Front desk to housekeeping: closing the communication gap between hotel departments

David Brown is a titan of the public transport industry. His star-studded career has taken him from a graduate with London Transport to CEO of Go-Ahead Group. He's been GM for CentreWest London Buses, Operations and Managing Director for London General and London Central.

#1. Always grasp opportunity.

The advice I give to graduates, young bus managers or other leadership groups is this: grasp opportunity whenever you can. Don't let them pass you by, because they won't come back again.

#2. Bring more young people in.

Privatization was a death knell for a lot of graduate schemes. It was an easy way to save money, to look at the bottom line. But we ended up with a generational hole of senior managers coming through.

One of the first things I did at Go-Ahead was reintroduce a graduate scheme. I'm very excited to see that cadre of talent come through.

#3. And promote them fast!

Now I want to help that young talent leap from junior management to senior or directorship roles. To bridge that generation gap, their career needs to accelerate.

We have a 93% retention rate. That's partly because people see a trajectory to the top of the organization. You need to give people real responsibility and accountability. It's a fantastic time to be in the transport industry as a young person. Because if you're good, there are infinite chances for you to stand out.

#4. (But don't force them to stay).

I'm relaxed about people leaving – because I know they'll come back. But they'll come back with another set of skills and experiences to help us. We need these people as part of transport. I'm passionate about that whole industry, not only the Go-Ahead version.

#5. Real progress happens when there's no time to plan.

I never worked harder than in lockdown. It was 24/7. We were trying to reconstruct our business. We needed lots of local leadership. So from day 1, nobody blinked. We just got on with it.

Desk-based and frontline stepped up massively. The frontline were in some scary situations in their day-to-day, and I'll always be proud of how they coped.

#6. Learn from your mistakes — even in a crisis.

After the first lockdown, we reviewed our actions and said, "What do we do well, and what could we do better?” Because that's what you should do, of course. But when there's a second wave, we also must be ready to remember what we instinctively did well.

The downside has been the public message about our business, that it's unsafe to travel by public transport, and demonizing public transport. That is a real big hurdle that we've got to overcome.

#7. There's a place for greater formal collaboration in transport today.

All the bus PRC companies have grown up in a siloed era: never collaborating, out of fear of the Competition Act, and the CMA.

Now the operators do talk to each other, but only in the context of the CPT, which is our trade body. We've got a huge amount in common, and we need to leverage that better.

We're going to have to be far more agile, far more responsive to an ever-changing situation. That feeds into our engagement with our colleagues’ representatives from the trade union. It's been more collaborative because we've realized it goes beyond the small issues or the legal aspects.

#8. Let's lose the bureaucracy.

When we went into lockdown, people said “Well, we've got to tell the traffic commissioner, we’ve got to check”. I said, “You just go do the right thing, and they're going to have to catch up with us. We’re going to have to do the right thing, and plead forgiveness afterwards.” Because we haven't got the time to wait 270 days to make decisions.

The industry needs more of that, not less of that. We need to be more flexible, more agile and more collaborative going forward.

#9. Technology will help us re-position ourselves.

Technology can automate a lot of aspects to make public transport jobs easier. That leaves the drivers extra time to do the bits we want more of, which is looking after customers. It's important to push that going forward, so passengers feel looked after as well as safe.

Technology will also help us stay relevant around the issues of air quality and climate change. I'm excited to see how that develops.

#10. The UK government must step in – before it’s too late.

At the beginning of this year, I saw a new dawn for public transport. I could see we were going to get good, generous funding from the government. We were helping the government see how transport fits into every single department – not just its own.

Now, we have to pick all that back up. We need the government to spend as much money as they did telling people to travel, as they did telling them not to. A sort of 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme on trains and buses. That level of commitment is imperative.

And if they don't? We'll be left with hollowed out cities. And no one wants that.

Blink, the leading mobile-first employee experience platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Cocentric, a UK-based digital employee experience company, to accelerate the development of tech solutions for frontline employees to help engage workforces across the UK and EU. This collaboration positions Cocentric as Blink’s key European and APAC partner, bringing cutting-edge, multi-platform expertise to organisations seeking seamless, next-generation communication tools.

The collaboration will enable organisations to take advantage of Blink’s award-winning platform, which helps companies reduce staff turnover by up to 26% by providing frontline employees with a single, mobile-first tool to stay connected with their team and company updates. Cocentric, known for helping businesses like Rare Restaurants, Populous, and Pizza Pilgrims to transform their employee communications, will build on its expertise to deliver tailored support for Blink’s platform, allowing organisations to easily integrate the app into their existing systems.

“At Blink, we are committed to transforming how frontline workers stay connected, regardless of their location,” said Sean Nolan, CEO at Blink. “By partnering with Cocentric, we’re able to leverage their deep knowledge of workplace technology and tailor our approach to the unique needs of UK and EU organisations. Together, we will help companies overcome the complexities of managing distributed teams by integrating Blink’s technology with Cocentric’s expertise.”

The partnership will also focus on co-selling initiatives and joint solution development, with Cocentric building specialised subject matter expertise around Blink’s platform. The collaboration will extend beyond standard integrations to include unique technology solutions developed by Cocentric, such as Connect, a synchronisation tool designed to enhance Blink’s user experience by bridging gaps in HR system integration. These solutions are designed to streamline user data management and deliver a more seamless experience for Blink customers.

“Cocentric is thrilled to partner with Blink, whose platform has already proven its ability to drive real results in employee engagement,” said Regan Collins, CEO at Cocentric. “Our clients are always looking for ways to create a better working environment for their teams, and with Blink’s app, we can help them deliver improved communication and collaboration at every level. We’re looking forward to offering this solution across the UK and Europe, with integrations that make the process even smoother for businesses.”

In addition to building solutions around Blink’s technology, Cocentric will also help to develop tools and integrations within the Microsoft 365 suite that will further enhance Blink’s offering in this space. This will ensure that organisations currently relying on Microsoft technologies can benefit from enhanced employee engagement capabilities without the need to migrate to competing platforms. 

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Get ready for this week’s Life at Blink spotlight! We’re thrilled to introduce a pivotal member of our Boston team — George Monk! As an Account Executive, George has been with Blink for nearly four years, making a significant impact from both sides of the Atlantic. Starting out in our London office, George was Blink’s first US SDR, pioneering our efforts to connect with U.S. businesses. Dive in to learn more about George, his journey, and what makes Blink such a unique place to work!

What initially attracted you to join Blink?

When I first joined Blink, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The idea of joining a startup initially made me hesitant because I was concerned about potential lack of structure and training programs. But eventually, I told myself, "Why not give it a shot and embrace the challenge?"

Blink was actually my first job right out of university, where I studied chemistry. It’s funny because, during my time at university, I had no idea what my career path would look like. I knew I was interested in joining the private sector, but my vision for the future was still blurry. It wasn’t until I joined Blink that I found a direction that truly resonated with me, and I'm glad I took that leap of faith.

What's a project you are proud of from your time at Blink?

I'm particularly proud of what we've achieved in the EMS sector, working with paramedics, EMTs, and medical technicians. It’s an area where Blink has really made an impact, especially with the younger workforce, who are typically between 18 and 25 and are very receptive to using our platform. When I first joined, our presence in the EMS industry was minimal — we were just starting to break into the market. But now, we're leading the charge. We've partnered with over 20 agencies, and Blink is becoming a household name in the industry. It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch that growth and know that we've made a real difference in helping these critical workers stay connected and informed.

How would you describe the company culture at Blink in three words?

If I had to describe Blink's company culture in three words, I’d say it's high-achieving, fun, and inclusive. We’re all about pushing ourselves to deliver the best results, but we also know how to enjoy the process along the way. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie, and despite how driven everyone is, it’s still an incredibly supportive and inclusive environment. 

What's one thing you're excited about for the future of Blink?

I'm really excited about Blink's future, especially as we focus on expanding our presence in the US. Bringing more household names and big brands onboard is something that really energizes me. We're making a significant impact, and I can't wait to see how we continue to grow in the American market. It’s thrilling to think about how far we’ve come and how much potential there still is to grow. 

Can you tell us about a recent initiative or program launched at Blink that you found particularly exciting?

A recent initiative that I find really exciting is the opportunity we have to help thousands of customers who’ve been left behind by the closure of Meta's Workplace. Being able to migrate them over to Blink is a huge opportunity not just for those businesses but for us as well. Meta announced they’d be closing in May, so it’s been a major focus for us since then. With the official discontinuation happening in August next year, I imagine we’ll continue helping with these migrations for months to come. It’s incredibly rewarding to know we’re stepping in to provide a solution when these companies need it most.

Why do you work for Blink?

I have the luxury of coming to work every day and genuinely enjoying it. I love the people I work with, and I love the diversity of our customers. Getting to work with companies from so many different industries keeps things exciting and fulfilling.

The best employee experience tools support HR objectives.

They improve employee productivity, engagement, and retention. They streamline HR processes and they help you demonstrate measurable ROI.

So how do you find an employee experience tool that does all the above?

By understanding the platform features that really drive HR impact — and knowing what to do to ensure platform success.

Let’s take a look.

What is employee experience?

Employee experience is the combined impact of every interaction an employee has within your company — from their first day to their last, and everything in between.

It’s shaped by company culture, the quality of workplace communication, learning and development opportunities, compensation, and well-being support.

It’s also shaped by the software and resources employees use to do their jobs — whether that’s a dedicated employee experience platform like Blink or tools that support your operations. 

Ultimately, employee experience is not one thing. It’s the accumulation of small, daily moments that determine how employees feel, how hard they work, and how long they stay at your organization. And it has a direct impact on the metrics that matter most to HR.

Why employee experience matters for HR

A positive employee experience improves employee engagement, productivity, retention, and performance — core HR goals.

It helps HR teams to hit their hiring targets. When you’re known as a great place to work, you attract better candidates. It also reduces HR workload because employees can access the resources they need when they need them, and there are fewer avoidable queries.

The organizations that understand this don’t treat employee experience as a culture initiative. They treat it as a business strategy.

Let’s look at some examples.

• Cisco has built an onboarding experience that 90% of employees say exceeds their expectations. Beyond this initial training, the company is committed to helping employees do their best work and progress in their careers.
  
  
• Hilton, named the #1 World’s Best Workplace in 2025, has made employee well-being central to its employee value proposition (EVP). With sabbaticals, benefits for caregivers, and mental health support, Hilton has ensured that 85% of its staff feel balanced and healthy at work.
  
  
• Elara Caring — a provider of personal care, home health, and hospice services with over 32,000 caregivers — has prioritized internal communication and co-worker connection. After implementing a frontline app, 95% of employees say they feel more connected to the company.

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Employee experience in frontline organizations: Key considerations

With over 2.7 billion deskless workers globally, the employee experience gap between frontline and desk-based staff is one of the most significant — and most costly — challenges HR leaders face.

Frontline workers are often disconnected from leadership, colleagues, and company culture. They have limited access to desktop-based tools. And they miss out on development opportunities and workplace perks that desk-based employees take for granted.

When their experience is poor, they leave — at rates that consistently outpace desk-based worker attrition.

Closing this gap requires intentional effort — and in most cases, it requires digital tools that every employee can actually access.

10 employee experience platform features that drive HR success

The right employee experience platform gives you the tools to hit your most important HR targets — whether that’s improving retention, driving engagement, streamlining onboarding, or building a culture that people genuinely want to be part of.

But not all platforms are built equal. And for organizations with a large frontline workforce, you need tools that meet staff where they are — serving customers, transporting goods, and keeping your operations on track.

Here are the features that matter most, and how each one connects to your HR goals.

1. Frontline-friendly features

For organizations with a significant frontline workforce, these frontline-friendly features are a baseline. Every other feature on this list only delivers value if frontline employees can actually access and use your platform.

To ensure your EX platform meets the needs of frontline workers, look for:

• Mobile-first design. Platforms that are built for smartphones from the ground up. Not a desktop platform with a mobile app bolted on.
• Offline capabilities. So employees in low-connectivity environments aren’t cut off from the information they need.
• Intuitive, consumer-grade interfaces. Frontline workers won’t adopt tools that feel clunky or slow. The bar is set by the apps they already use in their personal lives.
• No corporate email required. Access is granted via a phone number or employee ID, so every worker can use your systems from day one.

How will this help me meet my goals?

• Ensure your employee experience investment reaches all employees — not just those who sit at a desk.
• Reduce the friction that causes low platform adoption rates and poor ROI.
• Close the experience gap between frontline and desk-based employees that drives disproportionately high frontline attrition.

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2. Two-way communication tools

Effective internal communication requires two-way channels that give employees access to leadership updates, co-worker conversations, and company news — and give leadership real visibility into what employees are thinking.

Look for platforms that support instant messaging, a dynamic news feed, live streaming, voice and video calling, and pinned updates.

You also need structured channels for different types of communication, so the right messages reach the right people without everything competing for attention in the same feed.

For frontline organizations specifically, those comms channels need to be available on smartphones. Push notifications and mandatory reads also come in very useful. 

How will this help me meet my goals?

• Easily communicate company updates, initiatives, and events to your entire team or specific departments.
• Work toward employee engagement goals by gathering valuable employee feedback through direct one-on-one or group chats.
• Build trust and transparency because employees feel they have a direct line to leaders.

3. Surveys, polls, and real-time feedback

Annual surveys tell you how employees felt twelve months ago. But by the time the results land, the moment to act has usually passed.

Real-time feedback tools — pulse surveys, quick polls, employee sentiment analysis, and manager check-ins — give HR a live picture of how employees are feeling, what’s working, and where action is needed.

This can make the difference between responding to a retention crisis and preventing one.

The best platforms make surveys easy to launch and feedback easy to send. Short, targeted surveys take seconds to complete and get higher response rates — particularly from time-poor frontline workers. 

You should also look for analytics and reports that help you make sense of your findings. That way, you can create a plan of action and employees get to see visible change in response to their feedback. 

How will this help me meet my goals?

• Surface issues before they impact engagement and retention.
• Get the data to make evidence-based decisions on HR initiatives, rather than relying on instinct.
• Demonstrate to employees that their voice matters, driving engagement and belonging in the process.

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4. Audience segmentation tools

While 75% of workplace communicators say tailored messaging is critical, only 20% segment their audiences regularly.

This is a problem. Because a retail associate doesn’t need the same updates as a warehouse operative. A new starter needs different content than a ten-year employee. 

When every employee sees everything, the platform becomes noisy — and people stop paying attention.

Audience targeting allows HR and comms teams to deliver the right content to the right people, based on their role, location, department, and tenure. It helps you reduce overwhelm and land messages more effectively.

What’s more, when staff are confident of finding personalized content on your employee experience platform, they keep logging in. So you reach more employees through the same streamlined channels. 

When choosing employee experience software, look for tools that allow you to create and manage employee groups, and tools that let you customize dashboards on an employee-by-employee basis.

How will this help me meet my goals?

• Improve message cut-through by ensuring employees only receive content that’s relevant to them.
• Enable more targeted feedback collection — surveying specific teams or locations rather than the whole organization at once.
• Reduce the noise that causes employees to disengage from internal comms and EX platforms entirely.

5. Automated employee journeys

Onboarding is one of the highest-stakes communication challenges in any organization. 

When it's inconsistent — when new hires receive different information depending on which manager onboards them or which shift they start on — it shows up in slower ramp-up times, more HR queries, and higher early attrition.

Automated employee journeys solve this by delivering the right content to every employee at the right moment — consistently, regardless of role, location, or manager.

Pre-boarding information before day one. Essential policies and system guides on arrival. Role-specific training in a logical sequence. Check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days to identify and address early disengagement.

The same logic applies beyond onboarding — to role transitions, promotions, returns from leave — any other moment in the employee lifecycle where timely, consistent communication makes a meaningful difference.

Pick an employee platform that supports content automation — and connects with your HRIS — and staff get a more consistent and comprehensive experience. 

How does this help me meet my HR goals?

• Reduce the volume of repetitive onboarding queries that consume HR capacity.
• Ensure every new hire gets the same high-quality experience regardless of manager or location.
• Improve early retention by giving new starters the confidence and information they need to succeed from day one.

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6. Recognition and rewards

Employees who feel recognized perform better and stay longer. But only 61% of desk-based workers feel seen and appreciated at work. And this figure drops to 43% for desk-based teams.

A mobile-first platform with built-in recognition tools changes that. It enables peer-to-peer recognition, manager shoutouts, and company-wide celebrations of employee achievement — visible to everyone, not just the people who happen to be in the office.

The most effective recognition tools fit seamlessly into the work day.

If giving recognition means logging into a separate system and filling out a form, it won't happen consistently. If it takes two taps from the same app employees use for everything else, you embed recognition in company culture.

How does this help me meet my HR goals?

• Drive engagement, belonging, and retention by ensuring every employee — frontline included — feels seen and valued.
• Motivate employees to do their best work, improving performance and productivity. 
• Improve the employer brand, making your organization a more appealing place to work.

7. Digital forms and workflows

HR processes are often still paper-based or scattered across disconnected systems — particularly in frontline organizations. 

Leave requests, incident reports, onboarding paperwork, equipment sign-offs — each of these small administrative tasks consumes significant HR time when multiplied across a large workforce.

Digital forms, accessible from a smartphone, remove that friction. Employees complete forms in the moment they're needed, on the device they're already using. Submissions are tracked, data is captured cleanly, and HR spends less time chasing paper and more time on work that requires their expertise.

The best platforms let you build, customize, and update forms without IT involvement — so HR can respond to changing processes quickly without adding (another) ticket to the queue.

How does this help me meet my HR goals?

• Reduce HR admin burden by digitizing manual, paper-based processes.
• Improve data quality and compliance by capturing information consistently and in real time.
• Free HR capacity for strategic work by eliminating the time spent chasing, collating, and correcting paper-based submissions.

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8. Enterprise-wide search

When employees can’t find what they need, their first port of call is often HR. The people team spends a lot of time answering questions that are already answered elsewhere.

The issue? Information is hard to find — because it’s hidden away in an intranet folder, in an outdated handbook, or in a lengthy chat thread. In the case of frontline employees, it’s often because they can’t access company resources from their smartphones.

A searchable, centralized, mobile-first knowledge hub — with user-friendly content management tools — reduces unnecessary queries. It also empowers workers, because all the information they need to do their jobs well is right at their fingertips.

With the right EX platform, you put policies, procedures, FAQs, a people directory, and training materials within easy reach — across all devices — so your HR team spends less time fielding questions.

How will this help me meet my goals?

• Reduce the volume of routine process and policy queries that consume HR team time.
• Improve employee productivity by reducing time spent searching for important documents or information.
• Support compliance by ensuring every employee is working from the same, up-to-date version of every document.

9. Integrations with your HRIS

An employee experience platform that doesn't connect to your core HR systems creates more work, not less. Employees end up juggling multiple logins. Data lives in silos. HR spends time manually reconciling information across systems.

The right employee experience platform supports deep HRIS integration. It syncs with your HR system — pulling in employee data, org structures, and role information automatically.

Onboarding journeys trigger on the right day. Audience targeting reflects current team structures. Employees can access payroll, shift swap tools, benefits, learning systems, and leave information without leaving the platform. 

Single sign-on (SSO) is essential. But the strongest integrations go further. They provide two-way data sync and automated user provisioning, so you can turn your platform into a digital front door for your entire HR tech stack.

How does this help me meet my HR goals?

• Reduce the manual admin burden of maintaining employee data across multiple systems.
• Give employees a single, trusted place to access HR information and complete HR tasks — reducing queries and improving self-service.
• Improve the ROI of your existing HR tech by increasing adoption through a single, accessible front door.

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10. Reporting & analytics tools

It’s hard to make meaningful improvements to employee experience — or to make the case for HR investment — without reliable data.

An EX tool with strong analytics capabilities gives you real-time visibility into how the platform is being used — who’s engaging, what content is landing, which locations or teams are disengaged, and where communication is falling short.

That data informs better decisions: smarter content strategies, targeted interventions, and a clearer line between HR activity and business outcomes — like retention and productivity.  

Look for tools that track a wide range of KPIs and provide customizable dashboards and metrics. AI-powered data insights and data segmentation tools will also prove useful. 

How will this help me meet my goals?

• Gain valuable insights into employee experience.
• Inform HR initiatives and decision-making by tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement.
• Demonstrate the ROI of HR and communications investment to leadership and finance.

How to choose the right employee experience tool for your business

Choosing an employee experience platform is a big decision. The right tool can reduce turnover, improve operational performance, and give every employee — including those on the frontline — a reliable connection to the information and culture that keeps them engaged.

The wrong one? Well, it adds to tool sprawl, sits unused, and creates more HR problems than it solves.

We’ve explored the features you should be looking for when choosing an employee experience platform that helps you meet HR goals. But what does the process of finding and implementing a new EX tool really look like?

Here’s a rundown of all the steps involved.

Start with your workforce, not your wishlist

Before evaluating any platform, get clear on what your end users need from a new tool. That means talking to people from across your organization — leadership, different departments, office-based workers, frontline employees.

Ask what bugbears they have with the tech tools you currently use — and what features and functionality they’d be looking for if they were picking a new platform. Quiz them on existing workflows and the places where bottlenecks occur.

Get input from your workforce and you’ll find it easier to draw up a list of platform must-haves. Employee buy-in also helps to ensure adoption and usage once your new tech tool goes live.

Define your HR outcomes

Another task to complete before you sit down to a demo? Establish the two or three key outcomes that matter most to your organization right now.

Is the priority reducing frontline attrition? Fixing onboarding consistency? Getting recognition to employees who currently receive none?

These priorities should drive your evaluation. So if a vendor can’t clearly explain how their platform moves the metrics you care about most — with evidence from organizations similar to yours — proceed with caution.

Assess integrations

Before committing, audit your current tech stack and ask vendors specific integration questions:

• Does it integrate with our HRIS — and how deep does that integration go?
• Does it support single sign-on, so employees don't need another set of credentials?
• Can employees access payroll, scheduling, and benefits tools through the platform — or does it just link out to them?
• What happens when one of our existing systems updates — who manages the integration maintenance?

Deep, maintained integrations are what turn a communication tool into a genuine digital front door and help your organization to avoid tool sprawl.

Don't underestimate the adoption challenge

The most common reason employee experience platforms fail to deliver ROI isn't a bad product choice. It's poor adoption — particularly among frontline workers who’ve learned to be skeptical of tools that promise to make their working lives easier…and then don't.

When evaluating platforms, ask vendors:

• What does a typical frontline rollout look like?
• What adoption rates do your existing customers achieve, and over what timeframe?
• How do you support manager activation — since managers are often the critical link between a platform launch and frontline engagement?
• What onboarding resources and tutorials are available to keep adoption momentum high?
• What other support do you provide during platform launch?

A vendor who can point to concrete adoption data is a vendor worth keeping on your shortlist.

Watch for these red flags

Not every platform that markets itself as an employee experience tool is built for the realities of your organization. Watch for:

• Desktop-first design presented as mobile-ready. There's a significant difference between a platform built with a mobile-first mindset and a desktop platform with a mobile app bolted on. Ask to test the mobile experience before making any decisions.
  
  
• Weak or templated analytics. If you can't measure adoption by role, location, and department — and connect communication activity to business outcomes — you can't demonstrate ROI or identify where the platform is falling short.
  
  
• Shallow integrations. A platform that integrates with your HRIS in name only, without real data sync or SSO, won't reduce the friction that drives employees to workarounds.
  
  
• Rigid workflows. Platforms that can’t adapt to your organization’s culture and processes will slow managers and teams down, instead of helping them. Look for platforms that can be customized and personalized to organization and employee needs.

Pilot before you scale

A full-scale rollout might feel efficient. In practice, it simply hides problems until they're really expensive to fix.

Different employee groups — frontline workers, managers, desk-based staff, new starters — have different needs, habits, and access patterns. What works well for one group may not work for another.

Run a structured pilot with a representative group before rolling out to the full workforce. Track adoption rates, ease of use, and qualitative feedback. Use what you learn to refine your onboarding approach, notification settings, content strategy, and governance before scaling.

A phased rollout reveals friction points early, when they’re still cheap to address.

Measure continuously, not just at launch

Implementation isn’t the finish line. The needs of employees change over time. Business priorities shift. Communication strategies that work well at 500 employees may need adjusting at 2,000.

Build regular platform reviews into your HR calendar. Use analytics to track adoption trends, content engagement, survey participation, and the correlation between communication activity and business metrics like attrition and productivity.

The organizations that get the most from their employee experience platforms are the ones that treat them as living infrastructure — not a one-time rollout.

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Next-level employee experience and HR impact

Choosing the right employee experience platform means finding one that works for your people, your processes, and your HR goals.

From frontline-friendly design to analytics, integrations to recognition features, the best platforms make work easier, while improving employee engagement and HR outcomes.

But even the perfect platform won’t deliver ROI on its own. Success comes from understanding your workforce, defining the outcomes that matter most, piloting thoughtfully, and measuring continuously.

Treat your EX tool as living infrastructure, and you’ll see engagement, retention, and productivity rise — making your organization a place employees genuinely want to work.

2025 will be a transformative year for internal comms

As we look to 2025, internal communications is no longer just about keeping employees in the loop. Today’s workplace demands thoughtful, empathetic, and tech-savvy approaches to connect and engage a diverse, often dispersed workforce.

While this coming year will bring a host of unknown changes and unexpected challenges, it will also underscore universal principles — like empathy, community, and respect — that help create workplaces people genuinely want to be part of.

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For internal comms leaders, staying on top of these trends is about more than checking the latest buzzwords off your comms resolution list. It’s about creating a work culture that feels meaningful, supportive, and inclusive.

Let’s dive into the top internal comms trends shaping the future of work in 2025.

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#1. Empathy will win in a world of division

With worldwide conflicts and societal strife stirring up strong opinions, internal communication can’t afford to be tone-deaf or dismissive. People want a workplace that doesn’t just pay lip service to empathy and respect — they want to feel it.

86% of employees say workplace empathy is crucial, yet only 50% believe their organizations deliver on it — underscoring a gap that leaders are aiming to bridge in 2025

Employees bring their whole selves to work, especially during tense times. Internal comms should acknowledge that people may feel vulnerable or uncertain. This doesn’t mean comms teams need to — or even should! — take a stance on every issue, but it does mean that they should prioritize creating a culture where all voices feel respected and valued.

Help your executive leaders create communication guidelines that promote respect and open dialogue without crossing into sensitive or divisive territories. And consider how your content can be more inclusive not only with what it says, but how it says it: Informal videos from leaders, for example, can be more impactful and human than a lengthy written email.

#2. Hyper-personalization will redefine comms

The right balance of communications can be hard to find. Too much, and you risk overwhelming employees; too little, and employees may not feel as informed.

A key way to hit the right stride is by creating a more personalized approach to comms — something that 55% of communication professionals believe will be the most impactful trend in the next 5 years. Real-time data and AI can help internal comms teams segment communications to targeted groups:

• By role: If you’re a manufacturer, the messages your boots-on-the-ground plant workers care about will likely differ from your employees at headquarters. Be sure to take your core employee groups into consideration as you develop your content.‍
• By location: Similarly to role-based content, consider personalizing comms by location — from corporate updates (such as new benefits in the US vs. Europe) to proximate situations (like a nearby flood warning or power outage).‍
• By channel: Use back-end analytics to identify the channels where employees receive their information — as well as those that, for whatever reason, tend to fall flat — so you can ensure optimal engagement.

Taking a hyper-personalized approach creates a more relevant experience that cuts through the noise and resonates with employees on an individual level.

3. Mobile-first strategies will take center stage

For frontline and mobile workers, desktop-first communication doesn’t cut it anymore. Only 23% of frontline employees feel they have access to adequate technology; this lack of access can be detrimental to the employee experience.

Streamlining workplace tech isn’t just better for the frontline — it’s better for everyone: The average desk worker juggles 11 applications to complete their tasks, leaving a lot of room for digital burnout, irrelevant content, and missed messages. Plus, mobile phones are the primary way people interact with their favorite apps and services outside of work — so mobile-friendly employee technology feels naturally intuitive and familiar.

Internal comms teams need to see mobile as the primary channel for reaching all employees. By using mobile-first employee platforms to share urgent updates and in-the-moment communication, internal comms teams can better reach people where they are.

Bonus: Create concise and visual content that’s easy to see on a smartphone — think short videos, bite-sized news updates, and mobile-friendly graphics — to make important information instantly accessible and boost engagement.

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#4. Asynchronous tools will bring harmony to hybrid teams

As hybrid and dispersed workforces become more the norm, it’s on internal comms teams to cater to employees scattered across time zones, locations, and schedules.

With asynchronous (async) communication, people don’t have to be online at the same time to receive and respond to updates — making it easier for everyone to stay informed and connected. Plus, many employees feel that async communication is beneficial because it increases productivity (42%) and fosters a sense of inclusion (34%).

Rather than sharing important information only via live town halls or in-person meetings, consider creating digital assets — like recorded video updates, in-depth FAQs, or detailed content hubs — that employees can access on their own time. This approach ensures everyone can stay on the same page without endless meetings or overlapping schedules.

Make sure your content is accessible to everyone, from employees with disabilities to those working odd hours. Use clear language, avoid jargon, and leverage diverse formats to accommodate different preferences and needs.

#5. Digital tools will look more and more like Instagram and TikTok

Social media influences everything we do, and the workplace is no exception. More internal comms platforms are adding social media-style features to make work communication more engaging.

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Employees enjoy posting, sharing, and reacting outside of work — the new year is a perfect moment in time to start bringing that energy into the workplace. Now more than ever, your employee experience tech should offer a user experience as good as, or better than, everyday consumer apps like Instagram and TikTok.

Here are some ways organizations are encouraging user-generated content that creates a sense of community and makes people feel seen:

• Stories for the workplace: Enable employees to share daily updates, work wins, and personal highlights from their workday.‍
• Communities that connect: Create digital spaces where employees can connect and chat about shared interests, hobbies, and personal passions.‍
• News Feed for everyone: Curate your comms homepage as an internal news feed, showcasing an employee’s unique view of relevant content

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Social-style features can be a great way to inspire interactivity, but it’s crucial to maintain professional boundaries. Use moderation tools, set clear guidelines, and ensure all content aligns with company values and respects the workplace environment.

#6. AI will become your content sidekick

From writing support to content recommendations, AI is becoming a game-changer to help internal comms teams boost efficiency and personalize content. And they’re already excited about the innovation: 75% of users are looking to automate tasks at work and use generative AI for work communications.

Generative AI has emerged as a powerful co-creator for internal comms, allowing teams to craft messages from scratch, refine drafts, or adjust tones with ease. Need to send a CEO message with a warm, motivational tone or an urgent update that’s clear and concise? Either way, generative AI’s got your back.

AI tools can also analyze how employees engage with content, helping internal comms teams understand what resonates and adjust messaging accordingly. For instance, if engagement spikes with video updates, teams can double down on that format.

As AI continues to evolve, comms teams will gain a deeper understanding of tone, timing, and content effectiveness, ultimately leading to internal messages that feel both high quality and highly personalized.

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#7. Employee influencers will shape internal culture

We know firsthand from social media that people connect with people more than they do with brands or businesses. After all, 7 in 10 people are more likely to trust an influencer recommendation over information straight from a brand.

By tapping internal influencers, internal comms teams can champion messages and initiatives authentically, much like influencers do externally.

Start by identifying well-regarded and highly engaged employees across departments who can act as ambassadors for key company initiatives. These ambassadors can create and share their own updates, tips, or personal stories — like on social media — giving an authentic perspective that feels relatable and trustworthy.

Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at a big project, a day in their work life, or a personal win, internal influencers help humanize communication and give employees a sense of ownership over company culture.

#8. Gamification will transform engagement

Gamification is huge in consumer apps, and it’s making its way into internal comms to make engagement fun and rewarding. This trend goes beyond simple points or badges — it’s about fostering healthy competition and building team spirit. In fact, 9 in 10 employees say gamification makes them feel more productive and happier at work.

Create leaderboards around metrics like onboarding activities participated in, peer recognition received, or training modules completed. This can spark a friendly sense of competition, especially when teams work toward a collective goal.

Employees can unlock digital achievements for reaching milestones like work anniversaries, completing major projects, or receiving continuous positive feedback. These achievements can be showcased in their profiles or even appear as badges in chat interfaces.

Stay ahead of the comms curve in the new year and beyond

As 2025 unfolds, internal comms teams have an exciting opportunity to lead the charge in creating thoughtful, human-centered communication.

From AI personalization to empathetic messaging, these trends can help build stronger, more connected workplaces that employees feel proud to belong to.

By incorporating these trends into your 2025 plan, internal comms leaders can set up their team for success with a strategy that hears every voice, embraces every employee, and unites teams across their organization.

Blink. And ring in the new year with a trailblazing internal comms strategy.

Today, Blink announced its partnership with McDonald’s. As the leading mobile-first employee experience platform, Blink will aim to connect McDonald’s employees within their restaurants and organizations across the globe.

Through Blink’s social media-inspired employee app, McDonald’s, or its independent franchisees, will be able to provide its respective restaurant crew members with news about their restaurant or organization, improve team collaboration, and offer a platform for real-time celebrations right at their fingertips. Not only will this create a more interactive and inclusive workplace, it will also give employees the tools and information they need, when they need them, to be productive and successful.

This partnership will help to build a strong, close-knit culture within restaurants and organizations to keep restaurant crew members engaged and empowered.

“Our mission is to help every company deliver digital experiences that elevate their business and unlock the full potential of their people. Our partnership with McDonald’s marks a monumental step toward bringing that mission to life,” said Sean Nolan, CEO and co-founder at Blink. “We’re proud to power the digital employee experience at McDonald’s and make it easier than ever for crew members to communicate, collaborate, and connect with each other — all from their mobile app.”

Together, McDonald’s and Blink will redefine the restaurant team experience.

About Blink

Blink is the mobile-first employee experience platform that connects your people, systems, and culture in one super-app. It bridges the digital divide between deskless and desk-based workers, supercharging employee communication and engagement at industry-leading companies like Nokia, Holcim, JD Sports, RATP Dev, and Stagecoach. Blink is the top-rated Employee Communications Application on Gartner Peer Insights and a Leader in the G2 Grid for Best Employee Engagement Software. Learn more at joinblink.com.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 40,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners. These franchisees set their own employment policies for the people working in their restaurants, are the exclusive employer of their employees, and are solely responsible for all employment-related matters in their restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com.

Media contact

press@joinblink.com