique experience of deskless workers, providing access to digital tools tailored to their needs, and listening to and recognizing employee feedback, organizations can ensure that no one is left behind in the digital world.

But remember: not all digital services are created equal. At Blink, we believe in providing a seamless, intuitive user experience for the frontline, which is why our frontline employee app was built with deskless employees in mind.

With features including Secure Chats to News Feeds, Pulse Surveys, and Recognition tools, our employee-first solutions empower organizations to make their frontline staff feel connected and engaged throughout their journey.

Let us help you drive digital inclusion within your organization – get started with Blink today.

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What makes him awesome?

Chris has been with Stagecoach since June 2014, making this year his 10th anniversary! Starting out as a driver, he is based on the Lincoln depot.

Chris consistently goes above and beyond in his role, adapting brilliantly to late changes to his working rota and the work contained in it. The nature of the transport industry and staffing needs means no two weeks are the same, as we have to meet demand.

Chris is ultra reliable all the time and never balks at extra work. If Chris says he can't do something for us, there is always a very good reason for that. I feel he deserves recognition for all he gives to both the Training Team, and the drivers he is responsible for.

What does he want to do next?

Anything we want him to do, he will turn his hand to it. The sky’s the limit!

Nominated by: David Earl, Delegated Driving Examiner

What do the words leadership visibility mean to you?

Is it a lone wolf standing at the top of a hill raised up above the masses or is the usual visual that pops into your mind more nuanced?

Leadership usually conjures up thoughts of the very pinnacle of corporate hierarchies. The CEO, and his or her c-suite.

Those who run the company or who are tasked with running it.

Then there are leaders who are less symbolic and more down to earth leaders like team managers and supervisors. The everyday people managers.

What about their visibility? They also need to be seen and heard but also available to see and hear from their people that they’re tasked with looking after.

That, for me, is at the heart of leadership visibility.

What does leadership visibility equate to?

The accountability and responsibility for a group of people and their ability to have a positive experience during the time they are affiliated with your organization.

Visibility equates to being both visible so people can see leaders and also accessible so employees can gain access to interact with leaders in a meaningful way.

In a 2019 Salesforce research report it was found that when employees feel heard they are over four times more likely to feel empowered to perform to the best of their abilities.

To give it their all or exercise that discretionary effort that can make the difference between good and excellent. Of course, it matters how this is done and informality can create a more comfortable environment for both leaders and their people to interact.

What does leadership visibility look like?

For example, if you organize a breakfast session where a leader makes themselves available for 45 minutes and you provide breakfast treats and hot beverages, that could be deemed as a formal gathering.

I have organized a few such sessions and found, in some cases, that there was a level of reluctance to participate. Why should this be? I would say it was cultural as well as the event type.

A breakfast session cannot, in of itself, change a culture or create a welcoming one that provides a safe environment where employees want to be seen, listened to, and heard by their leaders.

That willingness to have conversations with leaders is key.

The role of culture

If an organisation’s culture doesn’t permit or encourage connections with leaders or where they are cordoned off, no amount of breakfast sessions, walk the floors or town hall Q&As will fix this.

In this instance, the toxicity would need to be addressed before any activities could successfully come to fruition. So, it’s less a case of visibility and more a case of authentic visibility.

An approach that aligns visibility programmes with an organisation’s culture. If your managers are having regular conversations with their teams as part of business-as-usual activities, then you’re halfway into the journey of engaging employees through visible leadership.

Managers are key to making unconcealed leadership a success.

The persona of a visible leader

What do accessible leaders look like?

They are personality-driven and offer a heady combination of charisma, capability, intelligence, and social skills that culminates in a person who makes others feel at ease, relaxed, empowered and emboldened to have their say.

Not to say that quiet leaders cannot elicit the same reaction.

It’s less about being extroverted and more about being confident in one’s own skin to give others the assurance that they can do the same without fear of retaliation in response to the sharing of candid views.

Mutual respect is crucial which again is largely driven by culture .

If everyone knows they are in an environment that actively promotes transparency, then leaders can be authentically visible and encourage employees to respond positively to this visibility without viewing this access with suspicion.

What makes him awesome?

Andy has such a positive attitude to his work. I can load him up with work as we are a very busy site and he comes back for more. He will always look to help the prisoners with fixes to their cell power as he is aware that's all they have. He assists all trades and gives great advice to the electrical supervisor. We're happy for the chance to recognize his hard work and valuable contribution. 

How has Blink helped in his role?

By sharing information which can help ours and other sites- for example cell call plates that cannot be smashed, and lights from another manufacturer. The sharing of this type of information is great for the company.

What does he want to do next?

Andy has conscientiously trained himself on the Test and Inspection course, meaning he will be able to assist the company with extra work on testing.

Nominated by: Simon Kemp, Deputy Site Manager

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Gen Z. Digital natives. Zoomers.

Whatever you want to call them, they’re making waves in the workplace.

This cohort of employees, born between 1997 and 2012, now makes up 18% of the workforce. And by 2030 — as more Boomers and Gen Xers retire — that figure is expected to rise to 30%.

When it comes to engaging Gen Z at work, it’s not a case of business as usual. Zoomers, some of whom have been working for a decade now, are bringing fresh energy — and expectations — to the workplace. And internal communications is one area where this shift is becoming increasingly evident.  

Gen Z prefers mobile-first, fast-moving, and highly visual employee communications. They value transparency and authenticity, which means traditional, top-down communications will feel increasingly dated and ineffective.

So how do you get Gen Z to take notice of your internal communications? You learn to speak their language.

Here’s how to craft effective communication that is sure to inspire the interest and loyalty of your Zoomer workforce.

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Understanding Gen Z’s digital DNA

Start by getting to know the communication habits and preferences of your Gen Z employees.

Zoomers are digital natives, used to frequently switching between devices and platforms. They tend to look for answers online first — before they send an email or talk to a coworker face-to-face.

This generation also grew up in the era of social media, where communication is instant, interactive, and highly visual. They’ve known nothing else.

So long-winded emails and PDFs don’t just fall flat — they tend to get ignored. Zoomers expect short-form, snackable content that gets straight to the point. And they like having the opportunity to add their voices to the conversation, too.

Authenticity, inclusivity, and relatability are other Gen Z communication must-haves for your internal communications strategy. Corporate-speak and overly polished messaging simply don’t resonate. Zoomers are more likely to believe in your messaging when it acknowledges challenges and complexities, not just successes.

Key takeaway: Internal communication efforts should be concise, visual, and real to match Gen Z’s digital communication style.

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Crafting messages that stick

Once you’ve gotten to grips with what Gen Z expects from your internal communications plan, it’s time to create messages that grab their attention and stick in their memory. To do that, get creative and try to include at least one of these guiding internal comms principles in your messages.

Tell a story

Stories spark an emotional connection between your organization and employees. They highlight real people and create a positive culture. And they take an audience on a journey — usually from a problem or conflict toward a resolution.

So use real employee experiences, personal anecdotes, customer stories, and behind-the-scenes content to make your messages more engaging for Gen Z workers.

Make it visual

Traditionally, internal communications have been text-based. But that isn’t how Zoomers like to get their information. Incorporate GIFs, emojis, memes, and videos to catch the eye and cut through the noise of internal comms.

With these visual assets, you say more with less, which leans into Gen Z’s preference for concise and straight-to-the-point messaging.

Use humor and personality

Gen Z appreciates informality and wit. So don’t be afraid to show some humor and personality in your employee communications. It’s a way to humanize your brand voice and make messaging more relatable.

Just be sure to strike the right balance: Keep humor inclusive, relevant, and aligned with your company culture. And, of course, when addressing serious or sensitive topics, it’s best to avoid humor altogether.

Leverage interactivity

Posting creative, eye-catching content isn’t enough. Interactivity is another important part of the picture. Polls, quizzes, and reaction buttons ensure high levels of employee engagement and facilitate conversations with two-way communications.

But you can take it even further. By responding to comments and acting upon employee feedback, you show that business leaders genuinely care about the employee experience — helping you foster an even more engaged workforce.

Key takeaway: Think social media, not corporate memo. Make your messages fun and visual — and encourage employee participation, too.

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Borrowing from social media

Love it or loathe it, social media should be your main inspiration for your internal communication strategy in 2025. Digital platforms like TikTok and Instagram are expert at generating engagement and keeping users coming back for more. And they set the standard for how Gen Z consumes content.

So play by the social media rule book, creating fast, visual, and interactive content that wouldn’t look out of place on your employees’ favorite feed. To do that, incorporate the following.

User-generated content (UGC)

For the ultimate in authenticity, encourage employees to create and share their own workplace stories. Facilitate peer communication and recognition posts. Launch a content challenge where employees share content around a particular theme. Encourage employees to film their own day-in-the-life videos.

There are so many options to incorporate UGC into your internal communications strategy — you just need to guide employee content creators in the right direction.

Mobile-first design

Where do Gen Z turn first when they’re seeking information and connection? You guessed it. Their smartphones. Your internal communication platform should mimic the accessibility and ease of use of mobile social media apps. And the mobile experience should match the experience employees are getting on desktop. This ensures that office-based staff, remote workers, and frontline employees get the same seamless user experience.

Ephemeral content

Limited-time posts — like the ones you get on Instagram Stories and Snapchat Snaps — drive authenticity. Because when a post is here today and gone tomorrow, there’s no need for it to be perfect. Ephemeral content also boosts internal comms engagement because it produces a sense of urgency. Employees check in with your platform regularly for fear of missing out. 

Algorithm-style recommendations

Think back to the last time you scrolled social media. Chances are you saw a news feed filled with content from your favorite people and about your favorite topics. Gen Z employees are used to getting tailored experiences like these. So your internal communications tools should be capable of personalization. When employees see messages that relate directly to them, their roles, location, and interests, they’re more likely to take notice.

Key takeaway: Take inspiration from social media to draw Gen Z employees to your internal communication channels — and keep them there.

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Turning employees into influencers

Research shows that Gen Z tends toward being skeptical and mistrustful — particularly when it comes to traditional authority figures. In the workplace, they’re more likely to trust their peers over corporate messaging. 

Harness the power of peer trust by turning employees into internal comms influencers. Look at your internal communication channels to identify internal content creators who naturally engage their colleagues. Then, give them the time and resources they need to share internal messages.

Over the long term, these influencers can become trusted voices on your intranet or employee app and play a critical role in your company culture.

Key takeaway: Empower employees to be the voice of your internal communications — because Gen Z is more likely to engage with their peers than the C-suite.

Avoiding the “cringe factor”

Like seeing their dad break out his best dance moves at a wedding, “cringey” content will have Gen Z employees backing away from the internal comms dance floor.

Forced trends, outdated slang, and overuse of emojis or GIFs won’t win Zoomers over. They can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. Corporate messaging that tries too hard to be “cool” without understanding the cultural context will likely backfire.

Before jumping on a viral meme or social media trend, ask yourself:

• Does this align with our brand voice and company values?
• Does it make sense in the context of the message?
• Will our employees actually find it relevant and engaging?

If you answer no to any of these questions, let it go.

And — instead of imitating Gen Z’s language or recycling viral posts — focus on what makes their favorite content work. Adopt the principles behind trending content, making your messages short, dynamic, and community-driven, and your content is much more likely to resonate.

Key takeaway: Put your twist on it. Avoid the “cringe factor” by keeping your brand voice and company values front of mind.

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Keeping up with trends

Staying relevant doesn’t mean blindly chasing every online trend — but it does mean keeping an eye on how communication is evolving beyond your internal communication platform.

Social media trends shift rapidly. And internal communications teams need an agile approach to stay relevant. Here’s how:

• Take stock: Regularly audit content formats and messaging styles to ensure they align with Gen Z’s preferences away from work. Use analytics to gain valuable insights about which content formats and messaging styles are resonating most with your target audience.

• Experiment: Stay creative. Test new content formats with a small group of employees before rolling them out to a wider audience. Gather feedback from employees, measure engagement, and update your strategy as required.

• Assess your tech: Regularly assess whether your internal communication tools are up to the task. Your  internal communications app should mirror the social media experience, offering similar features and functionality. Because, if your platform feels outdated, employee engagement will suffer.

Key takeaway: Keep testing, iterating, and adapting — because Gen Z communication platforms and preferences evolve at lightning speed.

Can your internal communications plan keep up with Gen Z?

Gen Z is reshaping modern workplace communication, demanding fast, interactive, and authentic messaging — delivered straight to their smartphones.

By embracing social media-inspired strategies, fostering two-way interaction, and adopting the trends that align with what your entire organization cares about most, you can design an internal comms strategy that truly speaks their language and build a strong culture of transparency.

And the best part? These changes don’t just benefit Zoomers. In a world where more and more people expect information to be concise, engaging, and mobile-friendly, this style of communication improves the experience for every generation in your workforce.

‍Blink. And craft an internal communication strategy that works for everyone.