Competing for Frontline Talent: Creative Employee Benefits for Small Businesses in High-Growth Hubs
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When a major corporation sets up its regional headquarters in your city, things change fast. The barista who manages your morning rush gets recruited by a corporate campus with a full gym, a free lunch program, and a $1,000 signing bonus. The technician who knows your equipment inside out gets a LinkedIn message offering 20% more than you pay.

This is the reality for small businesses in America's fastest-growing cities. Corporate expansion drives up wages, raises expectations, and thins the candidate pool, all at once. You can't always match enterprise salaries, but you don't have to. More than half of employees say benefits influence whether they stay at or leave a job. What you offer beyond the paycheck is where small businesses can, and regularly do, win.

Knowing which employee benefits for small businesses move the needle - and which ones every employer already offers - is where it gets interesting.

Why Do Small Business Employee Benefits Matter?

Benefits aren't an act of generosity. They're a business tool, and the numbers back that up.

Attracts and Retains Talented Employees

PeopleKeep's 2024 Employee Benefits Survey found that 81% of employees say a benefits package is an important factor in whether they accept a job offer. In a tight talent market, a strong package can mean the difference between a filled role and a three-month vacancy. Replacing an employee costs between 100% and 150% of their annual salary, so retention investment almost always beats the cost of turnover.

Improves Satisfaction and Motivation

A flexible scheduling policy tells a frontline worker that you trust them. A mental health stipend says you see them as a whole person. Those signals build loyalty over time in ways a one-off pay bump rarely does.

Boosts Productivity

Wellness programs deliver roughly $3 for every $1 invested over a multi-year period. When employees aren't anxious about medical bills or scrambling for childcare, they show up more focused. That's measurable, not just a feel-good outcome.

Strengthens Culture and Reputation

In local markets, word gets around. A business known for treating people well attracts better candidates before it posts a job. Your small business employee benefits package is part of that picture, and it's closely tied to how you manage employees day-to-day. Culture and benefits aren't separate things; they reinforce each other.

Reduces Turnover

Institutional knowledge in a small business tends to sit with a handful of people, so losing one person carries more weight than it would in a large organization. Benefits that address real pressure points - financial stress, unpredictable schedules, caregiving responsibilities - are the most practical lever for keeping people around.

What Do Standard Employee Benefits for Small Businesses Look Like?

The standard small business package covers health insurance (around 60% of employees at businesses with fewer than 100 staff had access in 2024), paid time off, and a retirement plan like a 401(k), where the budget allows. Some businesses add dental, vision, life insurance, or an Employee Assistance Program.

It's a reasonable foundation. It's also more or less what every employer in a booming city offers, which is the problem.

Why Typical Employee Benefits for Small Businesses Aren't Enough

Health coverage and PTO still matter. The issue is that corporate competitors offer those as a baseline, then keep going.

Large employers in high-growth U.S. cities add parental leave measured in months, student loan repayment, caregiving platforms, mental health apps, and subsidized childcare. If the enterprise across the street is offering all that on top of a higher salary, matching on health insurance isn't a competitive position. It's just the entry fee.

The workforce has also shifted. A 2024 Harris Poll found that 66% of American workers think more time off would improve their productivity, and 48% would accept a lower salary for more PTO. Younger workers want purpose-driven work, schedule flexibility, and transparency from their employer. The traditional package wasn't designed with them in mind.

For frontline workers specifically - people running restaurants, retail floors, construction businesses, manufacturing operations - typical employee benefits for small businesses often miss the things that actually drive them to leave: unpredictable schedules, limited autonomy, feeling like nobody at the top knows they exist.

The Impact of Getting Employee Benefits for Small Businesses Right

The best employee benefits for small businesses aren't always the most expensive ones. They're the ones that solve a real problem for your team.

Flexible scheduling is a clear example. For someone juggling childcare, a second job, or a long commute, the ability to swap shifts or shift a start time by half an hour can be worth more than a pay rise. It's cheap to offer and sends a clear message about how the business views employees' lives outside work.

Transparency has a similar effect. Sharing financial performance, explaining decisions, giving people visibility into how their work connects to the business — these things drive engagement, and the digital tools to support them (team communication platforms, scheduling apps with built-in messaging) don't require a large budget. This is also part of how you manage your team: the communication culture you build and the benefits you offer end up telling the same story.

Unique Employee Benefits Small Business Employees Really Want

Six categories come up consistently across workforce surveys, particularly among younger and frontline workers.

1. Lifestyle and Wellness

Employees want real mental health support, not the old-school EAP that nobody used. Therapy stipends, mental health app subscriptions, and on-call wellness coaching - these are the current standard. Physical wellness stipends work better than a gym membership because employees can use them however they want. For frontline workers, occupational health access and built-in mental health days carry extra weight. Pet insurance is also worth considering: 66% of U.S. households own a pet, and covering an unexpected vet bill is the kind of benefit people remember.

2. Family and Caregiver Support

Caregiving is one of the biggest hidden stressors in the workforce. Employees juggling childcare, eldercare, or support for a disabled family member carry pressure that shows up in absences and attrition. Cariloop's research found that caregivers are twice as likely to stay with employers who support their needs, and companies offering childcare benefits see up to 30% fewer absences. You don't need enterprise-level budgets to act on this. Local childcare partnerships, caregiver navigation services, and genuine scheduling flexibility around caring responsibilities all make a real difference.

3. Community, Development, and Social Impact

For Millennial and Gen Z workers, employer values are a genuine retention factor, not a branding exercise. Professional development doesn't require an MBA program. A $500 annual learning budget, a sponsored certification, or a visible promotion pathway shows people the business is invested in them specifically. Mentorship and cross-training cost little and build skills the business actually needs.

4. Financial Benefits

Beyond base pay, options include same-day pay access, student loan repayment, profit sharing, and financial wellness education. Phantom stock or profit-sharing arrangements give employees a genuine stake without the complexity of real equity. For trade and service businesses, on-call differentials, tool stipends, and uniform allowances are practical and well-received - typically $100-$150 per employee per year. The business structure you operate under also affects which of these arrangements you can offer, so it's worth understanding your options early.

For a deeper look at how structure affects your options, see our guide to the four types of small business structures for high-growth hubs.

5. Recognition and Rewards

Recognition is one of the most underused retention tools available, and most of it costs nothing. A manager who names specifically what someone did, in front of the team, and why it mattered does more than a plaque on a wall. Peer recognition systems, performance bonuses with clear criteria, and milestone acknowledgments build a culture where contribution gets noticed. Local experience rewards - restaurant vouchers, event tickets in your city - land well and reinforce the sense of community that a corporate HR portal can't manufacture.

6. Experiential and Cultural Perks

Large enterprises can't genuinely offer every employee a relationship with the owner, real influence over workplace decisions, or a role in a community they actually care about. Small businesses can, and that's a real advantage. Flex Fridays, sabbaticals for long-tenured staff, pet-friendly environments, quarterly town halls where people can ask real questions - these are low-cost and signal clearly that the business sees employees as people. That's harder to fake at scale than any benefits package.

What Can Your Small Business Actually Provide?

The most useful principle here: fit beats comprehensiveness. A small set of employee perks for small businesses tailored to the real pressures on your team will do more than a long list of perks nobody asked for.

Start by asking what's hard right now. Survey formally or informally - the answers will vary by age, role, family situation, and local cost of living. A team of young single workers in a city center has different priorities than a team of parents with shift patterns in the suburbs.

Then build in sequence.

Start with the essentials. Health insurance, PTO, and a retirement contribution are the floor. They won't win a talent competition on their own, but their absence will cost you, candidates, before you even get to the interview.

Add two or three high-impact perks. Flexible scheduling, a modest wellness stipend, and a communication tool that keeps frontline staff genuinely connected will outperform expensive benefits nobody asked for.

Layer in financial incentives as the business grows. Profit sharing and performance bonuses give people a reason to care about outcomes, not just show up.

Also worth thinking about: the digital experience. For frontline and hourly workers, workplace technology is part of the daily job. A mobile scheduling app, accessible payroll, a communication channel that doesn't mean checking a physical notice board - these things reduce daily friction and show you've thought about what the role actually feels like.

Before settling on an approach, check what officially counts as a small business in the U.S. Your classification affects eligibility for tax-advantaged benefits and certain government programs, which can change your options considerably.

The businesses that win in high-growth markets tend to be the ones that know their people well and build around what actually matters to them. That's harder to buy than a gym and a signing bonus.

How Blink Helps Small Businesses Compete for Frontline Talent

One of the most underestimated parts of a benefits strategy is how you deliver it. A great package that employees can't easily access, or that they only hear about through a paper notice board, doesn't land the way it should.

That's where Blink comes in. Blink is a frontline super-app built for the people who don't sit at a desk - the workers who are hardest to reach and, too often, the first to feel disconnected from the business they work for.

With Blink, small businesses can give every employee access to a communications hub, HR tools, IT resources, and team chat in a single mobile app, accessible from wherever people are working, not just from a desk. Recognition goes out in real time. Managers can communicate directly with their whole team, not just the people who happen to be in that day. And employees don't need a company email address or a desktop login to use any of it.

Want to see how it works for frontline teams? Book a demo with Blink.

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Extroverts get a lot of attention and recognition because they’re the squeaky wheels at your company. The valuable contributions of introverts, on the other hand, may get overlooked.

Because those employees are less likely to fight to get noticed. Sound familiar? Then you may have an employee engagement problem on your hands. And that could cost you a lot of money in the long run.

We tend to value extroversion in the workplace because it looks a lot like passion and dedication. Quiet, thoughtful introverts can look less dedicated at first glance, but are often more productive, better risk-takers, and make great leaders.

Ignoring the needs of these high-performing employees when you’re looking at employee engagement activities?

It can mean unintentionally alienating a big portion of your workforce.

That’s an expensive mistake to make when you consider the average cost to rehire is equal to 33% of the annual compensation.

It makes more sense to look at employee engagement strategies that can help introverted employees feel more comfortable, more satisfied, and as a result, more loyal to your company.

Below, we’ve put together a big list of employee engagement strategies designed just for introverts in the workplace. But first, we want to talk about what sets your introverted employees apart and why engaging them matters so much.

What makes introverts in the workplace different?

Instead of talking about ‘energy’, let’s look at the science behind introverts and extroverts. Introverts and extroverts quite literally have different brains. When you look at scans of introverts and extroverts, you’ll see a difference in concentrations of gray matter.

And where there’s more gray matter, there are more of certain kinds of skills. Your classic hand-raising, go-getter extrovert will have more gray matter in the medial orbito-frontal cortex area of the brain. Deep-thinking introverts have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex.

On top of that, introvert brains and extrovert brains respond differently to dopamine. The chemical that motivates us, makes us more talkative, and keeps us alert, among other functions.

Extroverts have more active dopamine receptors. Introverts respond more readily to a chemical called acetylcholine that makes people feel good when they turn inward.

All of this technical stuff means that your introverted employees have great problem-solving skills, amazing memories, and a knack for planning and then following through on long-term projects. They are energized by thinking, reflecting, and mapping out the future.

By common metrics of employee engagement, they can seem unengaged. But if you shift your employee engagement strategies and corporate communications strategies to include activities and tech tools they’ll like? They will become some of your most engaged employees.

Why is employee engagement important for introverts?

The short answer is that engaged employees stick around. Researchers commonly find that 50% would accept another job offer on the spot if the benefits were right.

What’s surprising isn’t that those employees would be willing to go. But rather than the other half are willing to stay even when given the promise of greater pay somewhere else. That’s employee engagement.

When your workforce (introverts and extroverts alike) feel a connection both to the work they are doing and to your company’s larger goals, they’ll be more likely to stick around through thick and thin. That will save you time and money. They’ll also work harder, be more productive, and more likely to go above and beyond the call of duty.

Here’s how to make sure your introverted employees are just as engaged as the extroverts at your company:

Employee engagement strategies for introverted employees

1. Change your interview process

When your goal is to boost employee engagement in introverts, why not start from day one? In job interviews, many extroverts shine because they’re born to pitch.

Introverts will often perform best in job interviews that feel more like one-on-one conversations. Panel-style interviews, where they feel like a product on display, can be stressful. Unless you’re hiring for a high-stress position, you may end up with a broader pool of great candidates this way.

2. Limit team sizes on group projects

Working with huge teams can be extremely stressful for introverts for a variety of reasons. Two heads may be better than one, but once teams get too large productivity can suffer because there is more back and forth happening than actual work.

Introverts tend to prefer less chaotic work environments, and you can cut down on chaos by following Jeff Bezos’ two pizza rule. If you can’t feed a team with two pizzas, it’s probably too big.

3. Make work more flexible

Extroverts may love the hustle and bustle of your busy workspace, but that same energy can drive your introverts crazy.

Create space for uninterrupted work time by instituting flex work and other policies that allow employees to come in earlier or leave later to take advantage of an emptier office.

Allowing employees to work from home when the mood strikes or to disconnect from the company intranet when they’re heads down on a big project can also boost employee engagement in the long run.

4. Have meeting-free days

Regular meeting-free days also cut down on the kinds of interruptions that can leave introverts feeling disconnected from their work.

When there are regular days or times when no meetings can be scheduled, introverts can comfortably immerse themselves in projects at those times because they know their focus won’t be compromised by yet another meeting.

5. Make meetings introvert-friendly

Don’t spring meetings on your introverts who may benefit from time to prepare for each one.

Make sure introverts get a chance to prepare for each meeting in advance and to give their input after all the extroverts have had their say.

Also, be sure that your meetings are relevant to current projects and have structure. You can bet that it’s your introverted employees who are feeling the most annoyed and uncomfortable when a meeting goes off the rails.

6... (Or just have fewer meetings)

Before you schedule that next meeting, ask yourself whether you really need to pull that employee away from their vital tasks for some face-to-face time?

Could you accomplish the same thing with an employee app like Blink that lets you curate and disseminate information in ways that respect your introverted workforce’s valuable time?

7. Update your communications methods

Just because extroverts are the first ones to stand up to deliver project updates in front of the team doesn’t mean introverts have nothing to say.

An app like Blink can help the introverts at your company have more of a voice without forcing them too far outside of their comfort zones. You could use video as an update tool versus requiring all employees to give in-person presentations.

They can connect with their colleagues for collaboration and mentorship right in the app. And it’s a way to recognize and applaud the contributions of introverts without forcing them into the spotlight.

8. Invest in additional training

One of the biggest challenges deskless workers face is feeling like they don’t have the same resources available to them as employees in a traditional office setting do.

This can make them feel less confident in their work—especially if they are introverted and may not feel like they are able to reach out for help.

By offering ongoing training, you will not only help your introverted, deskless employees feel more confident in their work, but you’ll also show them that you are invested in their success.

9. Brainstorm better

Group brainstorming sessions can feel chaotic to a true introvert because there’s little structure and some voices will always drown out others. Brainstorming sessions are easier on introverts when groups are smaller and there is some structure in place guiding the sessions.

That might mean pre-planning when you’ll discuss what topics or asking people to prepare ideas in advance. That will give the introverts in your company time to reflect on what they want to say and as a result, they’ll be more likely to share their great ideas.

10. Give introverts opportunities to get social

The idea that introverts don’t like people or don’t like having fun is a pervasive myth that has unfortunately caused a lot of harm. Introverts are as friendly and as fun as extroverts—and can party just as hard when they want to.

Give your employees a platform like Blink where they can share social events with coworkers and encourage (but don’t require) people to get to know each other inside and outside of work.

11. Rethink the open office

If you’re in a position to contemplate an office redesign, keep in mind that open office spaces aren’t always the collaboration engines they were meant to be.

Between greetings, noisy colleagues, chit chat, and other interruptions, open offices can be very distracting—and not just for introverts who might not want to stop work to talk about last night’s big game.

If a redesign is out of the question, think about creating ‘quiet zones’ outside of communal areas where introverts can get a break from the noise.

12. Put introverts into leadership positions

You might assume that extroverts are more suited for leadership roles, but consider that many of the world’s most capable leaders (e.g., Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, or Warren Buffet) have been introverts.

Why do introverts make good leaders? They tend to be fiercely dedicated, thoughtful decision-makers, and surprisingly strong-willed. Plus, they’re good listeners.

13. Make space for communication

Be sure that you’re giving introverts space to share their ideas and concerns, whether that’s by asking for their opinions in meetings, holding regular open-door hours, or giving them an employee engagement platform like Blink where they can respond anonymously to company-wide polls.

If you get the sense that your introverted employees don’t feel like they’re being heard, ask them to share their thoughts or feelings in writing at their leisure.

14. The right praise and feedback go a long way

Often, deskless and frontline employees don’t have a supervisor observing their day-to-day performance and as a result, may receive little to no praise or feedback from their manager.

While it’s true that praise and feedback are good for all employees, how you deliver praise and feedback is important too — especially when it comes to your introverted employees.

Introverted employees want to be recognized when they do an outstanding job on something, but likely prefer a personal email from their manager, rather than a company-wide shout out.

15. Realize that introversion is a spectrum

Avoid stereotyping the introverts and the extroverts at your company by acknowledging that each individual will fall somewhere on a spectrum.

That way you avoid making the mistake of leaving introverted workers out of employee engagement activities or not giving extroverted employees time for quiet reflection or uninterrupted work.

Ideally, the employee engagement strategies you put in place should address the needs of all the people who work at your company.

There are so many diverse personality types at every company, and that’s a good thing. Everyone who works with you should feel like they have a role to play, whether it’s the thinker, the communicator, the analyzer, the risk-taker, or the seller.

When you make sure that introverts feel just as comfortable and fulfilled at your company as your extroverted employees, you’ll absolutely reap the benefits. Engaging employees across the board should be your ultimate goal.

Blink is an all-in-one employee engagement platform that can change the way your workforce feels about your company. Try it out today!

During their first month, employees spend an average of 12.7 hours per week asking coworkers for help. And it doesn’t get much better after the first month. Most workers spend an average of five hours per week waiting to connect with people with the information they need.

If you want to maximize productivity, you need to make information accessible.

That's where knowledge-sharing platforms come in. They facilitate the flow of information and expertise across the board.

What is a knowledge-sharing platform?

A knowledge-sharing platform is a software that enables employees to interact with each other and exchange information. It helps subject matter experts contribute guides, policies, and documents to develop a company's internal knowledge base. 

Key features knowledge-sharing tools should have

With many knowledge-sharing tools available, knowing which one to choose depends on your company's goals, budget, size and your workers' specific needs.

Here are four features to look for when choosing a knowledge management system for your organization:

Cross-platform access

Most of your employees use their smartphones even during working hours. Reviews.org shares that Americans spend an average of 2 hours 54 minutes on their phones daily. Even more important is to remember that 80% of the workforce is in frontline roles - in other words, they rarely have access to a desktop computer at all, and are entirely reliant on smartphones.

It's therefore critical that you opt for a knowledge-sharing solution that employees can access from a smartphone, laptop, tablet, or workstation. That'll help your staff perform their tasks efficiently whether they’re in the office or on the move. 

Smart search

Panopto shares that 60% of employees find it difficult to get the information they need. To ensure that a knowledge-sharing solution truly solves this, you need a platform that provides intelligent search options.

The platform should enable your employees to organize the shared content by labels and tags, so both your remote and deskless employees can find the relevant information quickly.

Integrations

The right knowledge-sharing tool allows you to deliver access to information without having to uproot your existing systems. Most businesses already have their critical documents housed in multiple areas - a good knowledge management tool will allow you to integrate with those systems to draw those documents through rather than having to move them.

Equally important to consider is how user access is controlled - creating another set of sign-ons for users to have to remember (and invariably, request support and resets for) can potentially be more trouble than it's worth. Explore solutions with Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities, integrating seamlessly with your existing stack.

Reports and analytics

To know that adoption is going well and that your investment in your new tool was worthwhile, you need ways to measure engagement. That’s even more true if you’ve got deskless and remote workers. 

Your knowledge-sharing tool should have reporting features to track how much information is being shared, which content is more popular, and which employees contribute the most. All this data can help you identify knowledge gaps and create strategies to mitigate those gaps.

Best knowledge-sharing platforms

1. Blink

2. Notion

3. Bloomfire

4. Microsoft SharePoint

5. Nuclino

6. Confluence

7. Helpjuice

Here are the six best knowledge-sharing tools to facilitate the flow of information and expertise in your organization:

1. Blink

Blink is an employee experience app that gives frontline and remote workers access to the people, communications, and applications they need to do their job on their personal phone. 

You benefit from increased productivity, employee retention, and two-way conversations that bridge the gap between executives, management, and employees.

Blink is ideal for executive teams committed to giving more to their frontline workers. It is flexible, feels like the apps employees use daily, and can be launched in days or weeks.

Key Features:

• Powerful Hub dashboard with quick access to policies, rosters, payslips, and apps
• Secure group, team, or one-to-one chats for real-time two-way communication  
• Newsfeed with a personalized stream of bottom-up and top-down multimedia content including news, videos, and pictures
• Seamless integration with the apps you already love such as Microsoft 365, Workday, and ADP.
• Single Sign On (SSO) — log in to any app without your password
• Frontline intelligence — gain powerful insight into what makes your organization tick, from turnover to engagement and sentiment, to stop problems before they start and create a close-knit community.
• Micro-apps — get powerful branded apps personalized for your company 

Best for: Companies with a large distributed frontline or remote workforce.

Pricing: Starts at $3.40 per person per month (when billed annually).

2. Notion

Notion is a knowledge-sharing platform that combines your internal wiki, projects, and notes in one tool. You can create pages, lists, databases, and tables and interlink them to help your colleagues understand the company-wide web of information. 

Many teams and companies globally use Notion to keep their staff informed and collaborate in one place. 

Notion creates transparency by centralizing all knowledge and work and making it highly customizable. As a result, it saves time and increases productivity for teams of all sizes.

Key Features:

• Content blocks — present information as you want it
• Clean, custom, and easy-to-use text editor
• Easy linking between documents and pages
• Support for multimedia — make your knowledge pages as detailed as possible

Best for: Small technology businesses that manage many documents and projects and want to collaborate easily.

Pricing: Free with limited features. Premium plans start at $8 per user per month (when billed annually).

3. Bloomfire

Bloomfire connects individuals and teams with the information they need to excel at work. It stores relevant information and makes it easily searchable.

This platform powers all departments — from customer support to sales and marketing — with the right information. Your employees can always find the desired information at the right time to make informed decisions that propel them to success.

Bloomfire also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to spark engagement and help your team grow collective intelligence efficiently.

Key Features:

• AI-driven search for quick access to information
• Flexible user roles and permissions
• Custom integrations with open API

Best for: Mid-sized teams, departments, and organizations looking to share knowledge in a meaningful and collaborative way.

Pricing: Premium plans start at $25 per user per month.

4. Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is a knowledge-sharing platform designed around a traditional intranet structure. It helps teams collaborate effectively by letting them share content, applications, and knowledge. 

You can use blocks — including text, videos, forms, and images — to customize page layouts without complex coding. You can also add announcement feeds and news to knowledge pages to ensure they're constantly updated with current information.

Since it’s a Microsoft platform, SharePoint integrates best with other Microsoft tools. 

Key Features:

• Code-free content customization
• News and announcement feeds
• Solid integrations with other Microsoft tools
• AI-powered content suggestions

Best for: Office-focused companies integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem. 

Pricing: Starts at $5 per user per month.

5. Nuclino

Nuclino is a user-friendly, lightweight knowledge management software that empowers teams to collaborate without the chaos of context switching, files and folders, or silos. You can use its simple editor to create rich wiki pages — with text, videos, and images.

You can opt to view data as graphs, lists, or boards to ensure you understand how everything works together. You can also collaborate on every page with team members in real-time, with comments letting you exchange feedback on the spot.

Key Features:

• User-friendly interface
• Minimal setup time
• Real-time content collaboration
• Fast and reliable search

Best for: Startups and small teams looking for a lightweight wiki solution.

Pricing: Free with limited features. Premium plans start at $5 per user per month.

6. Confluence

Confluence is a knowledge-sharing solution and intranet owned by Atlassian. The platform lets users create and manage workflows efficiently. 

You can use Confluence to capture, organize, and preserve your most valuable assets — project plans, company updates, or other vital information. 

The platform’s page tree view and powerful search function make it easy to find the exact file you're looking for.

Key Features

• Multiple integrations
• Customizable templates for all business needs
• Real-time collaborative editing
• Real-time notifications and comments

Best for: Mid-size technology companies looking to improve information exchange in functional departments such as project management groups, technical teams, marketing, finance, HR, and legal.

Pricing: Free with limited features. Premium plans start at $5.50 per user per month.

7. Helpjuice

Helpjuice knowledge base software streamlines the process of knowledge sharing for both your team and your customers. The platform is easy to use, with an editor that's straightforward making content creation fast and simple. Their intelligent search feature is designed to allow your customers and team to find the information they need, when they need it.

One notable feature is their decision tree logic which allows you to build step-by-step guides that help direct users to the information or solutions they need, based on their specific circumstances. This can improve the user experience and reduce time spent searching for relevant content.

Helpjuice's platform is also designed to be flexible. You can customize the look of your knowledge base to reflect your brand, making it easy for customers and team members to navigate. The goal is to provide a platform where information is readily accessible, promoting better customer service and efficient internal knowledge sharing.

Key Features:

• Intelligent, Google-like instant search
• Real-time collaboration features 
• Easy-to-use editor with multi-language support and decision-tree logic
• Fully customizable

Best for: Companies that want an easy-to-use, yet comprehensive knowledge base software solution that’s fully customizable, and capable of fostering effective internal knowledge sharing as well as providing comprehensive external customer support resources.Pricing:  Pricing begins at $120 per month, which includes all features and supports up to 4 users.

Out of all the terms we’ve added to our lexicon over the course of 2020, ‘frontline workers’ is our favorite.

At Blink, we build software that improves the experience of thousands of frontline workers all over the world. We know how hard they work. The hours they put in. The pride they take in keeping their communities healthy, fed and well looked-after. 

There’s a lot about this year we’d all like to move on from. The word 'unprecedented' being one of them. But there’s one thing that we need to take forward, and that's our appreciation of brave frontline teams.

We're forever indebted to you. Thank you for looking after us during the most unprecedented (sorry) of times. 

We can’t possibly mention you all, and we’re sorry. But we hope you know how much we appreciate everything you do for us.

Long live society’s newfound appreciation; long may it continue!

The frontline workers we need to thank

NHS medical teams

This Christmas, many will be raising glasses to the medical staff who threw themselves behind global efforts to contain the pandemic and minimize its impact. 

We’ll certainly be joining them. 

So, here’s to the doctors, nurses, paramedics, healthcare assistants, physios, occupational therapists and pharmacists.

Whether directly or indirectly involved in treating Coronavirus patients, the world owes you one.  

While we extend our gratitude to healthcare workers globally, we can’t help but be extremely grateful for our native NHS. Providing stellar, free-at-the-point-of-access care during a global pandemic isn’t easy - but somehow you’ve managed, and managed spectacularly.

It’s stories like that of Dr Sarbjit Clare, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust's deputy medical director, that demonstrate what a gargantuan effort healthcare workers put in.

Central to operational and clinical decision-making surrounding COVID-19 treatment, Dr Clare cared for over 700 patients. Oh, and she single-handedly kept her department open when all her colleagues were sick or self-isolating. 

If treating and caring for patients wasn’t enough, some healthcare workers took on even more responsibility in their spare time. Ashleigh Linsdell founded and coordinated a national effort to make scrubs during the UK shortage.

Alison Williams raised funds for COVID-19 patient essentials, including iPads to help them contact their families during isolation.

NHS support teams

We need to thank the often-overlooked support teams that keep wheels turning behind the scenes. 

Without them, it would be practically impossible for healthcare workers to do what they do. They’re the backbone keeping the NHS - and healthcare organisations the world over - together and functional. 

Caterers for keeping staff and patients fed. 

Laundry and housekeeping staff for keeping hospitals clean, whilst navigating intense and often-changing safety regulations. 

Hospital porters, for providing an ever friendly, welcoming service. Veteran porter Terry Allen worked tirelessly for patients, transferring them between departments, facilitating their treatment and helping them feel comfortable.

The NHS’s medical teams provide first-class care, but they couldn’t do it without Terry and thousands of others like him. 

Care home workers

Residential care home staff - working with elderly people or those with disabilities - look after those most vulnerable to COVID-19. 

It’s a tough, underappreciated (and often underpaid) job. So, it's all the more remarkable that care workers have gone above and beyond for their patients and their families. 

Care staff have made it an absolute priority to keep their residents safe. Sometimes, they have done so at great personal sacrifice to them and their own families. 

A staggering one in four residential care workers left their families to isolate with residents. Staff from the Victoria House Care Home even committed to sleeping in tents (during March, no less).

Countless others moved away temporarily, when the support of loved ones has never been more important. 

We haven’t even mentioned all the work they put in keeping spirits up amongst those who couldn’t go outside. 

From fiddling about with FaceTime to organizing activities, care home residents would have struggled without them.

Supermarket workers

A huge shoutout to supermarket and food supply chain workers for putting food on our tables.

Whether you’ve been working on the supermarket floor or manning the warehouse, we wouldn't have survived the pandemic without you. We mean that literally –– access to food is generally important for long-term survival, after all. 

Here are a few of the ways food supermarket and food supply chain workers made a difference: 

• Eased shortages by introducing limits on certain items (toilet roll, anyone?) and enforcing them effectively at checkouts
• Remapped warehouses and supermarkets and implemented queueing systems so they could operate with social distancing
• Kept up with frequently changing regulations with regard to masks and PPE 
• Stepped up to a massive increase in demand for online orders/home delivery

Julie Cook, who works at Asda in Aberdare, South Wales, spent her time off shopping for care homes to ensure they received key supplies. 

It’s thanks to supermarket workers like Julie that we’ve all been able to eat and shop safely this year. So, wherever you shop, make sure to thank their in-store team for their efforts when you pop in next.

Teachers

As schools shut and lessons launched online, anyone with a child found themselves more appreciative of how hard teachers work. 

If you thought homeschooling your school-aged child was hard, imagine trying to teach a class of 30. Then imagine trying to teach a class of 30 online, with the myriad distractions and potential for disruption that offers. 

Teachers have kept classrooms open for children of key workers. Dealt with whole year groups being sent home for isolation. And increased their risk of exposure to the virus to minimise disruption to education. 

Headteacher Jane Davenport and the staff at Reynalds Cross School kept classrooms open for children of key workers. They also made sure the school’s most vulnerable children - with complex educational, healthcare and behavioural needs - could attend classes safely. Jane put so much work that she was recognised with an OBE for services to young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

They’ve certainly earned those Christmas chocolate boxes, bottles of wine and ‘best teacher ever’ mugs. If you can’t offer these, a nice note thanking them will be equally as treasured!

Logistics personnel

In a pandemic, it’s vital to keep key supply lines open. That’s exactly what lorry drivers do, alongside the logistics teams that support them. 

The logistics sector made sure food, essential medicines, PPE and medical equipment were delivered to organizations in need, whilst working under significant pressure and increased demand. 

To all the frontline workers across the logistics and supply chain sector, whether working for an in-house operation or a third-party logistics specialist –– thank you.

You can’t eat food that doesn’t arrive on supermarket shelves before expiring. Pharmacists can’t fill prescriptions if they don’t have the right medication on hand. Doctors and nurses can’t protect themselves with PPE if it doesn’t arrive on time. 

Logistics teams make this all happen. 

Public transport workers

Car ownership is by no means a given amongst many groups of frontline workers. Without the efforts of public transport personnel worldwide, lots of urgently-needed staff would have been stranded. 

Drivers, ticket sellers, platform guards and many others in every transport system across the globe need to be thanked here. 

We were in awe of how professionally our own transit clients’ workforces carried out their duties under lockdown regulations. 

Drivers from Go Ahead, Metroline and Stagecoach provide essential services whilst operating in uncertain and unfamiliar circumstances. Not to mention dealing with significantly reduced capacity to ensure social distancing. Kudos to you.

Police, fire and social workers

While it’s great we recognize the contribution ambulance drivers and paramedics made, it’s easy to forget other essential services.

For police and fire crews, this involved keeping essential services running, whilst adding new responsibilities to their workloads. 

For example, UK police have been tasked with enforcing both national and local lockdown laws. These have often changed quickly, and guidance for policing them has been somewhat vague at times. 

Enforcing them whilst strengthening links to local communities has been a difficult, often thankless task. We’d like to thank them for their part in containing the spread of the virus. 

Meanwhile social services workers have continued to do an emotionally demanding job in extremely difficult conditions. 

The Queen’s Birthday Honours List reflected this, with both senior and on-the-ground practitioners recognised for the work they do. 

Social workers Manvir Hothi (Hammersmith and Fulham), Danny Levine (North Yorkshire) and Louise Peart (Vale of Glamorgan) were all recognised for supporting service users throughout the pandemic - but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. 

Thousands more helped vulnerable people and families navigate a particularly confusing time, provided community-based support and eased the loneliness of those self-isolating. 

Postal workers and parcel couriers

There’s a lot to be said for delivering ‘everyday’ post as well.  

Ask yourself: how much more difficult would those initial stages of lockdown have been without that new hobby you took up?

How much more lonely would elderly relatives or those living alone have felt without cards, letters and gifts delivered?

Postal workers kept it together in tough working conditions. In doing so, they kept countless others together by keeping them connected and keeping them occupied. 

Lockdown would have been a lonelier, more boring place without them. 

Honorable mentions

Containing and treating the Coronavirus pandemic has required a Herculean effort from so many key workers across different industries. 

Not everyone involved in the COVID effort needed to work directly on the frontline. So much organization has gone on behind the scenes, from so many people – many of whom weren't involved as professionals. 

We’d like to give an honourable mention to the groups below for stepping up!

Operations who repurposed their facilities

The most impressive thing about society’s collective response to the Coronavirus was how everyone came together.

Companies repurposing their manufacturing operations to provide essential items and supplies was just one example of this phenomenon. 

It takes entrepreneurship, ingenuity and a lot of hard work to turn around a new, unfamiliar product at short notice. We think it’s important to recognise just how much effort this took, for both strategic decision-makers and on-the-ground workforces. 

There are countless examples across the globe here. Close to home, we saw international craft beer brewery BrewDog produce batches of hand sanitizer to help meet skyrocketing demand.

Luxury fashion brand Barbour’s manufacturing workforce turn their sewing machines away from wax jackets to making seriously high-quality medical gowns. 

Further north, design teachers from James Calvert Spence College and Duchess’s Community High School in Northumberland teamed up to make PPE. 

James Calvert Spence science teacher Dan Davison, who previously worked in an NHS lab, helped develop a test protocol whilst still teaching online classes. Miss Scrimgeour, Mr Donnison and Ms Whitelock from the two schools’ DT departments laser cut visors for use across local hospitals and care homes. 

This ‘all hands on deck’ attitude helped significantly in easing shortages - particularly at a local level. 

Last but not least... let's hear it for the volunteers

Alongside frontline workers and key workers paid to do their jobs, an army of volunteers rose to the challenge.

They transformed old bedsheets into useful medical scrubs, started essential goods collections for struggling families, dedicated their time to befriending isolated people over the phone and so much more. 

We can’t list everyone who helped out, so to finish off, we’ll share Cambridgeshire resident  Geoff Norris’ story.

Already a frontline worker, Geoff worried elderly and vulnerable residents would struggle to get their groceries amidst food shortages. Noticing that all the delivery slots were booked up too, he set up a weekly food delivery service.

On the days he wasn’t working at Asda in Wisbech, he picked up orders, put them through the tills and delivered them at his expense, using his own vehicle. Soon, he had recruited colleagues to help, and was taking orders via phone and email.

We all know a Geoff - or several - who has selflessly given up their time to help others during the pandemic. In our eyes, they’re just as much key workers as anyone else. 

So we’ll end by saying “thank you, volunteers, for donating time when you didn’t have to, and making a real difference to so many.”

Your contribution has been absolutely unprecedented (oh no!), and we appreciate it. 

While 2020 was a rotten year for many, many reasons, the sense of togetherness fostered is inspiring and moving. 

By Lauren Burns, Chief Operating Officer, Blink

‍

Big news for small businesses

At Blink, we believe every worker — not just the ones glued to a desk — deserves to feel connected, in the loop and part of something bigger.

Until now, Blink has been the go-to for massive organizations keeping their frontline teams buzzing.

But today, we’re flipping the script. For the first time, everyone can try Blink free right from our homepage.

That’s right: no red tape, no long sales calls, no IT headaches. Just instant access to the same platform trusted by retail and hospitality giants, healthcare heroes and transport legends around the world.

Why this matters

If you run a small or midsized business, you know the struggle:

• Important updates vanish into the black hole of your email inbox
• WhatsApp groups spin out of control, with current employees frustrated with the lack of work-life balance and ex-employees still lurking in the wings
• Your “intranet” is basically a dusty folder no one dares to open

Meanwhile, your people — especially those on the frontline — are ready for a better way to communicate. They live on mobile, expect apps that feel as easy as Instagram, and they hate feeling disconnected.

That’s exactly why we built Blink. And you don’t need enterprise money to experience it.

What you’ll unlock in your free trial

Sign up today and you can start building your employee communications hub — via an intuitive set-up experience — in minutes:

• A social-style news feed that people actually read and post to
• Secure chat and groups that replace rogue WhatsApp chains
• Fully branded and personalized so your intranet reflects your brand at every touchpoint
• Everything in one place with a one-stop shop for policies, shifts, training, and more
• Recognition and surveys to keep morale sky-high

All of it designed for quick adoption and lasting engagement. And the best part? Your team already knows how to use it.

A big moment for small businesses

Here’s the truth: The future of work isn’t just for enterprises. When every team, no matter the size, gets world-class communication and collaboration tools, big things happen. Morale grows. Operations run smoother. And the culture you’re building has a digital home that matches the energy of your people.

But this is just the start. What comes next is even more exciting: unlocking the potential of your people. 

Our Blink for Everyone team is driven by one simple mission: to make it easier for people to find, try, and love Blink. So I want to also take this opportunity to thank all of our founding Blink for Everyone customers, some of whom are celebrated on our Customer Wall of Love. 

There’s nothing to hold you back. The same tech trusted by global enterprises is now in your hands — free to try, starting today.

‍Blink. And start your free trial today.

Spoiler alert: Employees don’t count down the days until the next company update hits their inbox

But the next episode of their favorite TV show? That’s a whole different ballgame. Millions of people cleared their schedules to watch the Succession finale — or to binge the whole of The Bear in one sitting.

So what do these shows have that internal communications don’t? It’s not just good writing and compelling characters. It’s the way TV structures its stories to keep people coming back for more.

Internal comms can steal these tricks to make messages stickier, more memorable, and worth tuning in for. From the pilot episode to the spin-off, here’s how to make your employee communications essential viewing. 

The pilot episode — hook them early

A pilot episode sets the tone for a TV series. If it falls flat, viewers won’t bother tuning in again. But hit all the right notes, and you’ll have your audience excited for the next installment.

The same goes for your internal communications. The experience employees get when they first encounter your messages shapes how they’ll engage with them — or ignore them — in future.

So, for new hires, comms related to the onboarding process should feel polished and well-produced. Give employees pre-first-day info that sets the scene. Then, deliver a steady stream of timely updates to get familiar with your communication platforms, your workplace, and their coworkers.

When it comes to launching new platforms and digital tools, treat the roll out of a new employee intranet or internal communication tool like a premiere event. Tease the launch with trailers, countdowns, and even a launch party. And make pilot content so strong that employees are blown away by their very first platform experience.

Action! Review your onboarding messages and launch campaigns. Are they as exciting and focused as a Netflix pilot? If not, refine them — think strong storytelling, quality design, and a tone that makes employees want to tune in for the next update.

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Cliffhangers keep them coming back

“Just one more episode?” That’s the power of a cliffhanger.

The best TV shows don’t give everything away in one go. They create buzz and suspense by hinting at what comes next — leaving you hanging with a surprising reveal or creating excitement with a sneak peek of the next episode.

In internal comms, you don’t need to hold back crucial information to build suspense. But you can use this technique to spark anticipation:

• Tease upcoming events. Drop a short trailer for a CEO town hall, a product launch, or a training session.
• Share the headline. Drop a compelling stat, quote, or insight ahead of a big announcement or change management initiative.
• End with a “next week on…” Close company newsletters or updates with a glimpse of what’s coming next.

These TV tactics build excitement for your next content drop. They can encourage employees to subscribe for updates or sign up for further details — and that means a bigger audience when your primary content lands. 

Action! Take a closer look at your employee communication content schedule and look for places where you can share “coming soon” content. You’ll make employees feel like they’re part of an unfolding story — not just at the receiving end of a random collection of broadcasts.

Binge vs. weekly drops

Some TV fans love the ritual of a weekly release. Others prefer to binge the whole season in a weekend. Your employees are no different.

• Bingeable comms work for employees who want to consume a lot of info in one sitting. That might be a full training module, an annual company strategy deck, or a comprehensive how-to guide.
• Short, steady updates suit busy employees (particularly frontline workers) who need snackable updates they can read between tasks. Big ideas are broken down into bite-sized snippets with the help of visuals and clear copy. 

The smartest internal communication teams blend both approaches. A box-set drop for complex topics paired with regular micro-updates to keep messages top of mind.

Action! Review your comms cadence. If everything you send is a dense “season drop,” break it up with lighter, more regular touchpoints. You’ll keep your audience engaged and informed without overwhelming them.

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Spin-offs shine a light on new characters

Where would the TV world be without Frasier or Better Call Saul?

Spin-off series show us what life is like for one character within an ensemble. They help audiences see familiar characters with a fresh perspective, getting to know their motivations, worries, and wins.

Apply this tactic to your internal communications strategy and you bring your organization together, while also boosting comms engagement. When you highlight lesser-seen people and departments within the company, you give teams the insight they need to collaborate more effectively.

So hand the mic to your delivery drivers, your engineers, or your payroll team. Champion an internal creator culture. And create department crossovers, where marketing and operations, or HR and finance, join forces for a joint update.

This original content is something employees don’t expect — and don’t tend to ignore.

Action! Run a quarterly “takeover” week, where a different department owns internal comms. It diversifies voices, keeps content fresh, and helps employees see work and the workplace from different perspectives.

The watercooler moment

The “red wedding” in Game of Thrones. The final episode of The Sopranos. That super-tense Stranger Things scene when Max faces Vecna to a soundtrack of Kate Bush.

The best TV moments become watercooler moments — both in person or on social media. They spark chatter, memes, and inside jokes. They go beyond the screen to build connection and a sense of belonging among their audience. 

Internal comms can do the same, by:

• Creating an emotional connection 
• Inviting employees to interact

Relatable, authentic content about real people creates an emotional connection. So spotlight employees and customers in stories and shout-outs. Encourage leaders to share behind-the-scenes moments. Don’t be afraid to use humor or memes to land a message.

But remember that content alone isn’t enough. The conversation has to flow both ways. Encourage employees to join in. Ask for their input and highlight their intranet contributions. Welcome their ideas and champion an internal creator culture. 

Action! Encourage interaction on your corporate communications channels. Launch a poll, invite employees to share their comments under a company news feed post, or get them to create their own content from scratch. Digital channels feel more like a community when they’re built on two-way communication.

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All killer, no filler

Sometimes a TV writing team seems to run out of ideas, and you’re stuck sitting through a filler episode. It’s dull and forgettable, it doesn’t move the story forward, and it makes you much less likely to tune in next time.

The lesson for internal communicators? To keep the attention of your audience, avoid filler content at all costs. Ensure that everything you send out deserves its place in your core comms channel. Every piece of content should either:

• Inform (share something useful)
• Inspire (motivate action)
• Connect (build company culture and employee communities)

If it doesn’t do any of those things, skip it.

Also, make every piece of content visually engaging. Videos, infographics, images, polls — Insta-worthy content keeps employees glued to your internal communication platform, making it easier for you to make messages cut through.

Action! Use intranet platform analytics to see which content drives the most (and least) digital engagement. Double down on the hits, learn from the misses, and keep your audience coming back for more.  

Anthology vibes — standalones that fit the bigger story

Variety keeps things fresh and interesting — and a standalone story can make a big impact on an audience. Think Black Mirror. Every episode is self-contained but the series works because each installment contributes to a bigger theme.

Apply the same principle to your internal communication plans. Each campaign, post, or announcement should feel complete on its own — clear, valuable, and with a call to action.  At the same time, it should tie back to the wider company story. Every message should reinforce the internal behaviors, corporate values, and company culture you want to build.

Action! Define three to four cultural story arcs for your comms this year. Then map every message against them. That way, even standalone content contributes to the bigger narrative, creating a coherent and engaging employee experience.

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Make your comms less corporate memo, more shiny streaming service

TV shows succeed because they understand their audience, structure stories to keep viewers coming back, and mix variety with consistency.

Internal communications can do the same. From pilot episodes that hook new hires to spin-offs that highlight unsung heroes to watercooler moments that spark conversation — every message is an opportunity to boost employee engagement.

So treat your internal communication strategy like a hit TV series. Done right, employees won’t be second-screening, half-watching while scrolling their phones. Instead, they’ll be invested in your stories. They’ll tune in, interact, and feel part of something bigger.