Life at Blink | Bhoomi Modi

Is your comms still cutting it — or has your strategy fallen behind the times?

Any comms strategy worth its salt is totally up to date — because internal comms trends and employee expectations evolve fast.

What worked even a year ago might already feel tired to employees. That means your messages land with less impact, and the engagement you were counting on slips away.

So how can you tell if your internal communication strategy is still working — or whether it’s time for a refresh?

Start by watching for these tell-tale signs that your approach needs a glow-up in 2025 and beyond.

6 signs you need to upgrade your internal communication plan

#1. You’re still broadcasting, not conversing

Top-down comms were once the norm. But employees are no longer happy to be the passive recipients of company news. Why? We can point the finger firmly in the direction of social media.

Thanks to the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, we’ve been publishing our own content for decades. We’ve also been interacting with big brands and celebrities who were once completely off-limits.

Employees expect a similar experience in the workplace. To the point that top-down communication now feels like a form of gatekeeping.

When you broadcast information instead of starting a conversation with your workforce, they’re left thinking: What have they got to hide? Are they scared of employee feedback? Is the organization simply uninterested in what we think? 

This lack of trust and transparency harms the employee experience. And if this sounds familiar, you need to flip the script.

How? With a culture of two-way communication — and the communication tools that can facilitate it. Think interactive news feeds, polls, surveys, and leader Q&As.

The C-suite still shares essential information. But employees can reply, react, and respond to messages. They can share their ideas via polls and surveys. They can spark conversations with co-workers and managers.

You make employee communications more interactive, improving comms engagement in the process.

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#2. Your engagement metrics are mysterious… or missing entirely

You can’t fix what you can’t measure.

If you don’t know who’s opening your messages, which channels are driving the most engagement, or how comms are actually landing across your workforce, you’re working in the dark. And you’ll struggle to make targeted internal comms improvements.

Modern communication tools give you easy access to reliable internal communications metrics. You can:

• Get real-time data on reach, employee sentiment, employee engagement, and more
• Draw links between your comms performance and company KPIs, like customer experience, employee retention, and business revenue
• Segment your data to shine a spotlight on the departments, teams, and locations where comms aren’t cutting through

With the effective tools for analytics and reporting, you can put data at the center of your internal communications plan. Which means less instinct, more insight — and meaningful comms improvements.

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#3. Everything sounds like it was written by legal

You know the tone. Overly polished, overly cautious, super-jargony corporate speak. The kind of language that makes every internal message feel like you’re wading through a set of terms and conditions.

This type of language is completely forgettable. It’s unlikely to spark interest, engagement, or interaction — particularly with younger generations within your workforce. And it takes longer for even your smartest employees to read.

So is your comms TOV giving more corporate robot than relatable human? Try reading your messages out loud. If it doesn’t feel like something you’d actually say to someone face-to-face, it’s probably way too formal for your internal communication channels.

To fix it, you can humanize your comms in the following ways:

• Use plain language — no long and complicated words, confusing acronyms, or corporate jargon
• Use a conversational tone — writing more or less as you speak
• Break up long blocks of text — this makes messages less overwhelming and easier to scan and read
• Show a bit of personality — empathy, gentle humor, and the odd personal anecdote go a long way

Above all, remember that the role of comms isn’t just to inform employees — it’s to connect with them. And it’s much easier to do that when you sound real and relatable.

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#4. Frontline workers feel left out

Frontline communication is too often an afterthought. And it’s harming the frontline employee experience.

Most legacy internal communication tools were designed for desk-based workers, so they don’t translate to a mobile format. They also require a corporate email address — something many frontline employees simply don’t have.

You can survey your frontline workers to find out what they think of your comms. And — if they’re feeling left out of the company conversation — this is another sure-fire sign your comms strategy needs some TLC.

The golden rule? If it doesn’t work well on mobile, it doesn’t work for everyone.

So in 2025, you need to go beyond paper memos, personal messaging apps, and word-of-mouth information to embrace mobile-first communication tools, suited to frontline workers.

These tools provide an exceptional experience on desktops and smartphones. And they give all employees easy and intuitive access to company comms, culture, and connection.

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#5. Your comms channels are working against you

Got a strategy that starts and ends with email? Or SharePoint? Or — on the flip side — so many channels that no one knows where to look?

Both extremes create issues. A one-channel approach makes it hard to reach everyone. But piling on too many platforms without a clear strategy leads to confusion, noise, and missed messages.

Different employees prefer different communication styles. Gen Z might favor short, social-style updates. Other generations may be happy with email. But when there’s no central system or channel clarity, employees are left asking: “Wait — where was that shared?”

Worse still, your internal communications team ends up unsure where to publish updates, and messages get scattered across tools. The result? Diluted impact, clutter, and poor reach.

The fix? Create a unified company communications hub that serves as a single source of truth and supports a mix of clearly defined channels — with audience segmentation baked in.

That might include:

• Instant messaging for real-time collaboration
• A news feed for top-down updates
• Communities for employee-generated content and co-worker conversation
• A content hub or resource center for evergreen info
• Targeted notifications based on role, location, or department

This structure reinforces important messages, helps employees find what they need, and keeps your comms ecosystem organized, strategic, and effective.

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#6. You’re still treating comms like a service, not a strategy

Your internal comms team deserves a seat at the strategy table. But in many organizations, this still simply isn’t the case.

27% of internal comms professionals surveyed by Gallagher said they lacked leadership buy-in and were left out of decision-making. Many comms teams are still treated like a message delivery service, rather than a strategic partner.

This is one of the biggest comms mistakes you can make. Because when internal communications are involved in corporate strategy from the outset, they can:

• Drive alignment across the entire company
• Improve change communications
• Super-charge company culture
• Connect boardroom and breakroom like never before

With top-level insight and input, your comms team finds it easier to achieve the metrics laid out in your internal comms plan — and achieve metrics relating to wider business performance. We’re talking productivity, employee retention, and employee engagement.

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How does your comms strategy stack up?

If you’ve identified one or more of these internal communications issues, rest assured that you’re not alone — and you’re not stuck.

Every one of these challenges is fixable. In fact, just recognizing the gaps in your strategy is the first step toward building a smarter, more effective communications plan.

What next? Upgrade your internal communications strategy and tools to reflect the needs and expectations of the modern workforce.

A modern comms plan is flexible, human, and data-driven. It supports the sharing of relevant, personalized communications to every member of your workforce. It meets employees where they are — over mobile-first tools and a rich mix of communication channels.

Most of all, an up-to-date strategy recognizes that modern internal comms is not just a service but a vital part of your corporate culture, change initiatives, and employee experience.

‍Blink. And give your internal comms strategy the makeover it needs.

Employee experience in 2025: trends to watch

Employee experience (EX) has been a trending topic across workplaces for a few years now. Originating as what seemed like a corporate buzzword quickly became a large-scale strategy for major employers across the globe. 

In 2023, we saw a different story. For employers, there were strikes. There were debates about a return to the office. The Great Reshuffle was replaced by the Great Gloom – an epidemic of unhappy workers.

And according to Forrester, the EX outlook for 2024 remains gloomy:

“Two key metrics dropped between 2022 and 2023 globally: Employee engagement fell from 41% to 37%, while culture energy fell from 63% to 59%[...]We predict that 2024 will see continued decline, with employee engagement dipping to 34%.”

These percentages are likely lower for frontline employees. 

That’s because frontline workers often miss out on the employee engagement boosts available to their office-based counterparts. We’re talking connection and development opportunities, tech tools, and regular recognition.

The key issue now is what employers plan to do about it. Employee experience remains an important focus for any forward-thinking business. That’s because when employees are happy and engaged, your business benefits from:

• Better staff retention and talent acquisition
• Improved productivity and performance
• Higher rates of customer satisfaction
• Improved employee wellbeing and attendance

This all impacts a company’s bottom line. Organizations with the best employee experience can achieve nearly three times the financial returns on assets when compared to those with the worst.

So how are companies planning to engage and retain employees in 2024? And what EX patterns are already emerging? Here are the employee trends set to impact the future of employee experience over the coming year and beyond. 

Top 5 EX trends to look out for in 2025

The growth of AI in the workplace

First on our list of employee experience trends is artificial intelligence (AI).

AI was a hot topic in 2023. As generative AI – like ChatGPT and Bard – marched onto the scene, lots of people got their first, hands-on experience with the technology.

Many businesses are already on board. 55% of respondents to a McKinsey survey said that their organizations were using AI in 2023. And more than two-thirds expect their organizations to increase AI investment over the next three years.

AI isn’t going anywhere. So in 2024, we predict that more companies will harness its potential for both business and employee experience transformation. Here’s how.

Streamlining workflows

AI is helping to streamline workflows. Which is good news for organizations – and for frontline employees.

Tech takes care of repetitive and monotonous tasks. It reduces frontline friction, so employees can perform tasks more easily. Workers get to spend more time on customer care and on activities that demand a higher level of expertise.

For instance, in retail, AI is predicting increased footfall. This gives shop floor staff time to prepare the store and provide a better service.

In healthcare, AI can help to reduce waiting times, which means happier patients and frontline healthcare staff.

And in manufacturing, real-time AI insight into equipment status allows workers to make repairs before machines break down entirely, making their job easier.

In 2024, more businesses will use AI to improve processes and streamline the work of their frontline teams.

Internal communications

AI is also playing an important role in internal communications. Leaders are using AI to perform tasks like these:

• supporting DEI by highlighting bias in real-time, as employees type a message
• identifying employees who haven’t received recognition in a while
• helping employees find relevant resources on the company portal

Some organizations are also using AI chatbots to support the employee experience. Bots provide 24/7 assistance to employees, guiding them through company systems and helping them complete HR self-service tasks.

This spells satisfying experiences for employees where their queries are answered quickly – and a lighter workload for your People Team.

HR

HR teams are using AI to hone recruiting, onboarding, and training processes. They’re making these EX touchstones more effective and streamlined.

AI is helping to:

• remove bias from the recruitment process
• predict the needs of new hires
• highlight training resources relevant to a chosen career pathway

This means People Teams get more time to focus on value-add employee experience activities. And employees feel more engaged with your organization, right from the very beginning of their journey.

But a word of warning. Getting the right AI balance will be key. Employees are happy to deal with AI for some HR functions. But AI in its current form lacks emotional intelligence. A real, human touch is still needed if you want to achieve the very best EX.

Education

As a whole, organizations are more optimistic and curious about AI than they were five years ago. But there’s a disconnect between leaders and frontline employees. According to a BCG survey:

• Leaders are more optimistic than frontline employees about AI (62% vs 42%)
• Leaders are more likely than frontline workers to say they’ve received training to improve skills and stay relevant (44% vs 14%)
• Leaders use generative AI more regularly than frontline workers (80% vs 20%)
• Regular generative AI users are more optimistic than non-users about the technology (62% vs 36%)

Frontline workers are worried about AI eroding or stealing their jobs, so we anticipate AI education being an important part of the puzzle in 2024. Leaders will have to explain the value of this tech to employees and how they plan to use it going forward.

Top tip: Check out this research from the American Psychological Association. Employees are more likely to worry about AI when they don’t feel valued at work. So developing other areas of employee experience – like recognition – can help smooth your journey toward AI adoption.

Adopting EX technology

Every digital interaction a worker has at your company forms part of their digital employee experience (DEX). But workplace tech often falls short.

It fails to mirror the seamless digital experiences people get in their lives away from work. It’s also often inaccessible to any worker who doesn’t sit behind a desk.

However, in 2024, it feels like things are changing.

Updating technology

52% of employees believe that software related to their employee experience is dated and difficult to use. And 52% of frontline employees say they would leave their jobs over poor tech tools.

Employers are taking note. In response to employee tech frustrations, companies are upgrading from old company intranets to modern, mobile-first solutions.

They’re using employee apps, like Blink, that help organizations create connected company ecosystems that include every member of the workforce.

Available via a smartphone app, Blink doesn’t rely on email addresses or a complicated login process. It’s a secure, streamlined platform that puts company comms, tools, and resources in the same accessible place.

And because mobile-first apps like Blink are similar to the digital tools employees already use at home, they’re intuitive. Any team member can pick up an app and use it instantly.

Streamlining technology

We now know that too many tools hamper the employee experience. Rather than switching between different platforms, employees prefer to use the fewest number of programs to achieve their goals.

So this year, companies are battling tech bloat and looking for tools that perform multiple functions. They’re also implementing tools that meet the needs of various departments – like HR, IT, and comms teams – bringing all EX essentials under the same roof.

This streamlined approach will reduce the need for multiple employee logins. Instead, tools will be increasingly integrated and easy to use.

Personalizing the experience

Employees are getting personalized experiences away from work. Movie recommendations on Netflix. The annual listening roundup from Spotify. A shopping list from their supermarket app.  

We know that a personalized approach drives customer loyalty. So could this be the year employers apply the same logic to their employee experience?

Personalized internal comms

Good internal communication is essential to EX. It fosters trust between employees and leadership. It also makes your workforce more engaged, connected, and aligned.

The best internal comms are reliable and consistent. They’re also personalized to each employee, based on their location, department, role, or tenure.

Comms leaders are increasingly using personalization as a way to get their message heard. They’re doing this with the help of tech that allows them to segment employees more effectively. 

This means employees no longer receive irrelevant memos. They don’t get distracted or overwhelmed by internal communications that don’t apply to them.

Instead, they receive tailored messages that resonate – and that encourage sustained engagement with comms going forward.

Personalized tech

As you’ve probably gathered, tech and AI are a common thread throughout these employee experience trends. They’re integral to the progress being made in the sector.

As well as using AI to segment your workforce and target internal communications more effectively, you can use tech to create personalized digital experiences.

For example, employees can reconfigure their company dashboard, prioritizing the features most relevant to their work. Some companies are using tools that go a step further, using AI to personalize portals automatically.

Personalized learning and career pathways

L&D and career advancement are still top priorities for frontline employees in 2024. But one size never fits all. So we expect more organizations to develop personalized learning and career pathways for their employees.

It’s about making learning accessible and engaging for each individual. Leaders will make micro-learning, mentorship, coaching, on-the-job learning, and online courses available to all employees.

It’s also about making learning relevant to each individual career path. Tech tools – once again – stand at the forefront of this shift. L&D leaders are using them to identify and benchmark skills related to each role. And then recommend relevant learning materials and assessments.

Employees want to be heard

Companies that only engage in top-down communication will stick out like a sore thumb in 2024. Listening and open communication are now cornerstones of good employee experience management.

Employees want to feel heard because it helps them to feel valued. And employers stand to benefit, too. 

When you give employees a voice – and listen to what they have to say – you gain valuable insight into what your workforce wants. You then make better EX decisions. But this is only possible when you allow information to travel in all directions – top-down, bottom-up and peer-to-peer. 

Manager training

Good company-wide communication relies on an open company culture. But it seems there’s disagreement over how well organizations are doing. 

According to Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 97% of HR leaders say that they have a good feedback culture. But only 13% of remote employees agree. What’s more, a third of all employees don’t feel they can talk to HR.

This is perhaps why organizations are putting greater focus on manager development. Managers help set the culture. But listening and open communication don’t always come naturally. 

With training, managers can gain the active listening and empathy skills they need to encourage collaborative communication. They also learn to embrace rather than shy away from employee feedback.

Surveys & feedback

In a bid to make EX strategies more effective, we expect organizations to spend more time in 2024 gathering the opinions of employees.

They’ll be finding out what matters to their workers. And what workers think of EX as it currently stands. 

Companies will develop a regular schedule of feedback requests and surveys. Annual surveys to track progress over time – and pulse surveys to get an up-to-the-minute snapshot of their organization.

Personalization comes into play here too. By personalizing surveys to different departments, teams, and employee journeys, organizations get better feedback engagement and more accurate results.

But simply filling out a survey isn’t enough to make employees feel heard. Currently, it’s a hollow exercise for a worrying proportion of organizations.

According to O.C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report, only 58% of organizations take action to improve after receiving employee feedback.

So to get the most employee satisfaction and retention benefits from your surveys, always incorporate the following actions: 

• Acknowledging and thanking employees for feedback
• Sharing survey results
• Communicating how you plan to use employee feedback to improve EX

Giving everyone a voice

When it comes to being heard, some employees seem to have a louder voice than others. Usually, it’s those closer to the heart of operations – employees based at HQ who get regular contact with managers and leaders.

However, as organizations strive to improve EX for all employees, they’re looking to include everyone in the conversation. This means frontline as well as desk-based teams.

Leaders increasingly understand the importance of spending time with frontline workers – either digitally or in person. It’s a way to grasp the realities, successes, and challenges of their roles.

We predict more of this in 2024, as well as a push for more inclusive decision-making.

With the right communication tools, accessible to everyone, head office can pose questions and present problems to all employees. They can get input from all members of the workforce and craft better, more effective solutions.

Data-driven decision-making

As we’ve seen, companies are using tech solutions to supercharge their EX. In the process, they’re gathering a ton of valuable data that they can use to inform their future efforts.

Data-driven decision-making is the last of our employee experience trends. And it seems it’s becoming par for the course. Organizations are routinely asking their employees:

• Are you engaged with your team?
• Are you happy with management? Leadership?
• Are you satisfied with your experience at work?

Companies are using data from staff surveys to better identify employee experience issues. But they’re also getting a sense of the bigger picture by setting employee sentiment data alongside statistics on staff retention and productivity.

With the help of segmentation, they’re able to understand these figures at a granular level – by location, by department, by manager. This is allowing leaders to make more targeted and effective EX interventions.

But to harness the potential of data-driven decisions, you need the right tech tools. You need readily available, real-time data. You also need data that is well-presented and easy to digest so management can pivot EX strategies effectively.

Blink analytics lets you see positive and negative team relationships at a glance. It shows you the data associated with each individual post on the company newsfeed. And it has all of the features you need to filter and benchmark data with ease.

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What’s your EX plan for 2025?

2023 was a tough year. But the future of employee experience remains bright and exciting.

In 2024, we expect to see a real internal comms culture shift. Organizations are finding ways to amplify unheard frontline voices. They’re also making real efforts to act upon what they hear – and to involve everyone in the conversation.

AI and tech are a powerful force that we can use to improve EX. They make work easier and more enjoyable for employees while helping leaders create personalized and engaging experiences at every point in the employee journey.

And finally, thanks to both employee listening initiatives and great AI and tech tools, employers are getting better access to perspective-changing data. This is allowing them to drive informed and effective EX transformation.

So what are your EX plans for 2024?

Incorporate these employee trends into your EX strategy and you’ll get ahead of the competition. You’ll develop an employee-centric approach that drives better retention, productivity, and profits.

Check out a preview of Blink here to see how our frontline employee super-app can help transform employee experience.

If employee turnover is causing problems at your organization, take a look at these strategies for improving engagement and retention.

The Great Resignation may be over. But employee retention is still a challenge, particularly for companies with a large frontline workforce.

Frontline organizations have it hard because reaching frontline employees — who work in various locations across different shift patterns — isn’t easy. Deskless workers can end up feeling disconnected from their organization, which leads to disengagement and churn. 

Engaging and retaining frontline talent may be tricky. But it’s well worth the investment. When you reduce employee turnover across your entire organization you boost productivity, morale, and business results.

Here, we look at the primary causes of employee turnover in 2024 — and at 14 strategies that will help you improve employee retention at your organization. 

Read more: How to calculate your employee retention rate

Primary causes of employee turnover in 2024

33% of hiring managers in the US believe employee turnover will increase at their company in 2024. And Forrester predicts an employee experience (EX) recession, where reduced spending on employee engagement initiatives leads to increased attrition.

Of course, there will always be some turnover in your organization. However, you do have the power to address many causes of employee turnover within your company. Gallup recently looked at the most common reasons people leave a job. They grouped these reasons into four categories:

• Engagement and culture. Employees left because they didn’t feel aligned with the role or company culture. They left because they felt like they didn’t belong or because job expectations were unrealistic.
  
  
• Wellbeing and work-life balance. Workers left because they struggled to manage their work schedule or balance work with personal responsibilities.
  
  
• Career growth, pay, and benefits. Workers left in search of better pay and benefits. They also sought a culture where learning, development, and career advancement were the norm.
  
  
• Managers and leaders. Employees left because they didn’t feel respected or appreciated by leadership. They wanted open communication and to be treated equitably.

As you can see, there’s a lot in there that comes down to organizational culture and internal communication — both of which you can do something about using the strategies below.

Read more: Employee experience in 2024: trends to watch

How to reduce employee turnover: 14 strategies that work

1. Focus on employee engagement

Employee engagement is linked to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and higher staff satisfaction.

Engaged employees are also more loyal to your organization. They’d only consider taking a job with another company if they were offered a 31% pay increase. Disengaged employees would leave for a lot less.

You can improve employee engagement by building a strong workplace culture and by looping all workers into company comms. Many of the strategies on this list support engagement and employee retention, too.

2. Cultivate a positive workplace culture

Research from MIT Sloan Management Review says that a toxic culture is by far the strongest predictor of employee turnover. In fact, it’s ten times more important than compensation in predicting attrition.

So how do you create a non-toxic culture that supports a positive employee experience?

Employees want to be part of a culture that is fair and trusting. A culture where transparency is the norm, stress is kept to a minimum, and workloads are reasonable.

In a positive culture, employees also understand the purpose of their work. They’re familiar with company goals and values — and know how their work fits into the bigger picture.

Internal communications have an important part to play in all this. With the communication channels, leaders and managers can amplify company culture. They can share workplace updates, highlight workplace values, and involve teams in decision-making. 

3. Improve your onboarding program

Those first few months of employment are the riskiest in terms of retention. Up to 20% of turnover happens within the first 45 days of employment.

If you’re not sure whether your onboarding program is doing its bit for employee retention, start by surveying existing employees. Find out what they thought of their onboarding experience. Ask if there are any areas for improvement.

Then, use your findings to create an effective onboarding program, providing new hires with the following as standard:  

• The opportunity to make meaningful social connections
• Clear expectations and goals
• An understanding of company culture and values
• Ongoing support from a mentor or manager

4. Embed training and development in company culture

When employees feel like they’re standing still in their careers, they feel less satisfied in their roles — and find less meaning in them, too. So it’s important to embed progression into your company culture.

When creating training and development plans, try to involve employees in decision-making. 90% of employees say having a say in the skills they learn is an important part of their employee experience.

It’s also important to make training opportunities available to everyone. Many frontline employees say they don’t get the right resources or support to advance their careers. This can leave them feeling disengaged and more likely to look for another job.  

Of course, sometimes, there simply aren’t enough rungs on the career ladder for employees to progress within your organization. But if an upward move isn’t possible, there are other options.

Stretch assignments, a lateral move, and cross-training programs all help employees develop new skills and prepare for the next stage of their careers. 

Bear in mind that managers benefit from training, too. 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by managers. So team leaders may need training to become more effective coaches and communicators.  

5. Make internal communication channels more engaging

If you haven’t already, now’s the time to work on your internal communication. Too often, employees are left out of the loop. Or they’re bombarded with so many messages that they start ignoring them.  

We know that employees who get enough information to do their job well are 2.8 times more likely to be engaged. And there are lots of ways to improve workplace communication.

Try to make your internal communications:

• Personalized — so employees only receive relevant internal communications
• Two-way — so employees can take part in the conversation, posting comments and giving feedback
• Real-time — so employees get critical comms quickly

You should then use internal communication metrics to track your performance. By looking at measures like message open rates, response times, and communication tool usage, you get a clearer view of what’s working — and what isn’t.

6. Launch a recognition program

Recognition is another retention strategy that needs to be firmly on your radar.

A recent Gallup and Workhuman report revealed that, by making recognition an important part of company culture, a 10,000-person organization can save up to $16.1 million a year in reduced employee turnover costs.

Recognition reduces employee churn. And the best programs allow managers and peers to provide timely, personalized praise. 

It’s worth noting that recognition doesn’t have to come from managers and leaders. And peer-to-peer appreciation has some surprising benefits. 75% of employees say that the act of giving recognition makes them want to stay at their current organization longer.

7. Facilitate informal co-worker connection

Employees who have a work best friend are less likely to leave. That’s because belonging and connection are two key elements of the employee experience.

But co-worker connection doesn’t always happen organically. It’s something that managers and leaders have to facilitate.

In-person activities work well for office-based teams. You can plan social activities, like team-building days and coffee mornings. 

You also need to allow enough time in the day for informal chats to take place. Stressed, overworked employees are unlikely to spend much time catching up at the water cooler.

When employees are working away from the office, either at home or on the frontlines of your organization, you need an alternative solution. That solution tends to be tech-based. 

Using an employee app or a mobile employee intranet you can:

• Give employees intuitive, social-media-style tools for co-worker communication
• Encourage employees to set up interest groups to find like-minded co-workers and plan social activities
• Get managers to use tech tools too, encouraging connection and promoting employee posts

8. Champion flexibility

In workplaces without flexibility, employees are more likely to feel undervalued and unable to express their opinions. But when employees are highly satisfied with work flexibility, they’re 384% more likely to stay for a year or more at their current employer.

Supporting flexibility and work-life balance looks different for different organizations. But don’t rule it out for frontline employees.

Communicating shifts in advance. Incentivizing less appealing shifts. Co-worker shift-swapping tools. There are ways to make flexibility work for everyone.

Neiman Marcus Group, a luxury retailer, has done just that. The firm offered its sales associates flexibility over which store and department they worked in — and over the days and hours they worked. The result? An impressive 20% reduction in turnover.

9. Keep an eye on compensation and benefits

We’re going through a period of inflation. So compensation and benefits packages are on the rise. You need to keep an eye on competitor packages to ensure you don’t lose employees to higher offers.

But, as we’ve already touched upon, salary isn’t the only thing that keeps an employee working for your organization.

A sense of purpose, connection, and work-life balance can be just as important. So if you aren’t in a position to raise salaries right now, consider whether there are any other levers you can pull.

10. Make it fair for the frontline

When an employee feels unfairly treated, they’re much more likely to leave. So it’s crucial that leaders, particularly those responsible for a large frontline workforce, make the employee experience equitable.   

We also know that deskless employees are less trusting, less engaged, and more likely to experience burnout than their desk-based peers. So frontline and remote working organizations need to ensure that their employee retention strategies apply to all employees.

Employee engagement initiatives, workplace connection, flexibility, training, and development. Make these things available to everyone if you want to make a real difference to your turnover stats.

11. Invest in health and wellness

Deloitte research shows that Gen Z workers don’t feel they’re getting the mental health support they need in the workplace. And 86% of employees would leave a job if it didn’t support their wellbeing.

Health and wellness initiatives are no longer a nice-to-have. For many employees, they’re an essential part of company culture and something they look for when deciding which company to work for.

There’s debate over the value of some popular workplace wellness programs. But we know that companies with honest feedback, open communication, and mutual respect have higher levels of employee emotional wellbeing than those without. Corporate volunteer days have a positive impact on worker wellbeing, too.

12. Encourage collaboration

Effective teamwork helps to create a positive working environment. Co-workers share knowledge and resources. They support one another. And everyone pulls in the same direction.

If you’re looking for ways to improve collaboration in your workplace, take a look at these ideas:  

• Solidify relationships with team-building activities
• Recognize group effort, not just the achievements of individuals, as part of your recognition program
• Promote open and honest internal communication
• Give remote and frontline employees the communication tools they need to collaborate, regardless of location or work pattern

13. Promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I)

There’s a clear moral obligation to support DE&I in the workplace. But there are benefits for your organization, too.

DE&I initiatives lead to:

• a 50% reduction in turnover risk
• a 75% reduction in sick days
• a 167% improvement in employer net promoter score

Better workplace diversity makes people feel like they belong and reduces employee turnover.

But to make a success of your DE&I efforts, you need to embed this ethos into your company culture. That may mean changing how you manage recruitment, onboarding, and employee advancement opportunities.

You need to move beyond mere compliance to build on DE&I in a tactical, integrated, and sustainable way.

14. Get to grips with retention and engagement data

Any good strategy relies on metrics. You need data that shows where you started, where you’re at now, and how you can continue to improve.

So use an employee intranet or app to gather the employee retention and employee engagement data you need. Then, dive deep into that data to discover insights.

By analyzing the data alongside employee feedback, you’ll find data-driven ways to improve employee retention at your organization.  

Using an employee app to improve employee retention

Employee retention is about improving employee engagement, internal communications, and company culture. The right tech makes it much easier to do all three. 

With a mobile-first employee app, like Blink, you can reach employees via their smartphones. You can share company news, highlight company values, and involve everyone in company comms. 

Blink is an easy-to-use tool that connects every employee, whether they’re sitting behind a desk or working on the frontlines of your organization. It provides all the following features. 

Two-way communication

Leaders can share updates and critical comms. Employees can post and comment. So everyone gets to take part in the company conversation. 

Recognition

Blink’s recognition features make it easy for managers and co-workers to celebrate great work. So you make appreciation an integral part of company culture. 

Surveys and polls 

Quick pulse surveys. Annual feedback. Employee engagement polls. Managers find it easy to seek employee opinions, helping workers to feel listened to and valued. 

Mobile access

Our employee app is available on mobile and desktop devices. So every employee is included in company culture and comms.

Content hub

Employees can access all employee apps and resources from the same central hub. So they enjoy a friction-free digital experience. 

Analytics

Use Blink analytics to track which of your employee retention strategies is having the biggest impact — and find areas ripe for improvement. 

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If you’re considering switching from Flip, you’re not alone. Flip is a well-known employee app for frontline teams — but it’s not the only solution out there. Whether you’re seeking more robust features, better support, or more flexible pricing, the right Flip alternative can help you connect, engage, and empower your entire workforce.

Below, we break down 10 of the best alternatives to Flip, starting with Blink — an award-winning employee experience platform — and covering other leading options to match a range of budgets and needs.

What to look for in a Flip alternative

Before you choose a Flip alternative, it’s important to think about what your teams really need — and how the right solution can support your daily operations. While Flip is known for its frontline focus and simple messaging, many companies need more than just a basic employee app.

Here are a few key things to look for when comparing Flip alternatives:

• Entire workforce coverage: Does the platform connect your entire workforce, including desk-based, frontline, and remote employees, in one place? Some tools focus only on frontline messaging, while others unify everyone under the same app.
• ‍All-in-one functionality: Beyond chat, look for built-in features like news feeds, surveys, forms, scheduling, file sharing, and integrations with your HR, payroll, or intranet systems. This cuts down on multiple logins and boosts adoption.‍
• Ease of use & adoption: A communication app is only useful if people actually use it. Make sure your chosen alternative is simple to roll out, easy to learn, and accessible on mobile for maximum engagement.‍
• Compliance & security: Especially for industries with strict data rules, your solution should keep sensitive info safe and ensure that work communication stays separate from personal apps.‍
• Analytics & insights: Advanced tools show who’s engaging with content, which helps internal comms teams measure what works — and fix what doesn’t.‍
• Flexible pricing & support: Look for transparent pricing that fits your team size and includes customer support that scales as your needs grow.

By keeping these essentials in mind, you’ll find a Flip alternative that does more than just replace messages — it empowers your people, saves time for managers, and makes your workforce feel truly connected.

Top alternatives to Flip in 2025

#1. Blink

Blink is an all-in-one employee experience platform trusted by brands like Shake Shack and easyJet to connect frontline, desk-based, and hybrid teams in one place. Unlike Flip, which focuses primarily on frontline communications, Blink is built for your entire workforce — so everyone stays connected and engaged through the same mobile-first app. Beyond secure messaging, Blink combines a social newsfeed, surveys, forms, scheduling, file sharing, and deep integrations — everything your employees need in their daily flow of work.

This all-in-one approach drives higher adoption rates, faster compliance, and measurable productivity gains for both employees and managers. If you’re looking for a modern alternative to Flip that unites every team member — not just the frontline — Blink is a top choice.

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G2 Rating: 4.7 / 5‍

Pricing: available upon request

#2. Beekeeper

Beekeeper focuses on mobile-first communication for frontline employees in industries like hospitality, retail, and manufacturing. It combines secure messaging, automated workflows, and real-time announcements to help employers bridge communication gaps across shifts and locations. Many companies like Beekeeper’s built-in automation and integration options, which make it easier to onboard new staff and sync schedules with payroll tools.

Unlike Flip, Beekeeper also offers checklists and form templates to help digitize daily tasks. Some users note that advanced customizations can require technical support during setup, but once running, it’s praised for simplicity and reliability.

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

‍Pricing: $3–$5/user/month

#3. Staffbase

Staffbase is a leading internal communications platform used by large global enterprises to deliver news, campaigns, and resources through branded mobile apps and portals. It’s especially powerful for organizations with thousands of employees spread across multiple regions and languages. Compared to Flip, Staffbase’s strong CMS and analytics tools help internal comms teams plan, publish, and measure content more strategically.

Staffbase integrates well with Microsoft 365 and other corporate systems to keep information accessible wherever employees work. While setup can take time for more complex structures, its custom branding and security controls make it a favorite for highly regulated industries.

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

‍Pricing: $4–$8/user/month

#4. Speakap

Speakap is designed for companies that need a private, secure social network for their frontline teams. Its familiar feed and chat features make it easy for employees to share updates, files, or shout-outs without relying on consumer messaging apps. Speakap also supports custom branding and role-based permissions, which is ideal for multi-site or franchise operations.

While it doesn’t include built-in task or scheduling tools like some Flip alternatives, Speakap integrates with popular workforce management systems to fill those gaps. Companies in retail and hospitality appreciate its GDPR compliance and clear separation from personal channels like WhatsApp.

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

‍Pricing: $3–$5/user/month

#5. Connecteam

Connecteam is a mobile-first workforce management app that goes beyond chat and announcements to handle daily operations in one place. For companies that want to centralize communication, scheduling, time tracking, and task management, Connecteam can reduce the need for multiple point solutions. Its drag-and-drop scheduling and GPS time clock are especially popular with small and mid-sized businesses.

One standout feature is Connecteam’s flexible pricing — small teams can start for free, and paid plans remain affordable as you grow. Some larger companies do note that advanced reporting and integrations require higher-tier plans, but overall it’s a strong, user-friendly Flip alternative.

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

‍Pricing: From $29/month (for 30 users)

#6. Workjam

Workjam is a digital frontline workplace designed for industries like retail, hospitality, and healthcare. It combines communications with task management, shift swapping, training, and surveys in one mobile app. For companies that struggle with disconnected scheduling tools and separate comms channels, Workjam can be a real upgrade from Flip’s basic messaging.

Its micro-learning features and compliance tracking help companies keep frontline teams up to date on new processes or safety protocols. Workjam is best suited for larger organizations with complex workforce management needs and can require more implementation support upfront.

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

‍Pricing: $4–$6/user/month

#7. MangoApps

MangoApps combines an employee intranet, collaboration hub, and comms tool in one customizable platform. Unlike Flip, which is primarily a mobile messaging app, MangoApps offers knowledge libraries, team workspaces, and project management — making it a fit for hybrid organizations that need to connect deskless and desk-based workers alike.

It’s highly configurable, which appeals to companies with unique workflows, but smaller teams may find the setup more complex than plug-and-play solutions. Many users highlight its deep search functionality and document management as standout features for centralizing company knowledge.

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

‍Pricing: $5–$8/user/month

#8. LumApps

LumApps is a modern intranet and employee experience platform that helps companies share internal news, knowledge, and resources in a personalized way. While it’s broader than Flip’s chat-first approach, LumApps is a good fit for enterprises that need to unify internal comms across multiple departments and locations.

Its integrations with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 make it easy to keep information consistent and accessible. Many companies like LumApps for its personalization capabilities, which let employees see only the content relevant to their role or location.

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

‍Pricing: $8–$12/user/month

#9. Firstup

Firstup specializes in delivering targeted, personalized communications to large, distributed workforces. Its smart automation and AI tools help internal comms teams reach the right people with the right message at the best time — something Flip doesn’t offer at the same depth.

Enterprises like its measurement tools, which show exactly how content performs across channels. Firstup is a good fit for companies with mature comms strategies and bigger budgets, and its robust governance controls appeal to regulated industries.

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

‍Pricing: $10+/user/month

#10. Haiilo

Haiilo blends social intranet features with mobile-first employee communications and advocacy tools. It’s built to help companies share news, encourage interaction, and measure engagement all in one sleek interface. Many employers appreciate Haiilo’s flexibility to tailor features to different departments or use cases.

Its modern look and customizable modules make it a strong Flip alternative for companies that want a social, community-focused feel. Larger organizations may need more IT resources to implement Haiilo’s full stack, but it rewards teams with deeper engagement insights and branding options.

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

‍Pricing: $5–$7/user/month

Final Thoughts on Choosing a Flip Alternative

The best Flip alternative depends on your specific goals — whether that’s simplifying daily communications, adding workforce management, or scaling global comms. Blink remains a top choice for companies that want an intuitive, mobile-first super-app to unify news, chat, surveys, forms, and scheduling — all with industry-leading ease of use.

Ready to switch? Explore a personalized Blink demo and see how it stacks up for your teams.

Effective communication is the glue that holds all your employees together. It unites everyone, from the top management to the frontline and remote workers, towards a shared set of organizational goals and values.

Yet a recent study paints a grave picture of most working environments. 80% of professionals rate their business’ communication as poor or average.

And when kept unchecked, ineffective communication often leads to a snowball effect of disengagement and confusion. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. Implementing effective organizational communication strategies is the key to unlocking smooth coordination among your employees. And in this post, we’ll take a look at what those strategies are.

Why is organizational communication important?

In a recent report called "Internal Communication in the Eyes of C-Suite Leaders", it was found that C-suite executives recognized the vital role internal communication plays in improving their bottom lines and driving business results. And rightly so.

Workers need to interact and exchange information and documents with one another frequently. Plus, they want the top management to listen to their concerns, suggestions, and feedback.

The same goes for senior leaders in the company. They want to make sure that internal marketing campaigns, critical company announcements, news about employee benefits, and other important messages are reaching each and every member of the workforce.

By fulfilling these needs for both parties, a good corporate communication strategy solidifies the bond among the workers and facilitates the sharing of information. The result? A big boost in employee engagement and productivity.

Now the question is, how can you level up your company’s communication? By following the most effective organizational communication strategies.

What are the best organizational communication strategies?

Without further ado, here are our best organizational communication strategies to help resolve workplace conflicts and facilitate a smooth exchange of information across your company.

1. Create a corporate communication plan

Failing to plan is planning to fail. If you don’t have an internal communication plan in place, drop everything else and build one first. Without a plan, you won’t have a clear roadmap to implement effective communication in your business.

A great communication strategy will help you answer vital questions like:

• How to make your messages more relevant and engaging?
• Which communications channels should you be using?
• How can you ensure the right content reaches the workers at the right time?
• What roles will your C-level executives play in workplace communication?
• How will you encourage employees to engage in two-way conversations?

The planning process starts with having a clear understanding of your communication goals and audience. And then conducting an audit of the current communication campaigns and channels you have in place.

This is followed by determining your communication schedule and channels for the next six or 12 months. To learn more, check out our in-depth guide on building an internal communication strategy.

2. Encourage one-to-one conversations

Not every concern can be appropriately discussed in a group setting. For example, you may want to address a personal grievance or performance issue. And in such cases, it’s much better to initiate a private chat.

A one-on-one meeting gives you the chance to read the worker’s body language, know their communication style, and get visual cues on how to proceed with the interaction.

Even when you don’t have a specific issue to discuss, setting aside one-to-one time with your employees on a regular basis is essential. Because it helps you understand and bond with them more effectively. So make sure to add this company communication strategy to your arsenal.

3. Sprinkle a little humor

Workplace communication is usually a serious endeavor. You often convey information that’s intense. Whether you’re discussing a problem or setting goals, laughing and cracking jokes may seem out of place.

But a series of serious interactions can put workers in a negative mindset. And it affects how they interpret and draw conclusions from the information shared with them. When a meeting gets too heated, people want to leave as soon as possible, which hinders the flow of information. 

Although it’s not always possible to avoid a stressful conversation, levity can help you a lot in pushing your company’s communication strategy forward. Lightening the mood is an important skill that helps you defuse tense situations and relax everyone involved in the communication.

So the next time you’re communicating something to your employees, try to make them laugh.

Also, if you’re worried that your jokes won’t be any good, then you’re focusing on the wrong thing. It’s not so much about making clever remarks as about trying to make people feel relaxed and comfortable. In fact, research shows that people welcome any kind of levity as long as it’s not offensive or hurtful.

4. Nurture two-way communication

Effective communication is supposed to be a two-way street. An organization cannot reach its full collaboration potential if information flows only in one direction — from top management to the rest of the workers.

If employees can’t ask questions or discuss the information conveyed, then you aren’t communicating. You’re commanding. You’re giving orders and expecting workers to follow them.  

Of course, some directives are absolute and non-negotiable. But you can’t rely on this approach all the time when working with today’s skilled, talented professionals who thrive in an environment of autonomy.

Instead, the right company communication strategy is to invest in creating a receptive space where workers can put forth their concerns, share suggestions, and feel heard. And make sure those inputs are acted on. Not brushed under the carpet.

Listening to feedback doesn’t just help your employees feel valued. It also helps you clarify your message. You may think your communication is crystal clear but still miss some aspects critical to help others understand the information. Two-way communication can fill those gaps.

Facilitating two-way communication in your organization is easier than you think. For example, Blink is a corporate communication app that comes with a social-media-style news feed visible to all employees.

Anyone in the company can post an update, on which others can like and comment. This helps the most relevant stories rise to the top. Plus, the admins can choose to amplify selected updates even further. 

5. Bring consistency in your communication

All your communication, whether written or verbal, and whether internal or external, should have the essence of your company’s brand and workplace culture.

Plus, it should have a unique, consistent voice that reduces any chance of ambiguity and unifies your workforce. Such a voice also helps you communicate in the right spirit, not to mention avoid conflicts and misunderstandings.

But the more people participate and contribute to your organization’s communication, especially from different locations and time zones, the harder it gets to keep the voice consistent.

So what you need is a set of shared guidelines, formats, and best practices that everyone can refer to when creating content. And you can prepare the same in the form of a communication style guide.

Once you’ve clearly laid out your communication guidelines, make sure to train your communication department, as well as other contributors, on how to put the instructions into practice for subsequent messages.

6. Make use of visual aids

Different people have different learning styles. Some are comfortable reading pages after pages of text, some want to listen on the go, while others need something to view, like a video.

Regardless, almost everyone gets enticed by imagery. Presentations and infographics help people wrap their heads around the given information. So using colorful posters, charts, and graphs to distill complicated ideas is one of the best ways to make your message clear and memorable.

There are many ways to use visual aids for workplace communication. For example, if you find yourself repeating certain messages to your staff, or answering the same questions again and again, you can save time and effort with a visual aid to share the corresponding content.  

Is someone in your ear every 10 minutes with questions about holidays? Design a holiday calendar workers can check on their own. Bombarded with requests about printer passwords? Print them in large letters and stick them near the machine.

You don’t need to be a master designer to do this. Tools like Canva, Piktochart, and Venngage come with drag-and-drop functionality and hundreds of ready-made templates designed by professionals. So all you need to do is pick a template and replace its contents with yours. 

7. Train your staff on effective communication

We have spent a good chunk of our lives communicating with others, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re good at it.

For example, many employees have such a logical, fact-based communication style that they often forget to take others’ emotions into account. Others often get carried away by feelings and miss key details. And the gaps in communication lead to conflict, ambiguity, and workplace politics.

So in any organization, effective communication should be proactively taught and encouraged. And it should be a vital part of the training programs you have in place for workers.

Great communication training helps teach your employees how to keep their emotions in check and present their ideas clearly and comprehensively.

8. Conduct more open sessions

Meetings are seen as a dull affair, especially when just one or two people are doing most of the talking. You’ve probably sat through many where you were just expected to attend and listen.

But that doesn’t mean all meetings are bad. A meeting is just a tool. And like any other tool, you can handle it effectively or poorly.

So every once in a while, you should conduct an open session with all the workers in your company or in specific departments. This meeting will have a set agenda, and every employee will be encouraged to speak up and talk about their work, their experiences, and any concerns or suggestions.

Scheduling such open sessions regularly will not just improve communication, but also help you get a pulse of different teams and your overall culture.

9. Leverage the right tools and technology

Remote work, dispersed teams, smartphones, and other advancements are shaping the new reality of work. But in many organizations, the communication systems and processes haven’t caught up to this change.

The good news is modern technology and employee engagement tools have made it easier than ever to streamline internal communication and include every employee in the process, from hiring to global HR services.

Frontline workers, for example, have largely been excluded from communication channels available to desk-based employees, such as email and instant messaging. With the rise of smartphones and mobile apps though, it is now possible to make them a crucial part of your ongoing communication.

With Blink, for example, workers can easily share documents, engage in live chat with one another, and resolve problems fast.

So it’s time for you to see if the technology you have in place is really enough to get the job done. If not, invest in the right tools to take your communication to the next level.

10. Cultivate the habit of active listening

No doubt, writing and talking clearly are crucial for proper communication, but managers and other employees should also know how to listen.

Poor listening undermines communication and defeats the purpose of effective collaboration. Without the right listening skills, messages are more likely to be misunderstood.

Now, you may think you listen, but good listening is more than identifying others’ words. As Stephen Covey says, “Most of us listen with the intent to respond, not to understand.”

So, cultivate a habit of listening among yourself and your employees. Encourage everyone to practice active listening methods. And teach your staff to reflect, summarize, and ask clarifying questions when listening to a customer or coworker.

When employees and customers feel heard and understood, they’re more likely to keep working with you and have a positive image of your brand.

How can you improve organizational communication in the workplace?

Follow these tips to help achieve effective communication in the workplace:

1. Use the right tools. Having the right tools to communicate, that everyone can access, and use is vital. Review your tech stack and make improvements where needed.
2. Get feedback. Employee surveys can help shed light on your current communication methods and where you can make improvements.
3. Use different communication formats. Images, emails, videos, the list goes on. Use different formats for the different types of communications you need to deliver.
4. Distribute through the right channels. What's the best way to deliver the message? Email, instant message, intranet, app notifcation? Make sure you pick the right channel.
5. Focus on employee engagement strategies. An engaged workforce is open to communication and sharing their voice.
6. Measure the outcomes. Keep a close eye on your metrics. How many people are reading your emails and communications? Is it enough or do you need to improve?

Wrapping up: effective organizational communication strategies

As you can see, good communication doesn’t happen by accident. You need to make sure that your messages successfully reach the intended audience, are interpreted clearly, and are understood empathetically.

It takes effort from both you and your staff. So the more confidently you apply the organizational communication strategies we have outlined in this guide, the more your team would also integrate them into their actions. So take time to develop and execute these concepts diligently to build a collaborative and efficient workplace.

And remember, using a communication solution like Blink can reduce your communication effort while increasing the penetration of your messages, even with a largely remote or dispersed workforce. Book a free demo today.

Do you encourage employee voice in the workplace? 

By ‘encourage’, we don’t mean ‘tolerate’. We mean: do you actively encourage it? Do you run regular feedback initiatives and act on them? Do you train managers to ask for, accept and pass on feedback? 

A major survey we conducted recently suggests that ‘not being listened to’ is employees’ number one gripe with management – and one that has a significant impact on talent retention. In other words, there could be a huge amount of untapped innovation going to waste, right under your nose.  

With over a fifth (22%) of those who raise issues at work feeling that they receive no advice or support, there’s definitely more organizations could be doing. Here’s how an employee voice strategy could help. 

Voice of the employee – what is it? 

Whenever we’re grappling with important workplace concepts, we can always rely on the CIPD for a useful, easily digestible summary. They define employee voice as: 

“The means by which people communicate their views to their employer and influence matters that affect them at work”

If we were to distill this a little more, our answer to “what is employee voice?” would be

“your employees’ involvement in decision making processes and how you encourage it”. 

What is an employee voice strategy? 

An employee voice strategy is how you encourage your workforce to have their say. 

It’s worth distinguishing between ‘action’ and ‘strategy’ here. Running employee surveys as and when might be a useful action to take, but doesn’t constitute a strategy in itself. An employee voice strategy is a planned and sustained program of activities that encourage your employees to make their voices heard. 

Check out the employee voice examples below for specific strategy building blocks, but make sure everything you create is built on these two key principles: 

• Commitment to a ‘speak up’ culture: if employees consider the risks of speaking up (whether delivering a positive input or a criticism) then they simply won’t bother. Make it rewarding to contribute (even if the feedback is negative) and more employees will do so.

• Commitment to employee-centered leadership: senior management must take the lead in listening to employees and acting on feedback. High-visibility commitment to this at senior levels will increase the success of your employee voice strategy.

What are the benefits of employee voice? 

Employee voice is good for your workforce. Colleagues feel you take their input seriously, and feel happier and safer in their roles as a result. 

Secondly, it’s great for your business! In a nutshell, a great employee voice strategy encourages innovation, boosts performance and rubs off on that all important bottom line.

Employee voice and workplace engagement

Employees like to be involved in the decisions that affect them. CIPD data suggests that employees’ satisfaction with involvement in decision-making is significantly and positively related to their overall job satisfaction.

But employee voice doesn’t just affect how happy employees are at work. It also affects how invested they are in your organization and its long-term success. 

Being able to participate in decision-making automatically draws your employees into the mission of your business. Rather than being there to follow orders, they become stakeholders that actively contribute to key business achievements.

This sense of ownership is called employee engagement, and it contributes significantly to long-term business success.

A pre-COVID Gallup poll found that companies with high employee engagement achieved:

• 10% higher customer ratings
• 17% higher productivity
• 20% higher sales
• 21% higher profitability

Importantly, as the Great Resignation continues to cause staffing issues for many businesses, employee engagement also breeds employee retention, making it that bit easier to hold onto your top performers in a tough market. Regularly surveying your employees to keep your finger on the pulse, and actually actioning the results is a simple employee engagement best practice to follow and help your team invested.

Employee voice and organizational performance 

Why ignore your single biggest pool of ideas for improving your organization’s performance? 

The link between employee voice and organisational performance is hard to ignore. Your employees know the ins and outs of your organization better than anyone. They can tell you better than anyone about which processes work, which don’t, where major silos exist and where slowdowns occur.  

Yet all too often, segments of the workforce – frontline employees in particular – feel as if their input won’t be taken seriously. If you allow this type of sentiment to grow, employees won’t share valuable insights further up the chain. 

You might not find any million dollar ideas here (but hey, don’t rule it out), but you can expect a million smaller bits of feedback that could help your business run that bit more effectively. The sum of all these parts: cost savings for you, increased satisfaction for your employees. Everyone’s a winner. 

Employee voice and compliance

In a recent online poll, a stunning 93% of respondents thought that becoming a whistleblower would negatively impact their career. There are still huge barriers to overcome for employees who witness wrongdoing or poor practice and want to report it. 

Encouraging a genuinely open culture via employee voice initiatives makes it so much more likely that your employees will speak up if they see something wrong. In some cases, this opportunity to fix issues internally can save a huge amount of financial and reputational damage. 

The importance of employee voice and communication

We recently conducted a case study of frontline healthcare workers in the UK. When asked about the one thing they would say to senior management anonymously, their answers were pretty telling: 

“Please answer my emails and questions. I am trying to do my best at work and would appreciate feeling listened to.” 

“Communication please!”

“Listen to us! We have been here long enough to know what works.”

Creating an employee voice strategy formalizes two-way communication so that it’s not left to individuals to follow up. An organizational commitment to communication ensures that people feel heard on a personal level, whilst providing senior decision-makers with the tools to keep the conversation going. 

Employee voice examples

Employee voice can be direct or indirect, formal or informal. 

Direct employee voice involves speaking directly to senior management, line managers and other decision makers with feedback and suggestions. Indirect employee voice does this through an intermediary, such as an employee committee, representative, or union rep.

Formal employee voice is expressed through official, codified channels, such as employee surveys. Informal employee voice can be expressed wherever and whenever – a quick email to a line manager or dropping in for a conversation during a senior exec’s office hours are both good examples. 

As you build your employee voice strategy, you’ll likely use a combination of all of these to make sure your workforce truly feels heard. Here are a few examples of employee voice initiatives that you could start in your business. 

• Regular ‘pulse’ surveys with a process for gathering and acting on feedback
• Training on workplace practices and how to flag up when they aren’t being followed
• Regular one-to-ones with line managers for two-way feedback and suggestions
• Open office hours for senior managers and key decision makers
• Open forums or meetings for discussing new initiatives and proposals
• Transparent communication about company news and developments

You can extend the scope of your employee voice strategy using the right software tools. Arguably this is hugely beneficial for all businesses now, and for remote, hybrid and mobile teams this is essential. 

An employee app with an instantly updated newsfeed, two-way content creation and the ability to support employee-generated content is a must-have, as is employee survey software,

Final thoughts on employee voice

Your employees are brimming with great ideas! Why lock that away? 

It’s on you, as a workplace, to actively encourage employees to share these ideas. Don’t sit back and hope people come to you – shout about how receptive you are (and mean it) and how much you value ideas and contributions from across the business. 

You’ll need: 

• The drive to create a culture where everyone feels able to speak up
• A commitment at senior leadership level to open communication and two-way dialogue
• The willingness to take the negative feedback along with the positive

Use the ideas above to get started. Focus on meaningful sustainable change and commit for the long term and you’ll get results. 

Blink’s newsfeed, social sharing and two-way publishing features help you encourage employee voice. Book a free demo to find out how.