Pilot episodes, spin-offs, and filler content: The TV guide to internal comms

Say hello to Jackson Mannix — Boston-based Commercial Account Executive, former SDR trail-blazer, and resident champion of all things frontline.

Since joining Blink in late 2022, Jackson has helped shape our SDR program from the ground up, pushed the Southeast market into high gear, and kept the competitive-but-collaborative spirit of our culture alive and buzzing.

This week, he sat down with us to talk startup chaos (the good kind!), scaling a sales engine, and why empowering frontline workers still gets him out of bed every morning. Let’s dive in!

Which Blink office do you work out of?

I work out of our Boston office.

What is your position at Blink?

I’m a Commercial Account Executive covering the U.S. Southeast. I joined Blink in fall 2022 as an SDR.

How long have you been at Blink?

Just over two and a half years.

What initially attracted you to join Blink?

Back then I wasn’t sure which kind of company I wanted to join. I’d spent about six months bartending and serving at a local Boston bar, figuring out my next step. I knew I wanted to get into software sales — I just didn’t know where or how. More importantly, I wanted to work with people who were invested in my growth and who valued the traits I bring to the table.

While job-hunting, I tapped my network and discovered Blink. At that point, Blink didn’t have a Boston presence, but the passion I saw for Blink was contagious. The idea of helping frontline workers, not just businesses, struck a chord. Yes, we deliver huge value to organizations and improve their bottom line — but we also make life less stressful for hourly employees who are raising families and juggling enough already.

Having lived that hourly-wage reality myself, I immediately saw the impact Blink could have. We’re creating real, global change by improving work for people who often get overlooked. That combination of purpose, growth, and the chance to help build something from the ground up drew me in.

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

The evolution of our SDR program, hands down. I spent more than two years as an SDR, so it was a true career commitment. The first 4-6 months were pure learning, then — right as I hit my stride — Amanda (our Global Sales Development Director) arrived. Working closely with her and the senior SDRs, we overhauled training, processes, and feedback loops.

Seeing that transformation — from the scrappy early days to today’s structured program — has been incredible. We have a new cohort of SDRs coming in now, and they’ll benefit from a playbook built on both our successes — and our mistakes. Every miscue was a lesson that made the program stronger. I’m proud that leadership trusted me to shape the day-to-day work, give candid feedback, and help steer where the team is going.

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

Competitive, collaborative and chaotic.

Blink is competitive in the best way: We all push each other — within and across teams — to set a high bar, but never with the hope that someone else falls short. I want to beat my number, but I still want the person next to me to smash theirs, too.

That healthy drive dovetails with a spirit of collaboration that’s almost startling. From day one, people leap in to share decks, brainstorm talk tracks, or hop on a call when something goes sideways. That help hasn’t slowed for me two-and-a-half years later.

“Chaotic” sounds negative, but it’s a positive here. Priorities shift fast, new projects hit your desk with immediate urgency, and if you thrive in that kind of pressure-makes-diamonds environment — learning from the inevitable missteps and bouncing back stronger — Blink is your playground.

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

Landing big global logos will always be a thrill, but what really excites me now is cracking new verticals where we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Billions of frontline workers still lack a modern comms tool, and some operate in highly specific or newly burgeoning industries. Every so often a niche customer pops up — maybe a specialty manufacturer or seasonal service — who shows us Blink can solve problems we didn’t know existed in that space. One unexpected win like that can inspire product tweaks and reshape how we go to market.

The “green grass” feels endless, and the idea that next quarter’s most interesting deal might come from a sector we’ve never targeted keeps the future wide open.

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

I’m loving the new podcast studio. We upgraded from a basic setup to a full broadcast-quality room, and the content now coming out — clean visuals, tight edits, professional sound — has lifted our thought leadership game. Podcasts may feel crowded, but they work because people already consume information that way. Watching customers plan their own internal podcasts after seeing what we’ve built is proof we’re practicing what we preach. It’s cool to see us invest in a channel, nail the execution, and then hand clients a real-world example they can replicate for their own teams.

Why do you work for Blink?

I believe in our mission and in the people delivering it. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Blink has celebrated my wins loudly and stood by me during the lows.

When a deal closes, teammates are first to cheer; when I hit a rough patch, my teammates and leadership step in without hesitation. Amanda, for instance, showed incredible compassion when I was dealing with serious personal challenges, and the business made sure I felt heard and valued, not just judged by a number.

That genuine, reciprocal support is powerful. It’s why I log in every morning ready to push harder, and why I see a long runway for myself here.

With the news that Workplace by Meta will be shutting down within a year, there are going to be thousands of companies looking to replace their employee experience platforms soon.  Sure, finding a new solution for internal communications with the right features and functionality is important, but just as important (and not talked about enough) is the implementation and rollout experience for employees. 

In my mind, a great product implemented poorly is no longer a great product.  So, what does a great implementation process and experience really look like? 

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your employee app before Workplace from Meta shuts down or you’re just curious to learn more about Blink, here is my take on what a great implementation experience should look like. 

I’ve spent over a decade in the implementation space and know how common it is to hear that a vendor will “go the extra mile” for a customer during the crucial time between signing the contract and launching the technology. 

Rarely, though, is the extra mile enough; sometimes, what it takes is the extra 1,600 miles. 

Prior to my role as Head of Implementation at Blink, I spent the first 8 years of my career in technology consulting working at large firms like Aon and Accenture. In that time, I travelled to 30+ countries and learned how to deliver business value through broader people and technology transformation at multinational enterprise companies. 

In all that time, I have never worked in an organization that goes so far above and beyond as Blink. This is truly a whatever-it-takes company, even when it takes a 1,600 mile road trip through 8 states to visit 6 different plants to ensure one of our customers launches the right way. On this particular trip, we met with Plant Managers, HR, Production Managers and more, to build out a use case strategy, run training sessions, and hold focus groups to ensure we were delivering a comprehensive roadmap for their new employee app.

This hands-on approach is why we have an industry-leading user adoption rate of 90% across all our customers. But it’s more than just our willingness to traverse state lines that creates a great implementation experience. 

The values that drive our implementation process

I know two things to always be true about implementation: first, customers are busy.  Since launching an employee app often involves a lot of contributors and stakeholders, sometimes getting everyone on the same page is the biggest barrier to launching on-time. 

Second, and most important, we’ve only got one shot to launch your platform right.  Change is often met with scepticism or some resistance, so we bend over backwards to set you up for the best first impression on launch day, from a seamless onboarding experience for employees to quick, demonstrable value for your executive stakeholders.

Our approach and our values that drive the team are done with these two things in mind to ensure each customer sees a high adoption right out of the gate. 

So what goes into our process that makes it so successful? There are five things I’d like to highlight:

The experts

When you sign up with Blink, you’ll be guided through the implementation process by an experienced team spread across the US, UK, and Australia. All of our implementations are done solely in-house.  Over the years, we’ve developed a playbook of best practices to follow and accumulated deep industry knowledge to recommend the best course of action for your unique needs. 

Once you’ve launched, the Implementation team is still there with you. Not only are they helping ensure a smooth transition to your Customer Success partner, they’re helping gather metrics and feedback on the launch and supporting your efforts to hit the user adoption target in those early days. 

Our employee-focused strategy

Whether you’re rolling out your first employee app or you’re replacing an old solution like Workplace, getting your employees to buy-in to Blink (or any new technology) is so important at launch.  For companies with deskless workforces, where communication is a challenge, in particular, getting that early buy-in is a virtuous cycle where the employees start telling their colleagues about Blink. 

When Stagecoach, one of the largest transit providers in the UK, rolled out Blink, their post-launch survey found 100% of the drivers would recommend the app to their peers.  With 21,000 bus drivers across the country, word of mouth helped accelerate adoption as much as any top-down messaging.

That’s why, when we plan for a launch at your organization, we ensure there is functionality that your employees want to help get them invested early on.  We’ve got an extensive catalogue of integrations that give them easy access and notifications for paystubs, time-tracking, vacation requests, IT help desks, and more. Pair that with Single sign-on, and employees will be doing all these things with one-click access through Blink.  

The result of providing quick value to your employees is a high usage and adoption rate.  Stagecoach, for example, has an average of 6 app opens each day from 89% of their drivers. That level of employee engagement and communication is critical to keeping everything running smoothly.

‍Rollout success you can measure

Everyone who implements Blink will know exactly what success looks like. We outline the six key pillars to a successful rollout early on so you have a benchmark for what to expect:

1. We’re going to get the leadership team aligned around the opportunity driving the rollout
2. We’ll determine the key metrics and KPIs for success with you so everyone is working towards the same goals
3. We’ll help you build your company’s digital front door—turning Blink into the single point of access for everything they need—to maximise adoption
4. We’re going to ensure the look and feel of the app matches your company’s brand to build trust in the early adoption phase
5. We’re going to build a comprehensive activation strategy to reach every employee, while taking into account the unique challenges posed by disparate and diverse workforces  
6. Lastly, we’re going to help you build out and optimise the app after launch by introducing new functionality and soliciting user feedback to guide the improvements

Our clear roadmaps

With a feature-rich solution like Blink, unleashing the full experience is like asking employees to drink from a firehose. 

To avoid overwhelming people, we help you develop a clear roadmap for the long-term experience. It starts with the Day 1 MVP that’s focused on addressing the most pressing needs and quick wins for the employee experience. From there, we help you bring new functionality to the employee experience in a way that boosts adoption without overwhelming users. 

Every roadmap is tied to the KPIs you outlined earlier, so there is a definitive business value for each phase. If, like many Blink customers, you’re trying to save money by modernising outdated processes, that KPI can be tied to functionality like payslips being put into the app instead of being mailed out. 

That simple change saved one Blink customer $300,000 per year on mailing and printing costs—and we were able to measure that impact because of the KPIs we had established early on.

Low-lift launch

We understand how busy our customers are, so we want every app to be launched quickly—but with as little effort on your part as possible. While you and your team are going to be involved, we keep as much of the work behind the scenes to minimise the disruption to you and your team. 

When you combine our expertise with the out-of-the-box functionality and pre-made assets, getting to launch day is simple and fast. We measure implementation in weeks, not months and quarters. You can have users onboard in as little as 6 weeks, while still delivering a compelling first impression with your new employee app. 

These five pillars can't capture all of the hard-work and care that the Implementation team has here at Blink. That doesn’t happen without having a team that’s willing to go above and beyond for every single customer.

Change management while implementing Blink

The implementation journey is an intense period for the stakeholders. It’s a lot of work to do quickly, and one of the ways we help ensure you’re staying on course is through our comprehensive Change Impact Assessment. 

With so much change, it is easy to lose the forest for the trees and get lost in the day-to-day minutiae of the launch process. The Change Impact Assessment is designed to keep you on track by helping you understand how Blink will affect the following areas:

• ‍Operations: How will Blink affect current workflows, and what adjustments are needed to seamlessly integrate it into your existing processes?
• ‍Company culture: What changes in team dynamics and communication can we anticipate? How will this software align with your corporate culture?
• ‍Resource allocation: What are the costs, both financial and time-based, for training, implementation, and long-term management of the platform?
• ‍Technology integration: How does Blink fit into your existing technology landscape? Can we integrate into and leverage compatibility with existing systems?
• ‍Return on investment expectations: How does introducing Blink to ADQ map into your business goals? We’ll establish metrics to measure the effectiveness and ROI to ensure change is actively happening and tracking to your business goals.

Hands-on support, on-site or online

Some of the most memorable moments for us come from our on-site, white glove support for the implementation process. Whether we get to visit a corporate headquarters in Chicago to run use case discovery workshops or trekking out to a distribution centre to train frontline managers to use the app to communicate with their team, we’re always hyped to work alongside our customers. 

Even if we’re not spending weeks on end at your office, we’re shooting for the same launch experience with every customer. Our job is to ensure you’re going to be successful in delivering enough value to your employees that they fall in love with the Blink app. 

So, virtually or in-person, you get hands-on support experience from us. We’ll help you find, train, and empower a network of advocates and experts within your organisation who will help ensure launch-day communication is on point. 

Adoption drives feedback drives adoption

Launch day success is not the end for us. Once your employees are onboard, we’re going to canvas for your people’s first impressions to understand what’s resonating and what’s missing the mark. 

Getting this survey feedback early on helps us course correct, if necessary, to take you from 70% user adoption at launch up to the 90% user adoption rate we want for all of our customers.

The surveys are rarely surprising, though, because of all the work that went into the implementation journey.  From getting stakeholders aligned on KPIs to running frontline focus groups, we know the value is going to be felt from day one.  

Blink. And you’re set up for success.

When I take a step back and think about everything that goes into launching each company’s employee app from the people—executive sponsors, project managers, Comms, IT, Operations, managers—to all the planning, content creation, and communications efforts, it’s amazing to think about how all that work leads to something as simple as a text or email invite on launch day. 

All the hands-on work that we do prior to launch is to ensure that your employees have a seamless experience from day one. That starts with the invitation to download the app and login to their “digital front door” for the first time.  From there, they’ll be able to communicate with secure chat, post in the Feed, search for policies and documents in the Content Hub, and access important information like payslips, vacation requests, and scheduling—all without leaving the app or having to enter another login.

Our job is to make getting to launch as effortless as possible. Because, we know, once your employees login to Blink, they’re going to be more engaged, more informed, and, ultimately, more likely to stick around. 

Employee communication and engagement is more important than ever in the remote-work era and for the frontline. You can put your trust in my team’s experienced, hands-on approach to help you deliver the most value to your employees. It’s what we’re so passionate about and what we do best.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: the first step is signing up for a demo today to learn more about the Blink platform.  

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The Winter 2025 product release highlights Blink's latest innovations — some already live and others rolling out over the next quarter. Missed our Autumn 2024 release? Check it out here!

At Blink, our employee experience platform is always evolving to keep pace with the ever-changing needs of organizations and their teams.

In line with our dedication to creating exceptional employee experiences — whether on the frontline or in the front office — we’re excited to introduce our latest product features, built to transform how employees connect with their organizations and each other.

From enabling easy communication with in-app calling and live streaming, to powering better outcomes through enhanced data intelligence, these powerful new features are designed to support a connected, engaged, and uplifted workplace.

#1. Voice and video calling: Power real-time, in-app collaboration

​​We’re excited to announce the addition of native 1:1 video and voice calling within Blink, making it even easier for employees to connect, collaborate, and deliver real-time results for your business.

This new feature will include:

• Streamlined communication: Enables seamless 1:1 video and voice calls directly from individual chats or colleague profiles on mobile.
• Built for international teams: Ideal for organizations with global workforces who need quick and reliable access to colleagues.
• Future-proof design: Will launch on mobile, with plans to extend to desktop and explore group calling capabilities.
• Flexible add-on: Available as an optional feature priced based on users, ensuring scalability for any organization.

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#2. Live streaming: Go live with all employees at once

Bring your live events to life on Blink! Our new live streaming feature lets you promote and host events directly in the Feed, fostering real-time engagement and interaction.

Here’s what you can do:

• Stream seamlessly via Vimeo or YouTube, with full support for Vimeo interactions on Blink.
• Share streams from other platforms using Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) for an additional cost.
• Engage your audience as they comment and interact during your event.

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#3. Advanced employee intelligence: Unlock organizational insights

Discover what drives your organization with Advanced Employee Intelligence — an upgraded analytics suite that goes beyond the basics to tackle turnover, engagement, and productivity. These actionable insights, available as a paid add-on feature, will empower you to address challenges proactively and foster a thriving workplace.

Transform your data into a powerful driver of organizational success with four core pillars of insights:

• Activation: Ensure every employee is connected and engaged with activation metrics by team and role, plus gamified nudges to boost adoption.
• Communication: Maximize the impact of your messages with heat maps and deep-dive analysis into communication effectiveness by category, media, and more.
• Engagement: Track and improve satisfaction with tools like engagement leaderboards and influencer metrics that spotlight key communicators.
• Productivity: Streamline workflows by analyzing app usage, tool access, and shift management to reduce friction and optimize efficiency.

#4. Journeys 2.0: Engage employees before day one

Make a lasting first impression with Blink’s new Journeys for preboarding! This enhancement to our Journeys feature allows managers to kick off onboarding before an employee’s first day, creating a standout employee experience right from the offer stage.

Here’s what’s new:

• Include line managers in the journey for a seamless, supportive experience.
• Use enhanced start-date triggers to send tailored communications ahead of the first day.
• Deliver a bespoke preboarding journey that sets the stage for success.

#5. Image-first feed: Curate the content experience

We’ve made the Feed even better with a new posting experience designed for high-quality, highly curated content that stands out and visually engages users.

Here’s what’s new:

• Choose your layout: Opt for the classic look or an enhanced layout that puts your images front and center.
• Audience-first review: See how your post will appear to your audience before you post.
• Simple to use: The curation and review steps are seamlessly built into the posting process.

#6. Self-service SSO: Simplify access to third-party systems

Our new self-service SSO feature streamlines user access to key third-party systems directly through Blink, reducing the need for multiple logins and improving overall security. This feature makes it easier than ever to connect Blink with the tools your teams rely on.

Key takeaways include:

• Enhanced user experience: Simplify workflows by allowing users to access essential systems without remembering multiple passwords, driving better uptake and ease of use.
• Flexible configuration: Administrators can set up and manage SAML 2.0 Single Sign-On directly from the Blink Admin dashboard, enabling seamless integration with your Service Provider.

#7. Polls as Stories: Boost engagement with a visual integration

Take your Polls to the next level by sharing them through Stories, including our new image-first Polls feature, to maximize visibility and participation. This integration helps make employee feedback and interaction more accessible and engaging than ever.

Here’s what you can do now:

• Increase engagement: Promote Polls in Stories to capture attention and encourage more responses from your teams.
• Visual appeal: Leverage image-first Polls to create a dynamic and engaging experience, driving curiosity and interaction.

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#8. Chat and channel moderation: Maintain a professional communication environment

Administrators now have greater control over chats and channels with new moderation capabilities, including the ability to hide certain types of content when necessary. These tools empower admins to foster a safe, engaging, and well-managed communication space for everyone.

With this feature, you’ll gain:

• Improved oversight: Maintain a positive and professional environment by managing and moderating conversations directly within chats and channels.
• Content management: Use the “hide” feature to remove inappropriate or irrelevant content, ensuring discussions stay on track.

#9. Dark mode: A new way to experience Blink

Enjoy a more comfortable and visually striking interface with our new dark mode feature, now available via a simple toggle in your settings. This update adds a touch of personalization and comfort to your everyday platform experience.

With dark mode:

• Improved comfort: Reduce eye strain during late-night use or in low-light environments with a sleek, dark interface.
• Personalized experience: Give users the flexibility to choose between Light and Dark modes based on their preferences.

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Coming soon

Get excited for updates to the Hub experience, moderation enhancements, and in-app events management!

Bring your consumer-grade employee experience to life

As we kick off a new year of workplace evolution, our mission remains unchanged: to deliver tools that strengthen connections, boost productivity, and ensure every employee enjoys a seamless and exceptional experience — no matter their role or location.

These latest product enhancements reflect our commitment to helping organizations supercharge their employee experience as we step into 2025.

Unmotivated workers do the bare minimum. They can drag other team members down with them. They’re also more likely to be looking for a job elsewhere.

Given that only 23% of global employees feel engaged at work, improving employee motivation is a critical business priority. You need to employ strategies known to boost motivation and inspire better employee productivity. 

In this article, we list a range of employee motivation ideas that will help you get the most from your workforce. We’ll be looking at the following:

• Why is employee motivation important?
• Key factors in employee motivation
• 12 ways to motivate employees
• Using an employee super-app to create a motivated workforce

Why is employee motivation important?

Motivated employees tend to enjoy work. They have a sense of purpose and accomplishment. They also approach work with energy and drive.

But employee motivation isn’t just good for employees. It benefits your business, too. Here’s how:

Increased employee productivity. Motivated employees work harder. They’re more efficient and focused. They’re also more likely to take the initiative, going beyond their basic responsibilities.

Better quality of work. A motivated workforce doesn’t just produce more work. It produces better work. Workers are committed to quality. This results in fewer errors, fewer missed deadlines, and fewer workplace safety incidents.

Higher retention rate. Engaged employees are loyal to your organization. So they’re less likely to look for another job. With a motivated workforce, your organization experiences higher levels of employee retention and less absenteeism.

More profit. Gallup research on employee engagement shows that employee morale impacts a range of business outcomes. It leads to a 23% increase in profitability and a 10% increase in customer loyalty.

Key factors in employee motivation 

There are two types of motivation — extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic motivation is all about the carrot and the stick. You create extrinsic motivation with external rewards and penalties. Rewards might include an employee’s salary, bonuses, rewards, and praise. Penalties might include a poor performance review or a manager reprimand.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within. Employees are motivated to do their best work because they find it personally rewarding. This type of motivation relies on drivers like interest, purpose, pride, and curiosity.

When you have high levels of employee engagement within a workplace, you tend to get high levels of intrinsic motivation. Employees feel invested in their work and the company. So they’re driven to bring their A-game without needing constant carrot-and-stick encouragement.

As an employer, it may seem that you have more control over extrinsic motivation. You can raise someone’s salary, provide bonuses, and praise a job well done. All of these things help to motivate an employee.

But the fact is, you can influence levels of intrinsic motivation, too. Here are some of the things that prompt intrinsic motivation in your employees. 

Feeling valued

When employees feel you care about them, their wellbeing, and their lives beyond work, they’re more likely to bring their all. That means giving employee recognition where it’s due, treating people fairly, and valuing their input, too.

Making progress

Employees like to know where they’re heading — and where they’re at right now. That requires regular, positive feedback and constructive criticism. Training, development, and clear career pathing are also important.

A sense of purpose

Every job has its boring bits — the tasks that an employee is never going to be excited about doing. But when employees understand how their work contributes to organizational success and wider society, finding that motivation gets easier.

A positive company culture

Motivation is contagious. And it spreads more easily in organizations where there’s good communication and a sense of belonging. When they’re part of an open and supportive company culture, employees are more invested in company success.

The ideas we’ve included below incorporate all of the above. They also provide ways to inspire both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in your workforce. 

12 ways to motivate employees

To motivate your employees, you need to:

• Highlight values and purpose
• Communicate transparently
• Give employees the resources they need
• Use the right technology
• Provide opportunities for professional development
• Develop employee career paths
• Support employee wellbeing
• Encourage teamwork and collaboration
• Support employees to build workplace friendships
• Recognize employee contributions
• Ask employees for their thoughts and feedback
• Treat everyone equitably

Highlight values and purpose

According to Gartner research, shared purpose is one of five primary things motivating employees to stay in their jobs right now. It helps them feel invested in their work and your organization.

Shared purpose helps employees feel part of something bigger than themselves. So work becomes about more than just a paycheck.

You can support purpose in the workplace, by crafting clear company values and communicating these values regularly.

Start during onboarding. Introduce new hires to your company’s vision, mission, and values from day one. Explain how their role contributes to your goals and social impact.

Be consistent. Regularly reinforce your company's vision and mission in all employee communications. Make purpose a recurring theme in meetings, updates, and internal messaging.

Build a values-based culture: Create an environment where company values are lived and breathed daily. Take concrete action based on your values. That way, employees are more likely to believe in them.

Communicate transparently

Employee communication is another important element of employee motivation. Open and transparent communication builds trust. And employees who get enough information to do their jobs well are 2.8 times more likely to be engaged.

But while 87% of business leaders think their internal communications are “highly effective”, only 63% of employees agree. So what does effective communication look like?

Effective communication is a two-way conversation, where both leaders and employees get to share ideas, concerns, and feedback. It’s keeping employees up-to-date with key company developments, and it’s ensuring that you have clear channels of communication to reach all employees.  

For remote and frontline teams, this means choosing streamlined, digital communication channels. You need internal communication tools you can use to relay messages quickly and reliably, bypassing paper memos and an employee’s already overflowing email inbox. 

Give employees the resources they need

Imagine you’re setting out on a long hike. You’re excited and determined to reach the endpoint.

But you’re given a pair of ill-fitting hiking boots to wear. And a mile or so into the walk, you realize that the map you’re following isn’t 100% accurate. You decide to call the hike organizer for directions. But the number’s engaged and you fail to get through.

It’s likely that at this point in the hike, your motivation has started to dip. You feel thwarted and discouraged. You’re tempted to turn back. What felt like a promising journey now feels like an uphill struggle. 

That’s why it’s important to give employees the resources they need. They need the right tech, training, support, and information to do their jobs well. Without it, morale takes a hit.

Use the right technology

Technology is increasingly important to the employee experience. Done right, it makes life easier for employees. Done wrong, it causes friction and frustration, which harms employee motivation.

A concerning 83% of HR leaders say they don’t have the right technology at work. This is contributing to stress, burnout, and low morale. Similarly, only 10% of frontline workers say they have access to the tools, tech, and opportunities they need to connect and advance in the workplace.

All workers — those in the office, those working remotely, and those on your company’s front lines — need access to high-quality, user-friendly tech that makes their jobs easier, not harder.

That might mean using a mobile-first employee app to give frontline employees the resources and co-worker connection they crave. Or it might mean implementing a social intranet that supports workplace communication and collaboration.

You can also use tech tools that have a direct impact on employee motivation. Employee engagement tools help organizations to improve and track staff morale.   

Provide opportunities for professional development

According to O.C. Tanner research, organizations have five times greater odds of achieving employee fulfillment when they support professional development. A comprehensive training program improves your workplace retention rate, too.  

O.C. Tanner also found that organizations are more likely to make a success of skills-building initiatives when they:

• Empower employees to make their own training decisions. Supporting employees to choose training paths that align with their career goals and interests improves engagement with the learning process.
  
  
• Give employees time during work to complete training. Allocate dedicated time for training so employees don’t experience stress, trying to juggle learning with daily tasks and out-of-work responsibilities.
  
  
• Provide or reimburse hobby classes as well as work-related learning. Reimbursement for hobby classes improves the odds that a skill-building program will improve retention by 119%.

Develop employee career paths

Training is important. But unless employees can put those newfound skills to use within your organization, they’re going to become frustrated. That’s why every employee should have a clear progression path within your organization.

Sit down with employees to find out where their ambitions lie. And — as we mentioned above — personalize a training program to support their career goals.

Also, try to be realistic and open with workers about when a promotion is likely. This will depend on their current skill set and your organizational needs. If an upward move isn’t available for the foreseeable, there are other things you can do to keep staff motivated.

A lateral move helps employees to develop skills in another area of the business. You give them a new challenge and support them to become well-rounded members of your organization.

Similarly, stretch assignments are a great way to grow employee skills. They encourage workers to move beyond their comfort zone, take on new responsibilities, and prepare for higher-level roles.

Support employee wellbeing

In its State of the Global Workplace Report for 2024, Gallup talks a lot about employee wellbeing. It reveals that to improve employee lives and organizational performance, employers need to do the following:

• Make support for employee wellbeing visible and consistent
• Assign employee wellbeing counselors or coaches
• Emphasize wellbeing at work and in life
• Go beyond physical health to provide mental health and holistic support

Employee wellbeing goes beyond the odd mindfulness session. It requires a company-wide approach and a real understanding of what your employees might be struggling with.

Starbucks is a great example. They’ve been helping employees with the astronomical cost of housing. They offer a Tenancy Deposit Loan Scheme that they’ve named Home Sweet Loan. Employees can access an interest-free loan to pay the rental deposit when moving into a new home.

Starbucks is making it easier for employees to find and secure housing. This is good for their baristas. But it’s good for business, too. Because when employees aren’t worried about the roof over their heads, they’re more motivated and focused at work.

Encourage teamwork and collaboration

A 2022 Corel report reveals that 41% of employees have left their jobs or would consider leaving their jobs due to poor collaboration at work.

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Collaboration is a great way to engage employees. It helps to create a sense of belonging. It makes work more efficient because teams share knowledge and resources freely. Plus, employees motivate one another when they work together.

You can support collaboration by supporting employees to build positive workplace relationships (more on this in a moment). Praising teams, rather than individuals, for their successes is also a good idea.

For teams who work disparately, the right intranet or app is an important part of the puzzle. You need tools that support employees to collaborate in real-time and access shared resources.

Read more: 8 benefits of collaboration in the workplace

Support employees to build workplace friendships

Water cooler chat may feel like an unnecessary part of the work day. But giving employees the time, space, and, in some cases, the tech they need to develop workplace friendships is incredibly important to engagement.

Employees who feel that they belong within an organization are 5.3 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. And those with a best friend at work are more productive, happier to innovate, and happier to share ideas.

So schedule social events. Allow time at the beginning or end of meetings for informal conversation. If your team works remotely or you have frontline workers, be intentional about creating these opportunities for connection.

That might mean letting employees create shared interest groups on the company intranet. How about a book club? Or a running club? Maintaining a news feed where employees can post, comment, and like, helps remote and frontline workers to build connections, too.

Recognize employee contributions

Employee recognition and rewards are another important pillar of employee morale. When employees feel their hard work is appreciated, they’re more likely to maintain their motivation.  

They’re also more likely to stay working for your company. According to recent Gallup and Workhuman research, a 10,000-person organization can save up to $16.1 million a year in reduced employee turnover costs by making recognition an important part of company culture.

Timely and relevant recognition from managers is essential. But peer-to-peer recognition can be just as valuable and it has a surprising benefit. 75% of employees say that giving recognition makes them want to stay at their current organization longer.

Blink’s employee recognition feature makes it easy to give every employee the appreciation they deserve. You can create personalized recognition posts in seconds. Then, share praise with the individual or publish it on the company news feed for everyone to see and celebrate.

If you want to offer employee rewards as part of your recognition program, be sure to find out what employees are excited by. You may think that cash bonuses and company merchandise are great incentives. But it may be that employees would prefer something else, like extra paid time off.

Read more: 6 amazing employee appreciation ideas that your staff will love

Ask employees for their thoughts and feedback

Employees are more motivated when they feel listened to. When an employer seeks their input and insight, it makes them feel valued, which contributes to employee morale.

Ask for employee input on key decisions. Taking everyone’s opinions into account when implementing change helps to ensure buy-in.

Also, get employee feedback on a range of issues, on a regular basis. Use surveys to ask workers about the employee experience, workplace satisfaction, or workplace rewards. Their answers will help you to develop a more motivating environment for employees going forward.

Just remember that feedback is a multi-stage process that requires effective communication. You need to:

• Ask for employee feedback
• Thank employees for their feedback
• Tell employees what their feedback has revealed and what you plan to do about it
• Keep employees in the loop, informing them how your plans are going

Closing the feedback loop like this keeps employees invested in the feedback process. It shows them that you’re really listening to what they have to say.

Treat everyone fairly and equitably

Fairness is crucial to employee motivation. When employees feel that they aren’t being treated fairly or equitably, motivation takes a dive.

So all employees must be given equal access to training and career progression opportunities. Everyone should have the option to give feedback and build workplace friendships. They should get the resources and recognition they need to feel valued.  

Pay also comes into the equation. You can prevent resentment and employee churn by offering employees a fair salary. Conduct a pay equity audit. Also, regularly check to see how your wages match up with market trends and the cost of living.

But bear in mind that engaged employees look for a 31% pay increase to consider taking a job with another organization. So you don’t necessarily have to match competitors like-for-like if you provide non-monetary benefits and a company culture employees enjoy being part of.

Using an employee super-app to create a motivated workforce

Having the right tech on your team makes it easier to boost employee motivation. 

An employee super-app is particularly useful for remote and frontline employees who may feel disconnected from motivators like co-worker support, feedback opportunities, and company resources.

An employee app helps you to create an equitable experience for all members of staff, no matter where they work. It also allows you to put motivation-boosting features into the palm of every employee’s hand. 

Take a look at these employee app features, sure to improve employee motivation. 

Social features

Social features like a company news feed help to include everyone in your company culture and support workplace connections.

A resource library

A resource library gives all employees, no matter where they work, access to essential workplace resources. You can populate your library with how-to guides, company policies, and FAQs.

Recognition features

Built-in recognition features make it easy to show appreciation for employees and encourage peer-to-peer recognition, too.

Survey tools

The best employee super apps make it easy for managers to request feedback — and for employees to provide it.

A digital hub

By integrating with all of the digitals you use, you can give employees access to professional development, wellbeing, and collaboration tools, all in the same place.

Effective communication

With a news feed, group messaging, and 1:1 chats, it’s easy for every member of your organization to take part in the company conversation and for leaders to amplify company culture.  

Analytics

Analytics help you to track motivation and engagement. This allows you to make data-backed improvements to your engagement initiatives.  

In summary

Find ways to motivate your employees and you create a happier, more engaged, more productive workforce. You improve employee loyalty and talent retention. You also achieve better business results. 

There are lots of different things you can do to motivate your workforce. But all actions center around four key pillars:

• Help employees find meaning in their work
• Show employees that you value them as people as well as workers
• Support employees to make progress in their careers
• Build a positive company culture

It’s easier to do all these things when you have the right tech tools. An employee super-app brings your organization together and helps you establish a positive company culture.

It also gives employees all the communication, resources, and digital tools they need to excel in their roles. They experience more flow and less friction, which makes for improved employee motivation.

Find out what an employee app could do for your organization. Schedule a free Blink demo today.

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Twenty years ago, I was advising the government on transport. Our North Star was this: how do we get people out of cars, and onto public transport? We worked hard and made several huge breakthroughs. Public transport in the UK thrived and up until recently, was the mode of choice for many.

But over the past few months, things have changed – drastically so. Two decades of progress has been effectively undone in a matter of months. The government has actively discouraged people from using public transport. That’s never happened before, although I understand that it was necessary.

So: where do we go from here?

Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the transport industry and its frontline workers. And it’s not over. We have a long road ahead, with many challenges looming.

Even so, I’m optimistic. Here's why.

The arguments for public transport are as strong as ever

Let me own up to my biggest fear first: an increase in car ownership. At the moment, many people are apprehensive about, or scared of, using public transport. That may make them rely more on their cars.

When you’ve got a car, you’ve got an enclosed space. You don't have to sit next to anyone. It's one of the reasons car shares hasn’t taken off. People don't like letting others into their personal space. Covid-19 has exacerbated all this. It might lead families without cars to buy one, or go from one to two-car households.

That might not sound like a big deal. But there's a direct correlation: as car ownership rises, bus passenger numbers fall. Or, put that in perspective: for every new car on Britain’s roads, there’s 365 fewer bus journeys per year.

My goal has always been to achieve a modal shift towards public transport. I've been working with governments for many years to make this happen. That momentum has now ground to a halt. Will that change be permanent?

I don’t think so. The argument for public transport – economic and environmental – remain strong. They will only get stronger. One pivotal reason is climate change. At the beginning of 2020, that conversation was at the heart of public consciousness. Once again, circumstances have sidelined that conversation, but it's more urgent than ever.

The facts remain: the car is an inefficient user of roads, it's wasteful, it's polluting.

But here's what gives me hope. During lockdown, many people have experienced good quality, clean air. Many of them for the first time ever. That's huge. That's compelling.

We caught a glimpse of what a life with less pollution could be like. A live demonstration of a world with less traffic and fewer planes. That’s something most of us want to hang on to; without losing the thrill and energy of vibrant, busy cities.

What's holding us back is public perception. Many people see buses as a main polluter, causing congestion and reducing air quality.

That's not true. One new bus produces less pollution than one new car. That's despite the fact that they can carry 50 times as many passengers, by the way. In fact, buses are a key part of the solution for clean air and sustainability.

What we need to do is shift ingrained mindsets and change misperceptions.

Even after disaster, people adjust

Covid-19 poses an extreme threat. But we have dealt with – and recovered from – extreme threats before.

Take the London bombings in 2005. We lost 35 people; it was all over the television. It was terrifying. People's lack of confidence in public transport was lower then than it is now. Even so, Transport for London got their systems running again the very next day.

Or take 9/11. One of the worst horrors of anyone's lifetime. Remember how nervous were people about flying? But the next day, thousands of planes still took off. Today, aviation has a fantastic track record of keeping people safe.

We've mitigated the risks associated with terror attacks as much as possible. But you'd need to be a fool to say that that terrorist threat has gone away completely.

We don’t know when, or if, Covid-19 will completely go away. We can never eliminate risk. But we can learn to live with new danger.

We adjusted to airport security measures. And we will adjust to facemasks and social distancing.

Human beings are born to adapt.

It will take time, of course. Some people will be nervous for the foreseeable future. But long-term, people’s behaviour will normalize again. Patterns of patronage will return. All the evidence shows this is what happens after a crisis.

We need a marketing exercise. To gradually build up public trust, to reassure passengers it's safe. A way of reassuring people about risk, hygiene, temperature checks and general safety.

Our key workers are resilient

Being a bus driver is one of the toughest jobs in the UK, especially in a busy city.As a driver in London, you have to navigate the busy streets, the traffic; and at the same time, you have to keep people safe, give directions, take their fares.

It's a demanding job at the best of times. Along came COVID-19, and bus drivers were even more exposed than healthcare professionals. Thirty-three of them died in the UK. And all the while they were delivering NHS staff and other key workers to their jobs. The role they play is enormous.

We should be clapping for our bus drivers.

We don't know what their job will look like when all this is over. But I have trust in the resilience of our key workers, and in their capacity to adapt.

One of the economic fears in this respect is about a potential increase in autonomous vehicles. I do expect those to play a big role in the future of transport. In the past year, the number of autonomous car trips was no more than a few thousand.

But there have been hundreds of millions of autonomous train journeys every day. Half of all trains in Asia are autonomous, and we're starting to see autonomous buses come to the fore. There are five different tests in European cities later this year. This looks like it will be an area of big growth.

But won’t that mean job losses for frontline workers?

I don’t think so. In my view, we can approach the issue of driverless vehicles in two ways.

We can say that we're not going to change people's jobs despite the fact that we've got new technologies. Then we will lose bus drivers in the long-term. That would be the wrong way.

Or, we can use technology to enhance people’s jobs. Frontline workers’ roles could shift to become more customer service-orientated. Our workers could be there as ambassadors, communicating with passengers. In the case of an emergency, they could mingle with customers, make sure they're okay. This could herald a new era for public transport, an 'excellent customer service phase'.

We've already seen the potential firsthand. If you've got a lively happy bus driver, the whole experience changes. But at the moment, it's difficult to achieve that. If we move towards an autonomous world, we could recruit more of the right people.

There could be a different mindset, a different approach, a different energy to it. We could reproduce the customer care that people expect in restaurants and shops.

So the role of frontline workers will change, but the prevalence of jobs won’t. Our frontline workers will be as relevant ever.

We can build strong collaborations

To produce a much better product, we need the help of our customers. When it comes to the bus system in particular, we tend not to know what our customers think or want. We don't communicate with them, or not enough.

We want to get to know our customers better. Learn about what matters to them, communicate better with the people who rely on us. Drop them text messages. “Sorry, I'm hacked off, we couldn't produce reliable journeys because of these roadblocks.” Reward them, thank them for their loyalty. That would mean learning about best practice in customer care.

We also want to form closer partnerships with the unions, local authorities and the highways authority. We need to get to know the local politician who's in charge of road space allocation well. To deliver, you need strong relationships like that.

We need to broaden our vision and build robust connections. With our customers, with relevant authorities.Look at best practice in other industries, think bigger, and focus on core competencies. Nail the areas that matter most, no matter the line of work.

That’s my vision for the frontline of the future, and that’s why I’m optimistic.

With a focus on communication, marketing and customer service, we can make the changes we need. Not just to recover – to thrive. It won't happen by itself; we need to set the right priorities and make the right decisions.

But we can do it. The future is bright.

G2’s 2024 fall reports are now live — and Blink has made some major moves in employee communications categories.

We’re excited to have improved on our strong G2 ratings from spring 2024, where we were recognized in the employee communications, employee intranet, frontline worker communications, and employee engagement software categories.

Let’s take a closer look at G2’s fall results and explore what they mean for Blink — and our customers.

An introduction to G2 rankings and reports

G2 is the world’s most trusted software marketplace. It provides software reviews and comparisons and — every quarter — it releases its G2 reports.

These reports are based on the reviews of real software customers. They highlight the very best software options available and help users find products capable of solving their business problems.

To create its ranking and reports, G2 assesses software providers based on the following indices:

Results Index. To create its Results Index report, G2 looks at whether a software platform meets user requirements. It also looks at estimated ROI, product adoption rate, and how likely users are to recommend the product to a friend.

Usability Index. The Usability Index is all about how easy it is to use a particular software. G2 looks at ease of use, ease of admin, and the percentage of users who adopt the product.

Relationship Index. For its Relationship Index, G2 ranks software companies on the quality of their support. Users are asked whether a software provider is easy to work with — and whether they’d recommend this software product to a friend.

Implementation Index. To create these rankings, G2 looks at user opinions related to ease of setup and the length of time it took to go live.

Grid Report. The Grid Report is G2’s analysis of the competitive landscape for a particular software category. Each available product is plotted on the grid according to its market presence and user satisfaction.

Enterprise Grid Report. G2 segments its reviews based on the size of the company its reviewers work for. In its Enterprise Grid Report, G2 only includes reviews from enterprise companies — those with 1,001 or more employees.

Regional Grid Report. G2 also highlights the top 50 companies from each global region. A company’s region is determined by where it was founded, where its executive team resides, and where the majority of its workforce is located.

Blink’s G2 rankings for fall 2024

So how did Blink perform in the fall G2 results? We jumped up a number of spots in key employee communications categories:

• Blink moved up two spots in the Relationship Index for Employee Communications and is now ranked #2 out of all employee communications software for customer service.
• Blink also moved up two spots in G2’s Grid Report for Employee Communications, again ranking #2 out of all employee communications software.
• Blink moved up four spots — coming in #2 — in the Enterprise Grid Report for Employee Communications.

But that’s not all! Here’s how Blink performed in employee communications, frontline worker communications, and enterprise social networking categories.

Employee communications

G2 ranked Blink as one of the top three software providers in all of the following categories:

• Usability Index for Employee Communications
• Relationship Index for Employee Communications
• Results Index for Employee Communications
• Grid Report for Employee Communications

According to G2, Blink is user-friendly, provides good customer support, and produces business results. Blink is also an industry leader in the internal communications space, with high levels of software satisfaction and performance.

In addition, showing that it performs well for large organizations, Blink was listed as one of the top three software providers for the following enterprise company categories:

• Enterprise Results Index for Employee Communications
• Enterprise Implementation Index for Employee Communications
• Enterprise Grid Report for Employee Communications

As well as being well-reviewed by users, 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

With a news feed, content hub, instant messaging, survey, recognition, and digital form features, Blink gives companies everything they need to improve internal communications. Our app fosters a culture of two-way communication, so organizations can keep staff informed and engaged.

Frontline worker communications

Blink also ranked highly when it comes to frontline worker communications. It’s featured as one of the top three software providers in the following categories:

• Usability Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms
• Relationship Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms
• Results Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms
• Enterprise Results Index for Frontline Worker Communication Platforms

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 co-workers 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

Unlike other platforms in the space, Blink was designed with the frontline workforce in mind. It’s a mobile-first employee communications app with the same great features and user experience across desktop and mobile device versions.

Employees can access Blink from their smartphones. They don’t need a company email address to log in. And with single sign-on technology, they have easy access to the internal communications, company resources, and coworker connections they need to thrive in their roles.

Enterprise social networking (ESN)

This quarter, Blink received recognition in the Enterprise Social Networking category and received a new badge: 

• Enterprise Europe Regional Grid Report for Enterprise Social Networking (ESN)

To qualify for inclusion in this category, a software product must:

• Allow users to create and maintain profiles that include information such as contact info, skills, expertise, and interests
• Have an activity feed or timeline that displays real-time updates, posts, and interactions from users or groups
• Allow users to engage with content via likes and comments
• Enable users to upload, share, and collaborate on a variety of files or document types
• Allow users to send direct messages in one-on-one or group conversations
• Organize groups or communities based on employees’ interests, projects, or departments

Blink provides informal, interactive communication channels that support bottom-up and peer-to-peer communication. Employees can share updates and photos directly with their co-workers, building connections across the organization even if they work remotely or on a company’s frontlines.

With social tools and communication channels, the Blink app is helping organizations boost employee experience and employee engagement.

What customers are saying about Blink

The G2 rankings above are all based on real Blink customer reviews, like these ones:

Blink is our hero!

Reviewer: Daisy T

Company size: Mid-market: 51-1,000 employees

Rating: 5 stars

“Our frontline absolutely love being able to post out things themselves, and they feel part of the community of colleagues. We had a slight manager / frontline divide before Blink — but now it’s helped everyone feel involved and equal. We also love the Hub as it allows people to be self-sufficient! The customer support is absolutely excellent!”

Blink review

Reviewer: Matt M

Company size: Mid-market: 51-1,000 employees

Rating: 5 stars

“Blink has been a game changer for our organization. The timeliness of employee communication has increased dramatically, allowing us to exchange crucial information with our team in real time. As an Emergency Medical Services provider, all branches of our organization need to be in constant communication. Since implementing BLINK, we have benefitted from a dramatic culture change.”

Blink: Boosting employee engagement across a mobile workforce

Reviewer: Laura P

Company size: Mid-market: 51-1,000 employees

Rating: 5 stars

“We love that Blink tackles our past challenges of inconsistent messaging and low engagement, especially with our remote and frontline workforce. Its functionality across desktop and mobile apps allows staff to easily access company messages, connect with colleagues, and utilize systems on-the-go. This fosters a two-way communication flow between managers, teams, and the entire business, boosting teamwork and knowledge sharing. Employees actively use the system to post, engage with each other, and build a more collaborative work environment — that’s what makes it a game-changer for engagement.”

Blink: The all-in-one employee communications platform

G2 consistently ranks Blink as one of the best employee communications and frontline worker communications platforms on the market. So if you want to improve internal communications or employee engagement at your organization, Blink could be just the software solution you need.

Blink. And see what we could do for your organization.

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