How a modern intranet can transform your marketing department
Choosing an intranet for marketing can be difficult. Discover the features you need to boost productivity, connect departments, and lower workload.
Jess DeVore
Published:
September 6, 2023
Last updated:
October 12, 2023
Optimizing an intranet for marketing departments might not be on your mind, but your marketers can benefit from stronger connections with the rest of your corporation.
“Until recently, we communicated through email. This was to share patient information and… not much else. There was little in the way of engaging employees, celebrating achievements, or keeping in touch,”
The health organization shares personal anecdotes and success stories and communicates with different branches and departments easily.
Best of all, with a smart intranet, your marketing team members can use these interactions and stories as marketing collateral.
The intranet for marketing means taking advantage of features other departments will be excited about — like your company social networking feed — and using them to ease your marketers’ workload.
Must-have features for your marketing intranet
Intranets have been associated with HR or IT for a long time. But these departments aren’t the only ones who benefit from a way to connect to the rest of your organization.
With the right features, your marketing department can both source materials and share upcoming campaigns with ease.
You need to be able to share different media content on your intranet. And you want to be able to share the latest marketing strategies with frontline staff and receive pictures, videos, and feedback from them. It should be simple for everyone to publish their own content too.
An intranet with different permission settings will help make sure only certain teams or people have approval to see specific documents or market research. That makes it easier to share information confidently in the digital workplace.
The best intranet platforms for marketers should integrate with other apps like Slack or Microsoft 365, so your team can continue to use the tools they feel comfortable with.
Surveys will help marketing gain feedback from different departments without hassle. They can then check the built-in analytics to see how engaged employees are with the content they’re posting.
5 ways to use your intranet for marketing
Now you know what features to look for in a marketing intranet, it’s time to go over how you can use those tools productively.
1. Share marketing initiatives
Sometimes employees don’t know about new deals or offers unless they get notifications from management. An intranet keeps everyone on the same page.
2. Create a sharable photo album
Make an album where staff can upload pictures or video clips that marketing can use. Having one place where a photo of a staff celebration can be quickly uploaded to the company intranet reduces the strain on all of your workers.
When it’s easier for people to share their content, they’re more likely to.
3. Collect social media content
Not only pictures but quotes, examples of good work by frontline workers, and even share job vacancies at specific locations. Social media is becoming less curated, and more authentic content is resonating with users.
Sharing digital marketing materials with actual workers instead of models can help you achieve that genuine feel.
4. Promote your company blog
Share posts that staff are likely to be interested in and learn from. 89% of marketers use blogs in their content strategies, but do your workers know about it? Don't just send them to your homepage — share case studies, white papers, and press releases they might care about.
5. Share marketing materials that others need
Have a folder or feed for current sales strategy and brand assets, so if an employee needs to reference them, they’ll always have easy access to the promotions.
Get your marketing team on board
A social intranet is only as good as the contributions from its users.
You need to get your marketing department engaged with a new platform, or they won’t see the benefits from the workspace.
Multiple experts at the Content Marketing Institute expect video content to grow in 2022, but your department might not have the resources to create all of this content themselves.
By leaning into your company’s intranet software, your team can source photos, videos, success stories, milestones, and other materials from frontline workers and other departments as they create them.
Marketing will be able to access this information quickly — and in most cases, directly. 23% of marketers surveyed by HubSpot said just finding the ideas for new content was their biggest challenge for 2022.
If your marketing team is able to improve internal communications with other branches, they can access new information and learn what’s trending in stores now.
They can also use employee-generated content as a springboard or incorporate it directly into new marketing efforts.
The best way to have marketing get on board with an intranet is to have them try it out for free and see how they like it.
Final thoughts: marketing intranet — using an intranet to transform marketing
An intranet for marketing can streamline the entire department and lessen their workload.
Having your entire company help generate content yields a more authentic message that improves employee engagement and means less time spent hunting for a good photo or story.
Communicating and defining the roles helps keep everyone on the same page.
But make sure the intranet solution you choose has the features your organization needs for each department.
Your employees need to be able to access the intranet easily, and a mobile solution will help more workers connect and engage.
Help cut down on the work your marketing department is facing with a fast, company-wide intranet like Blink today.
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Internal communication isn’t just about messages — it’s about impact
Too often, internal comms teams focus on sending the right messages through the right channels. But what if that’s not enough?
With workplace expectations evolving — especially among Gen Z and Millennial employees — internal communications leaders need to do more than inform. They need to engage. Influence. Inspire action.
That’s where the 3 C’s of internal communication come in: Curiosity, courage, and catalyst.
“We know that with younger generations, it’s so much more important for them to feel that they are a part of things. Old fogies like myself, you just get your head down, do the work, hope that you get a paycheck… It’s so different these days.”
This framework, developed by author and keynote speaker Shola Kaye, transforms internal comms teams from messengers into strategic influencers. In a recent podcast, the Blink team sat down with Shola to explore the 3 C’s — why they matter and how comms leaders can put them into action.
Building a solid strategy is the first step to connecting with your frontline workers. However, before you finalize your rollout, looking at a few real world internal communication examples can help you understand exactly how to apply these concepts effectively. To get started, you need to master the 3 Cs.
Let’s break it down.
Curiosity: Don’t make assumptions right off the bat
The first C you need in your internal communications toolkit is curiosity.
Curiosity prevents us from making assumptions, which get in the way of empathy. By being curious, we get to know and understand the people around us.
“If you want to engage people, you’ve got to really know who you’re speaking to. What is on their minds? Where are they coming from? Because otherwise, how will you know how to pitch your content?”
That means listening before you speak. And creating a company culture of psychological safety where employees feel confident that their thoughts and opinions will be taken on board.
Why it matters:
Too often, comms teams assume they know what employees want or need — but a strong company culture of employee engagement starts with listening.
It’s also worth remembering that internal comms trends and employee expectations are always evolving. What worked last year might not work today. So it pays to stay curious, listening to the voices of your target audience on a continuous basis.
How to apply it:
Use pulse surveys and real-time employee feedback loops. Uncover what’s resonating and implement two-way communication practices. Be sure to acknowledge and act upon employee input or employees will start to doubt the process.
Let employees shape your internal communication strategy. Ask them: What’s missing? What do they need? How do they like to receive company communications? You can then craft more effective and engaging messages.
Create conversational hooks. Ask informal questions. For example: What did you do on the weekend? What’s a great movie you watched recently? This creates conversational hooks, which lead to connection, trust, and collaboration within the workplace.
Go beyond small talk. Ask “big talk” questions. Instead of simply asking “How are you?” try asking, “How are you feeling about these changes?” These deeper-level questions encourage meaningful dialogue and bottom-up communication.
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Courage: Own your voice so people can’t help but listen
Internal communications teams are the unsung heroes of the workplace. It takes real courage to be the voice of a company — sharing tough news, listening to hard feedback, and taking bold risks to build a better employee experience.
“To be empathetic, you’ve got to open yourself up to what is going on for someone else. That can press buttons. It can be triggering. It can be exhausting. So it takes some courage to develop empathy and this level of communication in the workplace.”
Courage means having difficult conversations in the knowledge that you’ll come out the other side “stronger, better, more confident at communication.” It means taking your comms beyond the internal communication tools, styles, and channels you’ve used traditionally to deliver something more engaging and authentic.
Why it matters:
Internal comms teams often walk a tightrope between corporate messaging and employee advocacy.
But great communicators don’t just share what’s safe — they push for transparency, honesty, and authenticity. They speak in an open, human way that sets the tone for the whole organization.
How to apply it:
Advocate for direct, no-BS communication. Employees respect transparency over corporate jargon so don’t be afraid to speak honestly, as long as you approach tricky subjects with tact and sensitivity.
Take a stand on employee well-being and inclusion. Don’t sit on the fence. If it matters to your workforce, it should matter to senior management. Clearly communicate your business goals and what your company stands for.
Encourage business leaders to be real and visible. Align your internal communication plan to where senior leaders are on the “audacity scale.” For one C-suite member, that might mean recording a video message or running a listening tour, while the more gregarious may be happy to run a Q&A session with employees.
Be open to new channels and formats. For comms leaders, courage can mean experimenting with new internal communication channels and formats. Video updates. Mobile-first and social tools. Insta-grade storytelling. You don’t always know how these changes will go down with employees. But the reward may be worth the risk.
Catalyst: Make change happen
Being a catalyst for change is easier than you might think. Asking the right questions at the right time — and directing employees toward the collaboration tools and resources they need — can be all it takes.
However, to be an effective catalyst, inspiring others to do and be more, you need to put the other C’s — curiosity and courage — into action first.
“If we’re being empathetic and truly listening to others, we start to learn what they need to grow, to move forward… So then we can step into this role of catalyst to help facilitate that growth.”
Why it matters:
Internal comms isn’t just about informing employees. Done right, your internal communication strategy can inspire action. It can cultivate a motivated and engaged workforce. It can drive cultural change.
Effective communications help employees feel more connected and valued — and engaged in the company’s mission. And when employees understand how they contribute to organizational goals, they become more invested in their own growth and development, too.
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How to apply it:
Turn communication into action. Don’t just inform. Invite employees to share ideas in town hall meetings or employee surveys. Provide clear steps and resources that make it easy for them to shape company culture.
Set an inspiring example. Leverage storytelling to highlight employee success stories, frontline employee contributions, and company impact. Show, don’t tell — using formats like short videos, photos, and quotes — how individuals are driving change.
Amplify unheard voices. Actively seek out perspectives from underrepresented teams, then amplify their contributions and elevate them as internal influencers so they reach a wider audience.
Champion new digital tools. Be the change you want to see. Advocate for technology that makes internal communication more accessible and inclusive. Think mobile-first apps, AI-powered chat tools, and one-stop digital hubs.
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Put the three C’s into action for next-level internal comms
Curiosity, courage, catalyst — three simple words that provide a blueprint for next-level internal communications. The 3 C’s can help you take your internal communications strategy from a function to a force for connection and change.
By staying curious, you uncover what truly matters to your workforce, across all generations. By leading with courage, you create space for honest, impactful conversations. And by stepping up as a catalyst, you empower employees to shape their futures — and that of the organization.
Thanks to our awesome customers leaving stellar reviews on our G2 profile, we are excited to announce we have gained 5 new G2 Trust Badges for being high performers in various categories, including “Enterprise Employee Communications.”
What is G2 and why does it matter?
G2 is the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace. More than 90 million people annually — including employees at all Fortune 500 companies — use G2 to make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews.
That means when companies like Blink improve their rankings and earn G2 Trust Badges, it’s because users are actually taking the time to share their experiences with the products.
Blink’s new G2 trust badges for spring 2024
Blink’s CEO Sean Nolan shared his thoughts on the recognition, saying, “For years, frontline communications, and frontline digital enablement more broadly, has challenged companies regardless of industry or location. To see that Blink is helping our customers stay connected in a meaningful way and helping frontline workers thrive like never before, is the best validation of the product and culture we’ve built here. For our product and support to be recognized as high performers and leaders in multiple G2 reports is a testament to the excellence of the entire Blink organization.”
Our product is featured in several Grid categories on G2. G2’s Grid Reports have four categories, with the best being Leader, followed by High Performer, Contenders, and Niche. Here’s a quick synopsis of four of those categories Blink is featured in, how the category is scored, and how Blink fared.
Employee Communications
New G2 trust badges:
Leader in Employee Communications Platforms Overall
High Performer in Enterprise Employee Communications
Notable movement:
Increased by 29 in the Mid-Market Grid® Report for Employee Communications in Spring 2024
Increased by 25 in the Relationship Index for Employee Communications in Spring 2024
Now included in the Enterprise Implementation Index for Employee Communications in Spring 2024
Employee Communications is a critical function for any organization, but it becomes more difficult (and important) to get right as organizations grow their workforce. Keeping employees engaged and informed is no small feat in fast-paced office environments or along the frontlines. Features like Blink’s News Feed help teams deliver internal, top-down communications, while comments, group messages, and surveys help Blink users foster a workplace based on two-way feedback and collaboration.
To be named a Leader in Employee Communications Platforms Overall, Blink needed a minimum number of reviews as well as a high customer Satisfaction score and a large Market Presence compared to the rest of the category.
To be named a High Performer in Enterprise Employee Communications, Blink needed a minimum number of reviews, as well as a high customer Satisfaction scores and a low Market Presence compared to the rest of the category.
According to G2, products included in the Employee Communications category must be able to:
Create internal content campaigns
Personalize distribution of communication
Segment company into designated groups
Allow employees to subscribe to topics or content of interest
Analyze performance of content shared within the application
Frontline Worker Communications
New G2 trust badges:
Leader in Frontline Worker Communications Platforms Overall
Easiest to Use in Mid-Market Frontline Worker Communications Platforms
Notable movement:
Now included in Enterprise Grid® Report for Enterprise Frontline Worker Communications Platforms
Frontline Worker Communications is a unique challenge for each organization trying to improve frontline productivity and collaboration. Depending on the locations, work environments, geographical dispersion, and the needs of the workforce, staying connected to frontline workers requires a mobile-friendly, easy-to-use solution. Simply giving frontline workers access to the same apps and platforms as their office colleagues won’t work—they need access to be seamless, communication to be effortless, information to be readily available, and all in one tool, ideally.
With Blink, a robust suite of built-in features delivers a complete frontline communications solution. Organizations love Secure Chat, which helps workers have one-on-one or group discussions with managers and colleagues, and the Content Hub, which gives workers a convenient place for all their important policies and documents. On top of that, the deep integrations with HRIS, payroll, and IT tools paired with single sign-on access to those tools makes it easier than ever to keep frontline workers engaged and informed.
To be named a Leader in Frontline Worker Communications Platforms Overall, Blink needed a minimum number of reviews as well as a high customer Satisfaction score and a large Market Presence compared to the rest of the category.
According to G2, products included in the Frontline Worker Communications category must be able to:
Provide real-time messaging capabilities, allowing frontline workers to communicate quickly and efficiently with their colleagues and supervisors
Provide the ability to broadcast announcements and updates, such as policy changes or emergency alerts, to specific individuals, groups, or the entire workforce
Enable the sharing of documents, manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and other resources
Provide survey and feedback tools to gather insights from employees
Have a specific and designated use case for frontline and deskless workers
Employee Engagement
New G2 trust badges: Leader in Employee Engagement Platform Overall
Notable movement: Increased by 12 in the Enterprise Relationship Index for Employee Engagement
Employee Engagement is a vital metric for organizations whether the workforce is based in an office or is on the frontlines. By striving to keep employees engaged, organizations can help increase productivity, lower turnover rates, and boost profitability. HR teams often take on the role of employee engagement, working diligently to solicit feedback, keep an eye on employee sentiment, and promote a positive workplace through constant worker recognition.
With Blink, HR teams have greater access to the frontline worker— a group that is notoriously difficult to gauge and suffers from high rates of turnover typically. With built-in Surveys, keeping tabs on the sentiment of mobile workforces is easier than ever. Creating a culture of appreciation and bringing visibility to the achievements of frontline workers is easy with Recognition in Blink, which allows HR teams to send Kudos that mark anything worth celebrating in the Feed in seconds.
To be named a Leader in Employee Engagement Platforms Overall, Blink needed a minimum number of reviews as well as a high customer Satisfaction score and a large Market Presence compared to the rest of the category.
According to G2, products included in the Employee Engagement category must be able to:
Enable users to conduct employee pulse surveys to gauge employee satisfaction
Allow users to design and distribute custom pulse surveys
Organize and maintain data collected from pulse surveys for reporting purposes
Promote employee recognition through internal communication channels
Employee Intranet
New G2 Ttrust badges: High Performer in Employee Intranet Platform Overall
Notable movement: Increased by 10 in the Mid-Market Implementation Index for Employee Intranet in Spring 2024
Employee Intranets have been around for decades, but as companies strive to keep employees everywhere—including frontline workers—informed and engaged, many require modern, mobile-friendly versions. For a long time, frontline organizations were shut out from the intranet because they worked outside the company network or lacked a company email that provided access to it.
With Blink’s take on the modern intranet, companies can deliver a mobile-first experience that includes access to the content andcollaboration tools once only available to their office-based colleagues. Furthermore, companies can personalize the experience based on the individual, the role, or location, to ensure that frontline workers remain focused and enabled with the information they need to succeed.
To be named a High Performer in Employee Intranet Platform Overall, Blink needed a minimum number of reviews, as well as a high customer Satisfaction scores and a low Market Presence compared to the rest of the category.
According to G2, products included in the Employee Intranet category must be able to:
Provide access to, or the ability to create, an online portal with predefined access
Allow for collaboration, communication, and file sharing within defined groups
Be customizable
See what Blink customers had to say
Don’t just take our word (and G2’s) for it. Here are some of the recent user reviews that contributed to our rankings this spring.
“Blink is a really colorful and engaging app that brings all colleagues in every business together. Supported with world-class hyper care by the team (thanks Elly and Maggie), I have been really impressed with the better functionality it provides over alternative platforms such as Yammer. The team are constantly developing the app as well which makes it future proof. There isn't a better engagement app for businesses.”
“Blink has been a fantastic solution to our work 'intranet' needs. As it's like a social media platform, it has familiarity with our staff that makes it simple to use. It's easy to navigate and the hub section is really useful. Its great that it can also be broken down into teams so that the feed doesn't become too overwhelming.”
“Blink links a workforce together and provides a one stop shop that team members can access to complete their work day. The platform provides not only an outlet for communication and for team member camaraderie but also as a workplace hub. Blink is ultra responsive to feedback and uses suggestions to add enhancement and features to the platform. We would be lost without Blink!”
Want to read more reviews of Blink or leave your own? Visit our G2 page today to learn more about what real customers think about our product.
Blink customers love the direction of the product
One of the standout results from our G2 reviews is the fact that users are excited about the direction we’re taking the product. We’re constantly improving our product and innovating in new ways to improve the experience for frontline workers, managers, HR teams, Comms teams, and IT teams.
Here’s a few Blink features our users love that you may have missed!
The power of GenAI is in the palm of your hands and in your Blink Feed.
Blink Assist allows users to leverage the power of AI to improve or write posts, helping improve communications style and making translating messages to connect with a diverse workforce easier than ever.
Blink Assist can help with a post you’ve already written by improving the tone or refining the language. If you’re not sure how to say it, you can have Blink Assist write your post for you based on a prompt you provide. Furthermore, Blink Assist can summarize other posts in the feed, giving you an easy way to highlight items or create a daily digest.
Mandatory Reads give Administrators the ability to create or mark Pages in the Hub that require attention and action from users—no more manually getting colleagues to sign documents to acknowledge that they have read them.
Mandatory Reads give Administrators the ability to distribute updated policies, documents, and training to teams, and receive an acknowledgment that each individual has read the compulsory information.
If individuals have not acknowledged the Mandatory Read, Administrators will be able to find out who hasn't read the information, follow up with reminders, and/or contact individuals directly through the Analytics function.
Learn more about Blink
Is your company struggling to stay connected to frontline workers? Does employee turnover cause you to toss and turn at night? Getting cold feet thinking about employee engagement?
The Blink employee super app is here to solve your biggest frontline workforce challenges. Blink’s mobile-first app was designed for frontline workers to use on the go. No desk, no email, no problem: everything employees need—from a modern intranet and a social media-like Feed for updates to secure chat and single sign-on access to critical HR and IT tools—is all right there within the Blink app.
Simplify frontline communications and engagement with Blink. Get a demo today and in a few short weeks you could be up and running with Blink to revolutionize the frontline experience at your company.
JD Now, powered by Blink, will connect and engage circa 90,000 global workers across JD Group
JD, a leading global omnichannel retailer of sports fashion brands, has partnered with employee experience platform to unveil “JD Now,” a revolutionary employee super-app designed to transform communication and operational efficiency for its entire workforce. The platform is rolling out to circa 90,000 employees across JD Group’s global brands, including JD Sports, Go Outdoors, and Finish Line, marking a significant step forward in the company’s commitment to digital innovation and employee experience.
In the first 10 days following the pilot launch of JD Now, JD saw an incredible 74% adoption rate across the 20,000 initial users, as well as tens of thousands of direct and group messages — showcasing a near-immediate improvement to connection and communication.
Bridging the digital divide
The global retailer launched the platform after identifying opportunities to improve its internal communications and employee engagement. With a rapidly growing workforce, the company recognized that traditional communication methods — including shop-floor huddles, paper magazines, and physical notice boards — were no longer sufficient to maintain the level of connection and operational efficiency required for a business of its scale.
In response to feedback from employees who wanted a higher level of connection across the business, JD Group sought out a cutting-edge solution to unify and streamline its communication channels. Blink was selected for its expertise in frontline employee engagement and its ability to provide a mobile-first, user-friendly platform that could meet the diverse needs of JD’s expansive workforce.
“At JD, we know our people are our greatest asset and we are committed to investing in the tools to ensure they excel,” said Nicola Kowalczuk, chief people officer at JD Group. “The launch of JD Now in partnership with Blink marks an important step forward in enhancing our employees’ work experience and leading the way in retail digital transformation. This platform is not just about communication — it’s about equipping our teams with the resources they need to thrive in a fast-paced retail environment.”
JD Now: Key features and benefits
Unified communication platform: JD Now is an easily accessible platform, simplifying communication and reducing reliance on traditional, inefficient methods.
Enhanced employee engagement: By fostering better interaction between employees and leadership, JD Now is designed to boost morale and reduce attrition, creating a collaborative and engaging team environment.
Employee-generated content: The platform makes it easy for employees to contribute ideas and feedback, encouraging them to be active participants in the brand’s evolution.
Advanced digital transformation: JD Now reflects JD’s dedication to modernizing retail operations and providing employees with the tools needed to excel in a digital age.
Blink, known for its mission to connect frontline teams with the tools they need to thrive, is empowering hundreds of thousands of frontline workers globally with an engaging employee super-app that facilitates an average of seven interactions per day per user and helps to reduce attrition rates by up to 25%.
“Collaborating with JD Group to launch JD Now is a major milestone for Blink,” said Sean Nolan, CEO and co-founder of Blink. “Our mission has always been to bridge the gap between leaders and frontline workers, and JD Now is a testament to our shared vision of transforming employee experience and communication in the retail sector.”
Boston, MA — May 18th, 2026 — Blink, the leading employee experience platform for frontline workforces, today announced it has raised $17 million in funding from Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI), the growth equity fund affiliated with Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). Blink also announced a new global partnership with Shake Shack following a successful integration of its workforce management solutions.
As restaurants – and frontline-driven industries more broadly – continue to navigate high employee turnover, margin pressure, and an increasingly complex operating environment, Blink is helping organizations address some of their most persistent workforce challenges. By improving employee communication and engagement, Blink enables teams to stay connected, informed, and aligned – driving higher staff satisfaction, reducing turnover, and increasing overall productivity. Blink’s frontline workforce solutions empower employees to access critical company information, tools and communicate seamlessly across teams, from corporate to frontline staff, all in one unified platform. In 2025, adoption of Blink’s self-service employee tools, which enable team members to swap shifts, access pay stubs, and have more agency over their work, grew 300% year over year, and employees opened the Blink app seven times a day on average to stay informed, efficient, and connected.
“We are excited to partner with Danny and the EHI team and believe that their commitment to delivering Enlightened Hospitality is more relevant now than ever,” said Sean Nolan, Founder & CEO of Blink. “We also are thrilled to launch with Shake Shack, an industry leader who shares our commitment to a strong corporate culture that begins on the restaurant floor. As we embark on this next chapter of growth, we look forward to partnering with forward thinking brands who are empowering their people to win in this competitive market”
Blink will use the funds to invest in its product and engineering teams and drive continued innovation across its AI-first platform, while also accelerating its go-to-market strategy to reach more customers across the hospitality industry and beyond.
“I have always believed that Enlightened Hospitality – the ethos that when you take care of your people, your people take care of your customers – is how to create sustaining success in any business" said Danny Meyer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Enlightened Hospitality Investments and Founder of Union Square Hospitality Group. "Blink’s technology puts people first by making sure team members are equipped and supported so they can, in turn, deliver their very best. Blink’s smart technology will help shape the future of restaurants."
Blink IQ, the company’s AI workforce insights platform, gives management real-time insight into trends such as workforce feedback, productivity, sentiment, and turnover to help companies identify issues early, take action fast, and improve both engagement and operational performance.
“At Shake Shack, everything starts with our people. The energy in our Shacks and the Enlightened Hospitality our teams bring to life each day are what make us special,” said Luke DeRouen, Chief Communications Officer at Shake Shack. “As we continue to grow, we are focused on giving our teams simple tools that keep them informed, connected, and engaged. Blink will help us do exactly that, enabling a more connected and consistent experience across our Support Center and Shack teams.”
Blink works with some of the world’s most recognized hospitality brands across the restaurant and hotel industry and continues to expand across verticals, including retail, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. In 2025 alone, the company added over 700,000 users in the hospitality sector.
By centering the platform on the employee experience, Blink helps restaurants streamline operations, strengthen culture, boost retention, and elevate every guest experience. To learn more about Blink, visit www.joinblink.com.
To learn more about this partnership, read the announcement on Business Wire and Kristen Hawley’s exclusive coverage in Expedite here.
About Blink
Blink is the mobile-first employee experience platform that connects your people, systems, and culture in one super-app. It bridges the digital divide between deskless and desk-based workers, supercharging employee communication and engagement at industry-leading companies like Shake Shack, McDonald’s, Domino’s, Booking.com, Dollar Tree, Nokia, easyJet, JD Sports, Carrefour, and Stagecoach. Blink is the top-rated Employee Communications Application on Gartner Peer Insights and a Leader in the G2 Grid for Best Employee Engagement Software. Learn more at joinblink.com.
About Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI)
Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI) is a value-added strategic growth equity firm affiliated with Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). The firm was formed to leverage the brands, businesses and team at USHG to identify and invest in scalable businesses with proven category leadership and a commitment to building an employee, customer and community-focused culture. EHI partners with portfolio companies to provide strategic direction, operational experience, increased visibility and access to relationships to drive growth with our portfolio partners. EHI manages over $550M of committed capital and primarily focuses on hospitality and related technology businesses, but will also invest in other hospitality-related companies that share an employee, customer and community-focused culture.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Blink and Workvivo have a lot of similar features. So how do these employee communication platforms stack up against each other? And which is the best choice for your organization?
With so many employee communications platforms out there, finding the right fit for your team can be a daunting task.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at two industry frontrunners: Blink and Workvivo. Both of these platforms are designed to enhance collaboration, streamline communication, and foster a sense of community within organizations. They also act as a digital hub, giving employees access to all of the tools and resources they need to do their jobs well.
But which of these modern intranet solutions best supports your business to meet its needs and goals? Let’s take a closer look at key features, functionalities, and more to help you make an informed decision.
What is Blink?
Blink is the leading mobile-first employee experience platform, designed for frontline organizations. It’s a modern intranet, where employees can access company comms and essential workplace resources from their smartphones.
Chatting with colleagues. Signing up for shifts. Responding to the latest poll. Viewing pay stubs. Celebrating a coworker’s company anniversary. Employees can do all this and more with Blink’s comprehensive employee app.
With a range of communication, recognition, engagement, and social features — all available via a user-friendly interface — Blink helps employees feel closer to company culture and one another.
What is Workvivo?
Like Blink, Workvivo is an employee communications app. The company was established in 2017 and was acquired by Zoom in 2023.
Workvivo is an all-in-one tool for workplace communication and collaboration. Social media-style functionalities, such as podcasting, keeps employees engaged.
Blink vs. Workvivo: What are the similarities?
Internal communications
Communication channels
Both Blink and Workvivo help to streamline company communications. Messages from management. Co-worker conversations. Leadership updates. All types of communication are supported thanks to a variety of channels, including a newsfeed, mobile notifications, videos, and livestreams. Workvivo customers can also create articles, newsletters, and podcasts from within the platform.
News feed
A news feed is another thing these platforms have in common. Admins can personalize Blink’s News Feed, which serves as users’ homepage, based on each employee’s team, interests, and role. This ensures employees only see relevant comms. Because employees can also filter the news feed, it’s easy for them to find the information they’re looking for.
Chat functions
Both platforms have similar chat features that are useful for teamwork and project management. Employees can chat and share files, GIFs, images, and videos. In Blink, chat functions are a core pillar of the platform. Workvivo, on the other hand, relies on integrations with Microsoft Teams and Slack. A chat add-on is available but this comes at an additional cost.
Video conferencing
When only face-to-face communication will do, Blink and Workvivo both provide useful video conferencing tools. Teams working on either platform can start a video call right from their chat group. Workvivo does this through its Zoom video app. Blink integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, giving customers the option to use their preferred video conferencing software.
AI comms support
With Blink Assist, users get AI support when creating and sharing content. Your AI assistant can automatically generate and improve posts, helping you to better connect with your audience. Users can also use AI to summarize posts that have appeared in the news feed. This means you can stay up to date without having to read every single post. Workvivo, working with Zoom, is beginning to introduce generative AI features.
Blink and Workvivo both support employee engagement. They provide two-way communication tools and support employee recognition with milestone celebrations and appreciation shout-outs. Both platforms also aid the onboarding process, with employee directories, a resource hub, and new starter video introductions.
These solutions provide tools for feedback collection, like pulse survey check-ins and employee NPS (net promoter score) surveys. Blink, in particular, provides rich survey functionality. Compared to Workvivo, Blink provides a greater variety of surveys and question types. This allows you to collect in-depth data and then use feedback analysis tools to examine that data on a granular level.
When it comes to encouraging employee engagement on the Blink platform, Blink’s customer success managers (CSMs) are on hand. Clients work with a dedicated CSM to optimize adoption and engagement.
A digital hub
Workvivo serves as a digital hub where companies can store and share documents and resources. This hub integrates with other tools in an organization’s tech stack. It’s possible to create wiki pages for collaboration and to launch other apps from within the platform.
Similarly, Blink offers a modern intranet, accessible on both desktop and mobile. Users can access important tools, documents, forms, and information, directly from the app. They can also launch other apps from within the platform thanks to a secure single sign-on. This encourages user adoption of existing software and streamlines the employee experience (EX).
Blink was purpose-built from the ground up to enhance internal communications and improve the employee experience, and that has always been our sole mission.
For companies impacted by Meta’s recent decision to sunset Workplace, this is a crucial distinction. Meta’s shift in focus away from Workplace to other business areas highlights the risk of relying on platforms that are not core to a company’s strategic direction.
Organizations partnering with Blink are choosing a vendor whose entire focus is dedicated to success in employee engagement and communication. We continuously invest in our platform, ensuring that it remains a leading solution for internal comms and employee experience.
Unlike Workvivo, which — like Workplace — is just one part of a much larger parent company’s diverse offerings, Blink’s platform isn’t just a feature among many — it’s the heartbeat of our business.
Frontline-first
Both Blink and Workvivo have a mobile app that employees can access from their smartphones. These are user-friendly spaces that employees find easy to navigate. And these apps are comprehensive, offering many of the same features on desktop and mobile versions of the platform.
However, Blink offers some features and services that particularly benefit a frontline workforce. These frontline-focused features and services include the following:
Feeds and chats are cached for offline reading so a poor or non-existent internet connection doesn’t prevent employees from engaging with the app
Workers can select a “do not disturb” setting so they’re not bothered by notifications when they’re at home or trying to rest after a night shift
Blink’s Open Shifts micro-app allows managers to advertise empty shifts and employees to volunteer for them
Blink’s rollout team offers unparalleled support during the launch period, providing branded materials and visiting sites to help people gain access to the app
While Workvivo may be a better fit for a desk-based organization, Blink’s deep understanding of frontline teams and their needs makes this platform an excellent choice for frontline businesses.
Analytics
Workvivo offers robust analytics capabilities to track and measure employee usage data. Organizations can gain insight into platform usage and then make data-driven decisions to manage platform performance. This functionality is available for an additional fee.
Like Workvivo, Blink’s enhanced workforce analytics feature provides comprehensive usage data. But Blink goes beyond usage.
Blink analytics collate and correlate from multiple data points to provide a breadth of insight into your workforce. You can drill down into the data, examining results by department, manager, and location to get deeper, actionable insight.
Your dedicated CSM can then help you turn actionable insights into action plans. These can be distributed automatically via Blink comms channels, helping you to implement your plan and track results.
Customization
Both Blink and Workvivo allow you to add your own branding to the platform. But Blink offers more in terms of customization.
Blink provides a white-label app for full brand personalization. For larger, multinational organizations, you can also create a federated platform, with personalized branding for each region. You can compartmentalize other features, like the news feed and user directory, too. In Workvivo, colors, icons, and logos are set globally.
While the offering of out-of-the-box integrations is comparable across both products, Blink also provides deeper integrations through customized micro-apps scoped and built for each customer.
These micro-apps allow you to add functionality to the platform as you need it. You can use Blink’s pre-built digital forms to digitize and streamline processes for employees. For example, employees can use the app to request leave, view their pay stubs, or report an incident. And if you don’t see a form that quite fits your needs, you can count on the Blink team to custom-make one.
Content management
Both Workvivo and Blink offer useful content management features. It’s easy for admins to set permissions and for content creators to create and publish new content. On Blink’s app, creators can protect sensitive content so readers have to authenticate before accessing it. Blink can also integrate with design tools like Canva, which helps users create effective page layouts.
In comparison, Workvivo offers a variety of content management tools. For example, users can auto-archive content by setting an expiration date for each type of content. Publishers can also opt to receive notifications when content has expired.
Translation capabilities are also a little more robust on Workvivo. In Blink, users can set their language and choose to auto-translate comments, posts, and pages so that other users can read them in their native language. In Workvivo, content creators can take this a step further by writing content in their own language and then select the languages it should be automatically translated into. This can come in particularly handy for large, multilingual teams.
Blink and Workvivo both support organizations in their internal communication and employee engagement efforts. They act as a modern intranet, with both desktop and mobile app versions that help companies reach all members of the workforce, no matter where they’re based.
Workvivo has the edge when it comes to certain capabilities, like translation. But Blink makes a great Workvivo alternative, particularly when it comes to personalization, analytics, and custom functionality.
Blink is also the go-to platform for frontline organizations. Built specifically to improve the work lives of deskless employees, Blink makes it easy for companies to encourage app adoption and engagement. It helps frontline workers feel more connected to their coworkers and company culture. It also puts all essential tools at their fingertips, improving efficiency and safety.
Want to find out what Blink could do for your frontline organization? Book your free demo today to see for yourself.
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