How engaged are your employees — really?

If you’re anything like the majority of companies, there’s definitely room for improvement.

And that matters. Because employee engagement impacts everything from productivity to employee retention to overall business performance.

These employee engagement statistics can help you find a path forward. They reveal what’s working and what isn’t, and can hopefully provide some inspired ideas for your engagement strategy.

Where have these stats come from?

We’ve collated the latest employee engagement statistics from across the world with findings from our own, UK-based, frontline-focused research to give you a comprehensive insight into workplace engagement in 2026.

Our research surveyed 1000 respondents over the age of 18 from the United Kingdom. At the time of the survey, respondents held frontline roles in both public and private health and social care.

General employee engagement statistics

An engaged employee is someone who’s committed to their employer and invested in their role. They feel connected to their organization, experience job satisfaction, and tend to feel motivated while at work.

So how many workers actually feel this way? Let’s start with some statistics that reveal the current state of employee engagement in companies across the world.

1. According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, just 21% of employees are engaged at work. That’s down from 23% in 2023.

2. In the US, the picture is slightly better. Here, 31% of workers are engaged and 52% describe themselves as thriving.

3. In 2024, manager engagement fell from 30% to 27%. That’s a big issue because managers account for 70% of the variance in team employee engagement.

4. The recent drop in employee engagement cost the world economy $438 billion in lost productivity.

{{mobile-main="/image"}}

Impact of employee engagement statistics

When employee engagement isn’t what it could be, it has a big impact on a business. 

5. According to Gallup research, when compared to companies with low engagement, highly engaged companies experience the following:

• 81% drop in absenteeism
• 64% reduction in safety incidents
• 41% reduction in quality defects
• 18% increase in productivity
• 23% improvement in profitability

6. Employee engagement impacts customer experience, too. Companies with a top-rated employee experience are more than twice as likely as other organizations to achieve a top-rated customer experience.

7. Engaged employees are more loyal to your organization. By improving employee engagement, high-turnover organizations can reduce turnover by 18% and low-turnover organizations can reduce it by 43%.

Statistics on employee engagement and retention

While we’re on the topic of talent retention, let’s dig a little deeper. What drives employees to leave your organization? And how many are currently eyeing the job boards? 

The following employee engagement statistics give insight into what steps you can take to reduce employee turnover.

8. We know that 50% of workers are watching for or actively seeking a new job right now.

9. Turnover isn’t the only issue facing employers. 1 in 5 UK workers is “quiet quitting.” They’re doing the bare minimum while not actively looking for another job.

10. Work-life balance is an important consideration when deciding where to work. 46% of employees list this as the main reason for staying in their current role. This compares to 23% who list competitive pay and benefits as the primary reason for staying. 

11. Learning and career advancement are closely linked to employee engagement. 31% of employees have quit a role due to a lack of career progression. And 42% of employees say they’d quit if no L&D opportunities were offered.

12. It’s clear that people want to feel part of a welcoming and inclusive company culture. 55% of employees say they’d quit their job if they felt they didn’t belong.

13. Employee recognition is another powerful driver of employee engagement and retention. Well-recognized employees are 45% less likely to leave their roles within two years.

{{mobile-kudos="/image"}}

Internal communication and employee engagement statistics

Connected, communicative organizations can count on higher rates of engagement. Here’s how internal communications are impacting the employee experience.

14. 93% of internal communicators say they are held either jointly or solely responsible for employee engagement in their organization.

15. 70% of people who intend to stay with their employer for the long term rate communication as “excellent”. This drops to just 24% of people who rate communication as “good”.

16. According to Gallup research, only 47% of employees strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work and only 32% feel strongly connected to their organization’s mission or purpose.

17. 26% of UK employees are “deeply disconnected”. They rarely hear from their CEO or senior leaders and have overwhelmingly negative views of leadership communication.

18. Just 13% of employees give their organization top marks for internal communication. And in our research, almost one-fifth of workers said they didn’t receive relevant communications from their employer.

19. Teams aren’t always aligned with company goals. Only 15% of staff fully grasp the rationale behind their organization’s strategy. 

Frontline employee engagement statistics

Frontline employee engagement can feel particularly tricky. These workers are on the go, working across different locations and different shift patterns. They don’t always have easy access to workplace tech tools — so it’s easy for them to feel disconnected from HQ, company culture, and co-workers.

What do we know about frontline employee engagement in 2026? Here are a few stats.

20. Frontline turnover is often high. But focusing on retention and engagement can save lots of money. Losing a single frontline retail employee costs a retailer nearly $10,000 on average.

21. Only 10% of frontline workers say they have high access to the tools, tech, and opportunities they need to connect and advance in their workplace, and the frontline workforce only gets 1% of companies’ technology budget.

22. Some frontline workers feel unfairly treated and undervalued. 2 in 5 frontline employees say they are viewed as inferior by employees in the office and 39% say their work is not valued as highly as office work. 

23. Part of the engagement issue for frontline workers could be internal communication tech. Just 52% of internal communicators say they have the right tools to reach all employees, regardless of location or work type.

24. A fifth (21%) of UK frontline employees are “quiet quitting.” Drivers of disengagement among quiet quitters include a lack of employee recognition, workplace conditions, stress, and ineffective communication.

25. Improving frontline recognition stands to make a big impact. Only 43% of deskless workers feel seen and appreciated at work compared with 61% of desk-based employees.  

26. Another driver of engagement for frontline employees is L&D and career progression opportunities. 68% of frontline employees say they’re interested in learning new skills and 73% say they don’t mind learning new skills outside of work hours.

{{mobile-hub="/image"}}

Workplace technology and employee engagement stats

The tech tools employees are expected to use inevitably impact employee experience and employee engagement. So what’s the current state of workplace tech?

27. Our research shows that one-fifth of workers don’t, or no longer, use their intranet, with two-thirds of those employees unsure about how to log on.

28. Tool overload is becoming a serious problem. One study estimates that the average worker spends 9% of their year — almost 200 hours — switching between workplace apps.

29. Over half of workers (56%) say tool fatigue —produced by toggling, alerts, and redundant platforms — negatively affects their work each week.

30. How you acquire tools is also important. Employees who say they have a lot of influence over which technologies are adopted in their workplace are more than twice as likely to report high job satisfaction as those who have no influence.

31. There’s a tech tool confidence gap between desk-based and deskless workers. 74% of office workers say they feel confident using the latest technology. But only 65% of non-office workers agree.

32. Training is needed, particularly around AI. Nearly half of employees want more investment in AI skills development from their employers.

33. Organizations are using a wide range of tools to improve internal comms and employee engagement. 72% of organizations use an intranet, 75% use enterprise chat tools, and 16% use social and engagement platforms to reach, engage, and align employees.

34. Just 17% of organizations use an employee communication app, but of those that do, the vast majority rate it as an effective tool. 

35. According to our research, over one-third (34%) of employees say they don’t have easy access to workplace systems on their smartphones.

Employee listening and employee voice statistics

When employees feel heard in the workplace, they’re more engaged. And when organizations understand how employees are feeling, they can spot issues early, intervening before employee engagement takes a hit.

Take a look at these statistics on employee feedback and listening strategies.

36. 1 in 3 internal communicators say their organization doesn’t have an official employee listening plan.

37. 6 in 10 employees say their organization welcomes open and honest feedback on them as an employer.

38. Only 15% of managers see acting on feedback as a top responsibility. But around 1 in 4 employees say this is what they want most from their managers.

39. Over half of UK employees think their leaders really understand the challenges they face. But this figure drops to fewer than 4 in 10 among non-managerial staff.

40. When assessing how employees feel about work, 76% of organizations use an employee engagement survey. But just 69% of those organizations say that surveys are valuable and effective.

41. It could be that little and often is the way forward. Of the 48% of communicators who use pulse surveys as a listening channel, 60% said they were valuable in providing usable feedback that enabled decisions.

{{mobile-survey="/image"}}

Remote and hybrid employee engagement statistics

Onto another big section of the workforce — remote and hybrid employees. What do the latest statistics say about their employee experience and levels of employee engagement?

42. According to the Korn Ferry Workforce 2025 survey, of the 59% of global employees who are working full-time in the office, only 19% actually want to be there.

43. Hybrid working is good for emotional well-being. A large proportion of hybrid workers report feeling less drained (79%), less stressed (78%), and less anxious (72%) as a result of spending part of the week working from home.

44. Hybrid working has a positive impact on employee retention. According to one study, resignations fell by 33% among workers who shifted from working full-time in the office to a hybrid schedule.

45. It’s not all good news. 28% of hybrid workers say they feel less connected to organizational culture and 21% say it harms their working relationship with co-workers. Employers need to find ways to bring employees together, even when they’re working from home.

46. Fully remote employees are more likely to look for a new job than hybrid employees. It seems that employees need to feel a connection to the company and co-workers if they’re to stay working for your organization.

47. Gallup has uncovered what it calls “the remote work paradox.” While remote workers enjoy higher levels of engagement (31%) compared to hybrid (23%) and on-site workers (19%), they’re less likely to say they’re thriving in their lives overall. Why? Gallup suggests that remote work is more emotionally and mentally taxing than other forms of work.

Statistics on employee engagement, community, and connection

Another driver of employee engagement? Feelings of connection to company culture and co-workers. So are employers doing enough? Let’s take a look.

48. In 2026, 72% of employees say they have a strong relationship with their manager (up 8 percentage points from 2025), and 63% feel more connected to them than to the company as a whole.

49. Only 2 in 10 US workers feel connected to company culture.

50. 83% of employees want their workplace to provide a sense of community. More than a third are willing to trade higher pay for stronger friendships or social enrichment at work. 

51. A strong sense of connection and belonging in the workplace has clear benefits for employers, too. More than 8 in 10 employees say a sense of community improves their work performance. 

52. Loneliness is a significant driver of disengagement and turnover. 4 in 10 employees have considered leaving or have actually left their employer because of workplace loneliness.

53. 75% of employees say that celebrating the work of their peers makes them want to stay at their current organization longer.

{{mobile-community="/image"}}

Employee well-being statistics

Boosting employee happiness and well-being is another proven way to increase engagement. These stats give us insight into what is most likely to move the needle.

54. Roughly 9 in 10 Gen Zs (89%) and millennials (92%) consider a sense of purpose to be important to their job satisfaction and well-being.

55. 40% of the world’s workforce experiences a lot of daily stress, 21% experience a lot of anger, and 23% experience a lot of sadness.

56. Our research reveals that a quarter of workers don’t believe that their employer cares about their mental well-being.

57. 92% of workers expect their organizations to show care in the workplace, and 83% feel companies have a responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their people.

58. Household budgets are tight right now. 40% of employees have taken on a second job to help with the rising cost of living.

59. 60% of employees say their companies’ benefits do not currently meet their needs, and only 37% feel their organization understands what they need in their personal lives and for their families.

60. Employees who enjoy their work are 49% less likely to say they would consider taking a new job than employees who don’t enjoy their work.

More findings from our Frontline Health Survey

When conducting our Frontline Health Survey, we asked a couple of open-ended questions. These questions gave us real insight into how employees felt about their workplace and employee experience, and we’ve included some of their responses below.

What’s one thing in your day-to-day working life that you wish you could change?

Some responses included:

• To have senior leaders listen to my concerns.
• To feel I can voice concerns in a professional and confidential way.
• To be listened to, respected, and appreciated.
• To receive better communication, interaction, and support.

If you could say one thing to senior management anonymously, what would it be?

Some responses included:

• Please answer my emails and questions. I am trying to do my best at work and would appreciate feeling listened to.
• Listen to us. Listen to your staff.
• Communication, please!
• I don't know, I feel like I don't have much contact with them.

Employees clearly care about giving feedback and seeing their opinions being taken on board. They want two-way communication with leadership, regular recognition, and better workplace support.

{{mobile-chat="/image"}}

So what do these employee engagement stats mean for business leaders?

The message written in these employee engagement statistics is clear: engagement is central to business success and organizations need to do more.

Across industries, employees are saying the same thing. They want to feel informed. They want to feel heard. They want to feel connected to co-workers and company culture. And they want the tools and support they need to do their jobs well.

When those foundations are missing, disengagement follows — along with lower productivity, higher turnover, and weaker organizational performance.

Here are a few key takeaways.

1. Communication is the foundation of engagement

Internal communication and employee engagement are closely linked. When employees have access to the right comms channels, they feel more connected to leaders, managers, company culture, and each other.

It’s also easy for employees to stay informed and aligned. They get clear updates on where your company is heading, so everyone feels connected to the bigger picture.  

2. Employee voice is a powerful driver of engagement

Employees want to be heard. They want to share feedback, raise concerns, and contribute ideas. But too often, communication flows in only one direction.

For every employee to have a voice — including frontline, remote, and hybrid workers — they need easy access to pulse surveys, feedback tools, and open communication channels. Only then can leaders get to know how employees feel and act on that insight quickly.

3. Frontline employees need better tools — and better access

Frontline workers make up the majority of the global workforce, yet many still lack access to the digital tools they need to succeed. When employees feel disconnected from information, co-workers, and leadership, engagement suffers.

Mobile-first employee experience platforms can help to close this gap. They give frontline workers direct access to communication, training, recognition, and support — right from their smartphones.

4. Tool overload is hurting productivity and morale

Employees are losing hundreds of hours each year switching between disconnected tools. This “toggle tax” slows work down, drains energy, and creates frustration.

Organizations are responding by consolidating systems into unified platforms that bring communication, resources, and workflows together. When everything lives in one place, employees spend less time searching — and more time doing meaningful work.

5. Engagement is the key to retention, performance, and growth

Engaged employees stay longer. They perform better. They create better customer experiences. And they help organizations grow faster. 

Disengagement, on the other hand, is expensive — costing businesses billions in lost productivity and turnover.

The organizations that lead the way in 2026 and beyond will be those that treat engagement as a priority, investing in the tools, communication, and culture needed to support it.

[Product image - Stories]

What next? How to improve employee engagement in 2026

These employee engagement statistics provide lots of food for thought. There’s a ton of useful information that you can use to inform your employee engagement strategy.

The key pillars? To improve employee engagement at your organization, you need:

• Effective, interactive internal communication that reaches every employee, wherever they work
• A strong workplace culture and a sense of community that connects people to something bigger
• Regular employee recognition that makes employees feel seen and valued
• A focus on employee listening and well-being, with feedback leading to visible action
• Experiences tailored to frontline, remote, and hybrid workers — not just desk-based teams
• Simple, streamlined tools that make work easier, not harder

Get these foundations right and engagement follows. So do retention, productivity, and business performance.

But trying to deliver all this through disconnected tools and outdated systems is an uphill battle. So the one change that stands to make the biggest difference? 

Implementing a unified, user-friendly platform that supports all of the above. That’s where Blink comes in.

Blink brings communication, recognition, surveys, resources, and community into one mobile-first platform designed for the realities of today’s workforce. It connects your people to information, support, and each other in just a couple of taps.

Available across both smartphone and desktop devices, and with robust integrations and analytics, Blink has everything you need to improve employee experience, boost employee engagement, and measure your progress, too.

Use employee engagement software to engage your workforce every step of the way

The employee lifecycle incorporates the following stages:

• Preboarding: The time between an accepted offer and an employee’s first day
• Onboarding: Orientation, training, and support delivered over a new hire’s first months in a role
• Development: Support for learning and career growth
• Engagement: Building a workplace culture of connection and belonging
• Retention: Keeping top talent invested in your organization and their work
• Transition: Supporting change and offboarding with care

The challenge for managers and HR teams is ensuring high levels of employee engagement at every point in that journey.

We know that just 23% of employees are engaged at work. And that disengagement hurts everything from employee retention to customer loyalty to employee well-being to productivity.

So how do you maximize the employee life cycle, ensuring levels of engagement that drive business success?

It helps to have the right employee engagement software on your team. With employee engagement tools, you can create a seamless, consistent, and personalized journey for all employees — whether they’re working in the office, from home, or on the frontlines of your organization.

Let’s take a look at how you can make that happen. Here’s how to use software tools to improve engagement throughout the employee lifecycle.

How to enhance the employee lifecycle with engagement software

#1. Preboarding: Creating a great experience before day one

First impressions matter. And the preboarding phase is your opportunity to introduce a new hire to company culture and set the tone for their employee experience.

An effective preboarding process welcomes new employees to the organization. It also calms those inevitable nerves, as it gives new staff all the information they need to prepare for their first day.

You can use employee engagement software during this phase to:

• Sustain employee communication between the offer stage and an employee’s first day
• Share useful documents and get employees to sign any necessary paperwork
• Share welcome messages from managers and team members
• Provide a road map of the onboarding process, so new hires know what to expect

With Blink’s Employee Journeys, you can use start-date triggers to send tailored employee communications ahead of their first day. You can also include an employee’s line manager in the journey for a seamless and supportive experience.

#2. Onboarding: Setting the stage for success

According to Gallup, employees who get a great onboarding experience are 2.6x more likely to be “extremely satisfied” at work. They’re also more likely to stay working for you.

This is a crucial time. The first 90 days in a role are considered some of the riskiest in terms of employee retention. New hires start working for you with high hopes and expectations. If the reality is too far from what was promised during recruitment, they’re likely to jump ship.

The good news is that employee engagement software can help you maximize engagement and minimize that attrition risk during the onboarding process. 

Here are some key actions to take at this stage to boost — and maintain — employee morale:

• Personalize the onboarding journey, ensuring content is hyper-relevant at key employee milestones with customizable templates
• Provide self-serve access to resources, training, and team profiles, so employees can get to know the entire company and their co-workers
• Check in regularly with pulse surveys, offering recognition for employee efforts and seeking their real-time feedback on the onboarding process
• Train employees on how to use your employee engagement and internal communication tools, plus existing HR systems like Workday

Employee engagement software helps you deliver the right information to new employees at the right time. This prevents overwhelm and ensures a streamlined onboarding process.

You also free up a resource that is better than any bot at inspiring employee engagement — your real-life employees.

By leaving your software to take care of the nuts and bolts of the onboarding process, managers and co-workers can spend more time with your new hire. That means they experience meaningful interactions and feel part of the team more quickly.

{{mobile-hub="/image"}}

‍

#3. Development: Nurturing growth and learning

In its 2025 Global Culture Report, O.C. Tanner explores why some employees are thriving, while others are only surviving. It reports that employees are 68 times more likely to thrive at work when their organization prioritizes skill-building and career development.

Nurturing employee skills and supporting them to reach their career goals is key to engagement and retention. And the right employee engagement solutions help you to achieve that.

You can use your software to:

• Integrate training modules into your employee engagement platform to deliver a seamless experience
• Craft personalized development plans that align with employee and organizational goals
• Offer gamified and micro-learning training sessions to engage busy employees and allow them to learn at their own pace
• Track progress toward personal and departmental objectives, offering regular support and recognition

With Blink’s employee intranet, seamless integration with L&D software is easy. With single sign-on technology, employees can access the latest training modules via the intuitive Blink interface — in just a few clicks. No additional login details necessary.

{{mobile-kudos="/image"}}

‍

#4. Engagement: Building a culture of connection and belonging

Supportive workplace relationships are a bedrock of employee engagement. So helping employees to make connections with coworkers — and to feel part of company culture — is a sure-fire way to improve the employee experience. 

If you have a remote team or lots of frontline employees, this is something you have to be very intentional about. It’s easy for people who work away from HQ to feel disconnected from the wider organization.

Luckily, this is another thing that an employee engagement app can help with. You can use your platform to:

• Share real-time company news and amplify company culture via a multimedia news feed
• Support employees to find like-minded co-workers with social features, like communities, which are based around hobbies and interests
• Encourage co-workers to collaborate and share knowledge, exchanging resources via team messaging tools
• Measure engagement with the help of employee surveys, employee sentiment analysis, and advanced analytics on platform usage

A tool like Blink is available via an intuitive employee app. So employees can get company news and interact with co-workers via their smartphones. This ensures all employees — no matter where they work — experience the sense of connection and belonging that is key to engagement.

{{mobile-main="/image"}}

‍

#5. Retention: Keeping top talent invested

Talent retention is about more than competitive pay. In fact, research shows that engaged employees look for a 31% pay increase to consider taking a job with another organization.

So what can you do to inspire this type of loyalty among your employees? Besides fostering employee development, career growth, and performance management — all while creating a culture of recognition — you can harness your employee engagement software to reduce employee turnover. 

Here’s how:

• Use platform data and employee feedback to identify disengaged employees and their pain points, staying ahead of potential issues
• Launch well-being initiatives, providing resources and programs that support physical mental, and emotional health and boost employee satisfaction
• Make social recognition an integral part of company culture, showing employees that you value their contributions

Your software allows you to track employee engagement — and discover areas of the employee experience that need improvement. These actionable insights can help you pinpoint the benefits and workplace changes that will make the biggest difference to employee retention.

Read more: How to make employee retention your competitive advantage

#6. Transition: Supporting change and offboarding with care

The employee lifecycle doesn’t end when an employee hands in their notice. How you handle transitions — whether that’s a promotion, a role change, or an exit — can impact your employer brand and the morale of remaining employees.

So treat transitions as a chance to gather useful feedback from your employees. Try to discover what they did and didn’t like about the employee experience — and seek concrete ways to improve employee engagement.

You can use your employee engagement software at this stage in the employee lifecycle to:

• Provide resources and support as an employee transitions to a new role
• Send automated exit pulse surveys to capture valuable feedback before an employee leaves
• Create a centralized content hub where employees can document workflows, processes, and critical knowledge before leaving
• Analyze employee feedback to inform future engagement strategies

End the relationship on a positive note and ex-employees are more likely to recommend your organization as a place to work. They may even “boomerang” back to you when looking for their next role.

{{mobile-survey="/image"}}

Maximize your employee lifecycle with the best employee engagement tools

The employee lifecycle is a series of opportunities to engage, develop, and retain talent. And good employee engagement software provides tools to optimize every stage of that journey.

With the right platform, you can improve internal communications, training, recognition, and connection. You can inspire employees to feel more invested in their work, so they’re happier and more loyal to your organization.

Pick a mobile-first engagement tool and you ensure that every member of your workforce gets access to the same great employee experience. They can access your platform via their smartphones, checking in at a time and place that works for them.

So what does all of this mean for your organization? Sustained engagement throughout the whole of the employee lifecycle across your entire organization means: 

• Improved productivity
• Reduced absenteeism
• Lower levels of attrition
• Improved employee well-being

According to Gallup, high engagement teams also experience a 23% increase in profitability, which makes employee engagement software an excellent investment for any organization.

‍Blink. And find out how an employee engagement platform can transform the employee life cycle.

“I kind of feel that 60 is the new 40,” says Ciarán McKinney, 61-year old manager at Age & Opportunity. Workplace communication skills are shifting as the workforce is slowly shifting as baby boomers continue working past the traditional retirement age.

The trend is mirrored on the other end, too. The teen employment rate in 2021 is the highest it has been in the last 10 years. These new workers are the first generation Z members to enter the workforce, and many are starting as frontline workers.

What does this mean for you?

Generational differences in the workplace affect many industries, but frontline workers are usually the most diverse. Over 33% of frontline workers are over 50, and the low barrier to entry means many frontline workers are among the youngest workers.

Your workforce demographic is more diverse than ever. You have employees belonging to multiple generations with different internal communication styles working together. To get the most out of them, you need to manage them effectively.

Managing a multigenerational workforce takes practice and understanding. You need to understand generational differences in the workplace and approach each generation in a way that suits them. 

Generation breakdown – understanding the differences

If you’ve read the classic To Kill a Mockingbird, you might remember Atticus Finch's advice:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

Taking Atticus’s advice to heart, you should remember that while you can define a generation by a few key events and common traits, you must view the person as an individual first. 

To find common ground with different generations, let’s understand the environment they grew up in.  

Baby boomers

Commonly called baby boomers, the generation born between 1946-1964 represents close to 40 million members of the American workforce. 

For most of their work-life, they either communicated face-to-face or used emails and phone calls. They might be known as the tech-averse generation, but 52% of baby boomers own a tablet.

Generation X

Generation X includes those born between 1965-1980. It is the second-largest generation in the American workforce (53 million active workers).

They were also the first generation that saw both parents in the workforce as normal. This might have made many Gen Xers independent and self-reliant. 

Millennials

Millennials, sometimes referred to as Generation Y, were born between 1981-1996. With 56 million millennials in the American workforce, they are the largest generation at work today. This is true in the UK as well, where roughly 50% of the workforce consists of millennials.

Millennials grew up surrounded by technology. The internet and mobile phones became common during their childhood. 

The best way to communicate with them is usually by texting. On average, millennials spend 48 minutes a day texting, higher than any other group surveyed. 

But try to avoid phone calls as 75% of millennials find them time-consuming. 

Generation Z

The newest addition to the workforce, Gen Z, was born between 1997-2012. They represent a small but growing group. 

Gen Z is best known for its passionate beliefs around diversity, climate change, and a desire to change the world.

Here’s what Casey Winch, CEO of Tallo, has to say about that:

“If you’re in the business of recruiting Gen Z, you need a diversity and inclusion strategy, and you need it now.”

Gen Zers came into a world with widespread access to technology. You can call them digital natives. They are likely to possess excellent tech skills and communicate using text messages, instant messaging, and social media. 

Effective communication in a multi-generational workforce

Working with a multigenerational workforce doesn’t have to mean struggling to balance everyone’s needs. You can use the range of experiences from different age groups as an advantage.

Some companies have done this effectively.

Pair different generations together intentionally

You can get higher productivity by mixing older and younger generations as teams. It increases the productivity of both older and younger employees. 

Riva Precision Jewelry went for this when it faced a skilled labor shortage. It hired young workers who lacked skills and paired them with experienced employees. 

This addressed their labor shortage and made both groups happy. Older workers were compensated for their time teaching, and the newer employees gained experience in the industry.

Offer flexibility to older employees

One way companies have stayed engaged with older workers is by offering them a flexible schedule. This can even include working at multiple locations.

Companies like Home Depot and CVS have started implementing snowbird programs that allow older workers to transfer to a warmer store during the winter months. These workers tend to defer retirement since they can fit work into their schedules easily.

“A good number of our pharmacy customers are going to be mature customers, and as part of our focus on diversity, we want a workforce that reflects our customer base,” according to David Casey, CVS’s vice president for workforce strategies. 

Find a way to provide coaching to younger workers

The nursing field has struggled with an ageing workforce and retaining new workers. Baptist Health Lexington was no exception.

Managers at the hospital struggled to find time to meet with staff about career concerns, but millennials longed for career mentorship. They hired an on-call career counsellor and saw an 11% decrease in turnover.

The return on investment (ROI) and worker satisfaction encouraged Baptist Health Lexington to keep the change.

Workplace communication skills for every generation

We’ve seen how some frontline companies are crafting policies for a multigenerational workforce, but finding solutions for your workers might take time. There are some general ideas you should keep in mind when managing generational differences in the workplace for your frontline staff.

Keep things conversational, not corporate

Keep the team communication distributed over communication channels by complexity and importance. 

If you’re praising someone, do it over the phone. Guiding someone, opt for face to face. 

This is especially important as companies adapt to more text-based communication for frontline workers. You can easily approach a coworker in the break room, but a casual conversation on the company's texting app takes practice.

In general, you want a reason to message someone. If you see a coworker you need to speak with commented on a company post, try to initiate a conversation. 

Understand that people might take more time to respond to your feedback than you are used to. Some generations are more sensitive about respecting their free time and may wait to reply until they are at work again.  

Prioritize flexibility

Jacquelynn Wolff, a Boston resident, received an offer for her dream job. But it was in New York. She didn’t want to leave, so she discussed it with her employer who agreed on remote work. 

“It lowered my stress levels instantly. I’m able to work better for my team, too, because I don’t have to worry about adjusting to a new city or a long commute.” 

She isn’t alone. Workers worldwide are asking for a flexible work environment. 

About half of the global workforce would consider quitting a job if workplace flexibility ends after the pandemic. 

But work flexibility might mean different things for different generations. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Work-life balance varies from person to person.

Ask your employees. Survey them and find what they prefer. 

Include everyone and adapt your feedback style 

Frontline employees tend to work away from the office. You can’t give feedback to them using a thumbs up or facepalm (not that you should do that with office employees either). 

So what’s the best way to congratulate them on a job well done or correct their errors?

That varies with each generation.

"Older generations tend to be more linear and traditional, while younger generations are looser and more spontaneous around time and place," says consulting CEO Tammy Erickson.

Younger generations grew up with likes and shares of social media. They like frequent attention. Sixty-six percent of Gen Z preferred feedback every few weeks. 

You can send a shout-out tweet to a millennial and Gen Zer. They may love it. Baby boomers and Gen Xers might not share this response.

Older generations tend to prefer face-to-face meetings. Suggest improvements in one-to-one meetings and congratulate them in front of their colleagues for maximum effect. 

Ask your employees how they prefer to learn about their performance. Not every millennial has a Twitter account, and not all baby boomers enjoy phone calls.

Image Source 

6 tips to improve your workplace communication skills to engage every generation

With that in mind, let’s end with a few tips that will enhance multi-generational communication for everyone. 

1. Ask! Survey for group feedback and keep track of what each individual prefers. You may find your workers follow a similar pattern to their generation, or they may surprise you.
    
2. Use a multidimensional approach to communications and try to reuse content to suit as many people as possible.
   
   For example, if most of your workforce prefers in-person meetings but others learn better on their own time, record videos of in-person announcements to reshare later.
   
3. Pass the tools of internal communications to your employees. Employee-generated content is compelling. You can add personality, create meaningful connections, and put a face to the dry policy updates.
   
4. Have a central repository like Blink that can mix rich content like videos and images with conversations and calls. Keeping everything in one, mobile-friendly place makes it easier to reach others and communicate the way that works best for everyone.
   
5. Keep channels open for constant feedback about what could be improved. Don’t assume a few changes at the end of the year will be ok going forward. Remind employees to approach you about possible improvements when they can, and make sure you’re available.
   
6. Make it human. Let your employees see you at home, record videos on your way in, accept things that are a little messy for the sake of authenticity. Likewise, don’t expect perfection from your employees. 

Final thoughts: workplace communication skills for every generation in the workplace

With so many generations at work, you will see generational differences in the workplace. It’s essential to understand and acknowledge them. 

Let your frontline employees define themselves. A millennial can excel at soft skills, and a baby boomer can adapt to newer technologies. Effective communication grows from an environment that is open and adaptable.

Offer flexibility and show your workers that you are invested in their continuing careers. Adopt communication tools that cater to all generations and make it easier for everyone to be heard. 

Focus on what’s similar instead of different to keep moving forward as a successful frontline team.

C-suite leaders in the healthcare industry have long been interested in ways to improve their hospital performance. Now, studies show that one factor with a profound positive impact on meeting your business goals is increasing staff engagement in their jobs. HBR’s research showed that higher employee engagement levels can improve outcomes such as:

• Hospital costs (Any legal action taken by a patient against a hospital for negligent complications) 
• Treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes (Measured by the rate patients are readmitted) 
• The level of hospital acquired infections and conditions (Surgical complications, etc)

The research also found that just a small increase (1%) in employee engagement leads to a 3% reduction in hospital acquired complications and a 7% reduction in hospital readmissions. In addition to this, research supports that the quality and care with which their company leaders engage their healthcare employees influences key aspects of the care those employees go on to provide.

Simply put, employee engagement initiatives lead to better patient care. And if you treat your employees right, they'll in turn treat their patients right. The direct link between engagement and operational success is undeniable across all frontline sectors, from optimizing hospital outcomes to figuring out how to improve employee engagement in manufacturing. It's clear that C-suite leaders need to act now if they want to see improvements in hospital performance.

It's clear that C-suite leaders need to act now if they want to see improvements in hospital performance. But how can hospital leaders improve employee engagement among their staff? 

Well, there are a few key employee engagement trends in healthcare that organizations should keep an eye on, which our experts have delved into in this handy guide.

Trend 1: Moving towards consistent & clear communication

Our research has found that almost one-fifth of frontline workers state they don’t receive relevant communications from their employer organization. Our research also found that over one-third (34%) of workers can’t easily access workplace systems on their mobile, nearly 2 in 10 aren’t using their intranet, and of those, two-thirds don’t know how to.

But, so what? What does this downward trend in effective comms mean for leaders of healthcare organizations? Well, it turns out that ineffective communications can actually have a negative impact on patient safety, a critical concern for anyone in the healthcare sector. As NIMH states: 

"When health care professionals are not communicating effectively, patient safety is at risk for several reasons: lack of critical information, misinterpretation of information, unclear orders over the telephone, and overlooked changes in status."

On the flip side, consistent, clear and transparent communication within a healthcare organization creates highly engaged employees, which in turn improves the quality of care your employees provide their patients. 

So, if your paper announcement boards, sporadic emails and disparate communication tools are no longer working to effectively engage your staff, don’t just brush it under the carpet. With the pressure on for HR and IT leaders to digitize, a mobile-first, all-in-one approach to employee engagement can provide the perfect solution to both problems. 

When using mobile communication tools, you are able to easily and directly communicate with your frontline staff. Whether it’s instant company updates and news to the palm of their hands, simplified and secure document access at the drop of a hat, or direct and open two-way communication channels available 24/7, a mobile-first approach is a great way to engage and empower your healthcare employees – and improve patient safety. 

Trend 2: Actioning employee feedback

Whilst consistent communication will be vital to your employee engagement levels, you can’t simply provide workers with the means for communication and expect improved engagement. You have to use your communications channels to truly listen to, and action feedback from, your workforce in order to engage them.

Not only does this show your staff that their opinions matter, but it can also improve the overall work culture and job satisfaction within your healthcare organization, as they feel more autonomy over their work.

And the benefits don’t end there. Research from HR healthcare found that 60% of healthcare workers claim listening to employees drives changes for a more progressive business. Additionally highlighted in HR Healthcare's research, effective employee feedback has been found critical for improving patient employee environments.

As such, by perceiving employee engagement as an outcome-related effort in which patients themselves are directly affected by its success, healthcare leaders can better understand the impact that their engagement initiatives have on the overall patient experience.

Unfortunately, current trends in healthcare seem to be working away from these potential benefits. Our recent employee engagement statistics highlight that 87% of healthcare workers believe their employer should do more to listen to the needs of their workforce, and nearly 4 in 10 workers don’t feel that their feedback will be acted on. To combat this, leaders need to do more to ensure they are consistently making efforts to collect and act on direct employee feedback.

Finding the right employee engagement tools to facilitate clear communication around worker issues will be important, but one key feature you should look out for when it comes to worker feedback is Employee Surveys. By creating customized and targeted surveys for key demographics, departments and employees in your workforce, you can show them that their input is valued and taken into account when the big decisions are made.

Trend 3: Driving employee recognition 

According to research, recognition is a key driver for healthcare worker engagement.

However, our research shows that nearly 4 in 10 (37%) healthcare workers don’t feel as valued as their desk-based colleagues. This is a huge missed opportunity for healthcare organizations, as recognizing and rewarding your frontline staff not only boosts morale and job satisfaction, but can improve patient care as well.

A simple shout-out or a direct message goes a long way in showing your appreciation for your employees' hard work, but a one-on-one approach shows the organization is willing to go the extra mile to show they care about their team members. 

Ask your team questions about how they like to receive feedback. Do they prefer you shout it from the rooftops or keep it private? If your organization uses rewards, does your teammate prefer gift cards or meals? Asking these questions will provide you many options to meaningfully recognise employees.

Other ideas include:

• Recognition events (paid for team lunch or dinners etc)
• Providing development opportunities
• Personalized rewards
• Giving managers exposure to senior leaders.

At the end of the day, taking the time to recognize and appreciate your employees' efforts will go a long way in improving the overall employee experience – and your engagement levels will follow suit.

Trend 4: Understanding quiet quitting

While it's not a new concept to the healthcare sector, quiet quitting—where employees slowly disengage and eventually leave their job without giving notice—is a growing problem in the industry. 

Unfortunately, Gallup found that 32% of US employees were actively engaged at work in 2022 (compared with 34% in 2021) and that the largest decline in engagement was found among health care professionals, who realized a 9 point drop in engagement scores year-on-year. Some reasons cited for employees becoming disengaged include:

• They receive poor communication from management
• They don't believe management has their best interests in mind
• They feel a lack of autonomy and control 
• They do not have the resources needed to career out their role effectively
• They face little or no career advancement opportunities.

In addition to this, another recent survey found that 61% of physicians are currently experiencing burnout, and when asked about the cause, 62% of physicians blamed their current employer. The impact of this on the healthcare industry has been drastic.

The true impact of the quiet-quitting trend in healthcare

This phenomenon can have detrimental impacts to your healthcare organization, as it not only results in decreased productivity and higher turnover/low retention rates, but also requires additional resources—and costs—to recruit and train new staff members. 

Jeremy Sadlier, executive director of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, commented on how this trend is playing out in hospitals all over the US:

“Ultimately, this trend has the potential to make a significant impact in the industry. Any lack of engagement on the part of staff ultimately impacts patient care, teamwork, safety and throughput, all of which impact the financial health of an organization and the patient experience. 

It's incredibly important for leaders to focus on engagement, growth opportunities, and to recognize and reward hard work. These are a few ways to focus on your employees to help them feel engaged with their work." 

In order to combat this growing trend, healthcare leaders should prioritize open communication with their staff to address any concerns or issues that may be causing employees to disengage in the first place. By understanding and addressing these issues with strong engagement initiatives, healthcare organizations can prevent quiet quitting and improve the entire employee experience.

Another way to tackle the quiet-quitting crisis, Forbes suggests, is that leaders humanize work. This could include offering flexibility and autonomy in the workplace, as well as recognizing and valuing employee contributions and investing in a mobile-first, intuitive solution to healthcare employee engagement.

Trend 5: Pushing diversity, equity & inclusion

One trend we're seeing in the healthcare industry is a greater focus on creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as providing DEI training for employees.

And it's not only a recent trend. According to one study, the number of HR leaders identifying DEI efforts as a top priority was 1.8 times higher in 2020 than in 2019. In 2021 leaders indicated that “setting goals and tracking DEI progress through metrics” was one of their two top priorities for the year.

This trend is supported by further research from Deloitte, who surveyed 20 CEOs within the healthcare industry to find that addressing and improving health equity was one of their top goals. But why is that?

By promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace at every level, healthcare organizations can improve employee engagement levels by making all staff members feel valued and respected. In turn, this can lead to improved patient care and better overall organizational practices.

Rola Aamar, PhD, Senior Clinical Effectiveness Consultant at Relias states:

“Commitment to consistent DEI initiatives, especially training, not only is important for patient safety and better health outcomes, but also can be key for retaining qualified, engaged employees. Organizations that create and promote inclusive work environments and consistently let staff know that DEI is a priority are the ones that are most likely to reduce moral injury and burnout among staff.”

Research has also shown that diverse patients who see themselves in the healthcare workforce, are more likely to trust their healthcare provider. This in turn leads them to be able to communicate better about their condition, more likely to understand and follow treatment plans, and overall are more satisfied with their healthcare. 

It really does matter at every level.

DEI is important at every level, with CEOs recognizing and pushing it forward this trickles down into other levels of management right down to the frontline.

In their 2021 State of Healthcare Training and Staff Development Report Relias found that over half of respondents indicated that their organization was moving to actively address DEI-related issues. However, only 40% of those with DEI training require managers to participate.

With this in mind, healthcare business leaders need to take action now: review your organization's current DEI practices, set goals for improvement, and make a plan to implement them effectively.

And don't forget to regularly track and assess your progress along the way. Consider utilizing resources such as DEI training programs, diversity consulting services, and healthcare employee surveys to gather feedback and ensure your DEI efforts are truly making a positive impact.

Trend 6: Prioritizing mental health and wellbeing

The mental health and wellbeing of your healthcare workforce has to be a priority if you want to succeed as an organization. However, historically, the healthcare sector has seen elevated stress levels. 

As Frontier’s research states:

Numerous factors contribute to elevated stress among healthcare workers, including heavy workloads, long shifts, a high pace, lack of physical or psychological safety, chronicity of care, moral conflicts, perceived job security, and workplace related bullying or lack of social support.

And this elevated stress isn't without its challenges. Physician burnout and caregiver stress is a real issue and, according to Frontier's research, work-related stress can have a negative impact on health care providers' professionalism, quality of care delivery, efficiency, and overall quality of life.

As such, it is critical that leaders in the healthcare sector are prioritizing the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. This includes offering direct and easy access to communication solutions to allow employees to reach out for support when needed, support resources such as employee assistance programs and crisis resources, mindfulness/resilience training, and flexible work schedules.

Whilst mental health should be a key focus, you can’t neglect physical safety.

In the quote above, Frontier cited “lack of physical safety” as one of the factors that contribute to stress. This is supported by research from NSC which found 40% of people who reported feeling “very” unsafe at work reported having symptoms of depression all or most days, while only 1% of people who felt very safe at work reported the same.

From the research, there are 3 key ways frontline safety can impact mental health:

• Employees who feel unsafe at work are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. 
• Employees who feel the most unsafe at work are also the most likely to meet the criteria for clinical diagnosis of mental illness. 
• Feeling unsafe at work impacts employees on and off the clock. The feelings they have at work can follow them home.

By prioritizing the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers, organizations can improve overall employee engagement levels and decrease burnout rates, in turn driving patient care success and overall organizational success.

So let's take action now and prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of our healthcare employees. It's time to put an end to burnout and promote a culture of support within our organizations. The benefits, for both our employees and our patients, are worth it.

Trend 7: Using people analytics tools

People analytics tools are gaining traction in the healthcare industry, as they offer a way to track and measure employee engagement levels, analyze performance data, and inform HR decision-making. With the rising trend of big data and analytics in the healthcare sector, these tools can offer valuable insights to organizational leaders.

Deloitte tells us that with people analytics, healthcare organizations can:

• Increase employee satisfaction.
• View employees as a critical and valuable asset in the supply chain; an asset that can be analyzed and optimized to benefit individuals and the company as a whole
• Uncover opportunities to transform HR practices and optimize talent-focused programs.

By utilizing people analytics tools, healthcare organizations can gather valuable insight to inform and improve their HR strategies, ultimately driving employee engagement and overall organizational success.

Healthcare firms are also using people analytics to increase profitability, as employee engagement has been proven to be a strong predictor of financial performance.

With Blink's Frontline Intelligence, healthcare organizations can analyze and track employee engagement, satisfaction, and other key metrics in real time, using them to guide their employee engagement initiatives and reach their goals.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, Healthcare networks can be complicated enough, without staff having to download and juggle a number of different employee systems. 

The Blink mobile-first employee app connects them to core industry apps in seconds, without requiring a password. From shift scheduling to PPE requests to Sharepoint, everything's ready for your staff in one (digital) dashboard.

By providing a platform to help you stay on top of the latest trends, facilitate communication, and track performance and satisfaction, we can help drive HR success within your organization. With Blink, you can achieve:

• 10X higher communication rate using an employee app
• 300% increase in feedback through survey responses
• Higher employee retention and engagement
• People analytics to focus on burnout and DE&I initiatives.

So why wait? As healthcare leaders, it’s vital that you keep up with the latest trends and take action to improve employee engagement within your organization. And we can help you do just that.

Book A Demo Now

Want to learn more? Check out one of our healthcare client testimonials below to see how we helped them.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EB4EVQx04ak

What Are the 4 Types of Small Business Structures for High-Growth Hubs?

‍

Most founders pick a business structure in their first week and never revisit it. In a stable market, that's probably fine. But in fast-growing U.S. cities for small businesses, like Austin, Nashville, or Phoenix, the structure you choose starts shaping things you'll care about sooner than you expect: your personal liability if something goes wrong, your ability to offer equity to attract talent, and whether investors can even work with your entity type.

Get this decision right early, and it quietly supports your growth. Get it wrong, and you may be scrambling to restructure at exactly the wrong moment.

Here's what you need to know about the 4 main types of business structures for small businesses in the US.

What Is a Business Structure?

A business structure is the legal framework that determines how your business is owned, taxed, and held liable for its debts. It dictates how profits are reported to the IRS, whether your personal assets are at risk, and how ownership can change over time.

The 4 main types of business structures are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation. Switching structures later is possible, but it comes with administrative and tax consequences. Most advisors recommend getting it right before revenue and headcount start to grow.

Business Structure Explained

Two businesses with identical revenue can end up with very different tax bills, liability exposure, and fundraising options depending on their structure.

In a high-growth city, those differences arrive faster. Liability exposure comes earlier. Competition for staff means equity tools matter from the start. And access to outside investment often depends entirely on whether your structure can accommodate it.

It's also worth checking how your business is classified in your specific market before you file anything, since definitions vary by industry and city. Our guide to what's considered a small business in the U.S. covers this in detail.

What Are the 4 Types of Small Business Structures?

The 4 main types of business structures most used by small businesses in the US are the sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, and corporation. Here's an honest look at the trade-offs of each.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship requires no formal registration beyond any local licenses your city or state may require. There's no legal distinction between you and the business. You are the business.

Income and losses go on Schedule C, attached to your personal Form 1040. Common examples include freelancers, independent contractors, personal trainers, and tradespeople working alone.

What Are the Advantages of Being in a Sole Proprietorship?

You can start immediately with minimal paperwork and no formation fees. Every decision is yours alone, with no partners or board members to consult. Tax filing is simple: one extra form on your personal return, and profits are only taxed once at your individual rate.

What Are the Disadvantages of Being in a Sole Proprietorship?

The central problem is unlimited personal liability. Because there's no legal separation between you and the business, creditors can pursue your home, savings, and vehicle if the business can't cover its debts.

Raising capital is also difficult, since there's no equity structure to offer. And you can't offer ownership stakes to employees, which is a real disadvantage in cities where workers increasingly factor equity into their job decisions. If you do bring on staff, the people management challenges that come with growth are worth understanding early. Our guide on how to manage employees in a small business covers the key areas to get right.

Partnership

A partnership is the default structure when two or more people go into business together without registering anything else. In a general partnership, liability is shared equally. A limited partnership (LP) limits liability for some partners based on their investment. A limited liability partnership (LLP) extends liability protection to all partners and is common in professional services like law and accounting.

Profits and losses pass through to each partner's personal return via a Form K-1.

What Are the Advantages of Being a Partnership?

Starting a general partnership requires no formal registration in most states. Partners bring different skills, capital, and networks to the business, and the tax treatment is straightforward: profits are taxed once, at the individual level. Profit sharing is also flexible and doesn't have to be equal.

What Are the Disadvantages of Being a Partnership?

In a general partnership, you're personally liable for your partners' decisions too. One bad call can reach your personal assets. Disputes over direction, profit, or exit are one of the most common reasons small businesses fail, so a detailed written agreement isn't optional.

General partnerships can't issue shares of stock, which limits access to outside capital. And if a partner leaves or dies, the partnership may legally dissolve depending on the agreement and state laws.

Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

The LLC is a hybrid structure designed to combine liability protection with tax simplicity. It's now the most commonly formed business entity in the US, with more than 2 million new LLCs registered each year.

Owners are called members. The business is a separate legal entity, so personal assets are generally protected from business debts. By default, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership. Either can elect S corporation or C corporation tax treatment if that's more advantageous.

What Are the Advantages of Being an LLC?

The main draw is personal liability protection, without the administrative overhead of a corporation. Tax treatment is flexible, pass-through by default, but adjustable. An LLC can elect S corporation status to reduce self-employment taxes once the business reaches the point where the owner draws a salary.

Profit distributions are also flexible, set by the operating agreement rather than ownership percentage. Clients, suppliers, and lenders also tend to treat a registered LLC differently from a sole proprietor.

What Are the Disadvantages of Being an LLC?

Self-employment taxes still apply to active members under the default tax treatment. State rules vary significantly, too: California, for example, charges a minimum $800 annual franchise tax regardless of revenue.

The bigger limits show up around hiring and investment. Offering equity to employees through an LLC is more complicated than in a corporation, and stock option plans aren't natively available. Venture capital and private equity firms also tend to prefer corporations. Some states also require an LLC to dissolve and re-form when a member joins or leaves, unless the operating agreement addresses this.

Corporation

A corporation is fully separate from its owners (shareholders). It can own property, enter into contracts, take on debt, and be held liable for its own obligations independently. It's governed by a board of directors and carries formal compliance requirements: annual meetings, detailed record keeping, and regular reporting.

Two types matter for small businesses. A C corporation is taxed separately at the federal corporate rate of 21%. An S corporation allows profits and losses to pass through to shareholders' personal returns, but has strict eligibility rules: no more than 100 shareholders, all US individuals, and only one class of stock.

Corporations are the go-to structure for businesses planning to raise outside investment, offer stock-based compensation, or pursue an acquisition or IPO.

What Are the Advantages of Being a Corporation?

Liability protection is the strongest available. Shareholders are generally not responsible for corporate debts or legal judgments.

Corporations can issue shares of stock to raise capital. C corporations can issue multiple classes, which is what venture capital and institutional investors expect. They can also grant stock options and restricted stock to employees, which is a genuine competitive advantage in cities where talented workers factor ownership into job decisions. Our guide on competing for frontline talent covers why equity tools matter so much in these hiring markets.

The business also continues regardless of ownership changes, and C corporations can deduct a broader range of employee benefit costs, making competitive benefits packages more tax-efficient.

What Are the Disadvantages of Being a Corporation?

C corporations face double taxation: profits are taxed at the corporate level, and then again when distributed to shareholders as dividends. For a small, closely held business, that two-layer cost is the main reason to consider other structures.

Formation and upkeep cost more than an LLC or partnership. Filing fees, legal fees for bylaws, and ongoing compliance all add up. The S corporation structure removes double taxation but is limited to 100 shareholders, one class of stock, and US individuals only, which can become a constraint as you grow.

What is the Most Common Business Type?

LLC is the most common business type. As of 2024, there are approximately 21.6 million active LLCs in the US, accounting for nearly 43% of all small businesses. In 1993, fewer than 200,000 existed. That's not a gradual trend. It's a structural shift in how Americans set up businesses.

Sole proprietorships still outnumber LLCs if you count unregistered one-person operations, around 13 million of them. But as a registered business entity, the LLC is the default. Most owners building something real reach for it first.

Corporations are concentrated among businesses that have raised outside capital or are planning to. Partnerships are most common in professional services, law, accounting, and real estate, where shared ownership has a long history, and the structure suits the way those firms run.

Which of the 4 Types of Business Structure Is Right for Your Company?

There's no single right answer, but some patterns hold.

Sole proprietorships work for testing ideas or genuinely low-risk solo operations. But the personal liability exposure makes them unsuitable for most businesses dealing with customers, contracts, or a physical space.

Partnerships suit founders who want shared ownership without corporate complexity. Just make sure the written agreement covers everything before you need it.

For most small businesses in fast-growing cities, an LLC is the practical choice. It offers real liability protection, avoids double taxation by default, and is relatively cheap to set up and run. The limits around equity and institutional investment are real, but won't affect most owner-operated businesses for years.

C corporations become the right call when outside capital, employee stock options, or a long-term exit are in the plan. Many businesses start as LLCs and convert when fundraising demands require it. That conversion is manageable, but easier to plan for than to rush through when an investor is already waiting.

Talk to a business attorney or CPA before filing. The implications vary significantly by state, industry, and your individual situation.

How Blink Helps Small Businesses Build the Structure for Growth

Getting your business structure right is step one. But structure alone doesn't retain people or keep a fast-growing team connected. The businesses that win in high-growth cities are the ones that combine the right legal foundation with the right tools to actually reach their workforce.

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

With Blink, employees can manage communications, access HR and IT resources, and connect with colleagues through a single mobile platform, whether they’re at a desk or working elsewhere. Whether you're an LLC with five people or a corporation scaling toward fifty, your team doesn't need a company email address or a desktop login to use any of it. Communication goes out in real time. Recognition lands in the moment. And managers can reach their whole team, not just the people who happen to be in that day.

If your structure is ready, the next step is making sure your people actually feel it. Book a demo with Blink to see how it works for frontline teams.

‍

Beware! It’s the season of spooky internal comms.

As the nights grow longer and the shadows creep in, we can’t help but share some of the most terrifying tales from the world of internal communications.

These are the kinds of stories that send shivers down the spines of communications leaders everywhere — from abandoned intranets to the files that won’t die, each one serves as a chilling reminder of what happens when things go awry in the workplace.

But don’t worry, we’re not here to scare you for long. With the right strategies and technologies, you can avoid each nightmare scenario and ensure your employees are kept safe from the monsters of comms gone wrong.

So grab a mug of hot apple cider, curl up under a blanket, and read on, internal communicators… if you dare.

#1. The abandoned intranet

It’s a cautionary tale we hear all too often.

The company’s intranet, once a thriving hub of communication and collaboration, is now a digital ghost town. There was once a time when employees would check in daily for company news, office events, and team updates. Now, it’s a desolate, dusty corner of the office’s virtual space, where outdated files collect cobwebs and employee profiles haven’t been updated since 2016.

No one posts anymore. No one checks it. Rumor has it that some employees haven’t even logged in for years.

As workers find more convenient ways to communicate on the fly, the old intranet withers away, trapped in the past. No matter how hard HR tries to breathe life into it, the abandoned intranet remains a relic of a bygone era — an eerie reminder that if communication tools don’t meet modern employee expectations, they’re doomed to fade into oblivion.

#2. The phantom shift swap

The shift swap app was supposed to make everything easier. But for one bus driver, it felt like a terrifying prank.

She submitted a request to swap shifts, expecting a quick confirmation. But when the shift was approved, strange things began to happen. Her name appeared on two shifts at once. Overlapping schedules. Double bookings. No matter how many times she tried to fix it, she was stuck in an endless loop of conflicting shifts. Her manager said she tried to adjust the schedule, but the terrors persisted. Colleagues wondered if she’d been cursed to work two shifts at the same time, forever trapped behind the wheel.

As the errors mounted, it became clear that this was no ordinary scheduling issue. It was a haunting glitch with no escape in sight.

The only way to help her escape this scheduling nightmare was a shift management tool with real-time integration into the comms platform — no room for terrible errors.

{{mobile-shifts="/image"}}

#3. The curse of the social scrolls

You’ve heard of the risks of “all work and no play” — but what about the other way around?

There was once a company who launched a social media-inspired internal platform to modernize the employee experience. It had it all — likes, shares, comments, and the ability to follow colleagues’ posts. Employees were thrilled, treating company updates like their favorite social media feeds.

But then, things took a terrifying turn.

It all started when a routine update on workplace safety spiraled into a viral nightmare. A sarcastic comment sparked a meme storm, and soon, the original message was buried beneath a graveyard of reactions.

Notifications haunted inboxes. Critical information got lost in the noise. Announcements became a race for likes and important deadlines were ghosted as employees spent time conjuring clever comments or trying to win thread wars.

The only way to save the team from this cursed scrolling nightmare was to strike the balance between employee engagement and efficiency — where important messages were prioritized and light-hearted engagement didn’t overshadow critical work updates.

{{mobile-mandatory-reads="/image"}}

#4. The cursed CEO email

Legend has it that whenever the CEO sends a company-wide email, chaos ensues.

The email arrives without warning. Employees feel a chill run down their spines as they open it. Suddenly, meetings are scheduled, projects are assigned, and urgent tasks appear out of nowhere. Everyone has that sinking feeling — you’ve just been “voluntold” for something new.

But the worst part? The email sits in your inbox, lingering, waiting for the poor soul who dares to click “Reply All.” And when they do, chaos breaks loose — a flood of unnecessary responses, confusion, and frantic attempts to undo the damage.

It’s a curse that haunts the office every time, and no one seems to learn the lesson. Some say that targeted messaging and group filters are on their way, ready to rid the company of frightening follow-ups… but then another all-employee email arrives and all hope of progress is lost.

5. The forgotten frontline worker

The newest member of the shipping team was excited to join the company — but something was off.

As the weeks passed, he couldn’t shake a deep feeling of total isolation. He never received the onboarding checklist that he was told to complete. He sent messages to his colleagues, but no one responded. The company’s communication channels were a maze he couldn’t navigate. He tried joining the team’s video call, but every attempt resulted in error messages.

The more he tried to reach out, the more he realized — he was completely alone in the company’s communication void. It was as if no one knew he existed.

As he worked the quiet aisles of the fulfillment center, he began to wonder if he was doomed to wander the similarly empty virtual hallways of the company, disconnected and invisible.

A simple mobile-first comms platform, intuitively designed to onboard frontline and remote workers smoothly, could have saved him from this forgotten fate.

{{mobile-recognition-post="/image"}}

#6. The jump scare alert

Every time the company intranet sends a new notification, employees flinch.

It’s never good news. The dreaded ping of a new notification means another last-minute all-hands meeting, a new policy change, or another round of mandatory compliance training. No one is safe from the frenzy of pings, dings, and buzzes, each one causing a ripple of jump scares throughout the employee base.

The never-ending notifications aren’t just constant, they almost feel cruelly timed — catching workers off guard during lunch breaks, late-night shifts, or right when they’re about to clock out.

Each alert leaves employees with a sinking feeling. What fresh horror awaits?

The employees often look into the distance and share stories of friends whose employers use message segmentation and smart notifications to personalize alerts and reduce irrelevant pings. “If only we were so lucky,” they whisper into the abyss.

#7. The files that won’t die

It started with an innocent attempt to delete an outdated HR file.

But no matter how hard the HR team tried, the file kept coming back, plagued by ghostly glitches. They uploaded a newer version, yet “Benefits2024” turned into “Benefits2024_v2,” then “Benefits2024_FINAL,” then “Benefits2024_FINALFINAL.” It didn’t matter how many versions she created — the old files returned to haunt the intranet, filling up space and confusing employees. Soon, the page was cluttered with so many versions, no one knew which file was the real one anymore.

It was a digital graveyard of files, and there seemed to be no way to stop the nightmare.

These haunted files could only be put to rest in a dynamic content hub where other systems and tools integrated with ease — leaving the intranet free from undead debris.
{{mobile-hub-safety="/image"}}

#8. The dreaded “let’s split up” slip-up

In an effort to cover more ground and engage employees where they are, the internal comms team made a fateful mistake: they split up into different task forces.

They had specific groups for HR updates, operations, and company culture. Instead of coming together to create a unified message, each team worked in silos, unaware of what the others were doing. Emails flooded employees’ inboxes — some with safety updates, others with event invites, and still more with policy reminders.

Before long, messages contradicted each other. Employees grew confused, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communications. They didn’t know whose emails to prioritize, which deadlines were real, or where to turn for accurate information.

The split had fragmented not just the comms strategy, but the workforce itself.

If only the team had used a modern all-in-one comms platform, where unified company-wide and targeted messages could be sent with ease, they could have avoided this chilling fate altogether.

#9. The faceless leader

There’s a chill in the air whenever a company-wide message arrives from… The Leader.

No one knows who they are. No one’s seen their face or heard their voice. All they know is that every few weeks, a cold, impersonal email appears in their inboxes, filled with company updates, policy changes, and new directives. The messages are distant, robotic, and completely one-sided. Employees can’t reply. They can’t ask questions. They can’t even tell if The Leader knows what’s really going on at the frontline.

The faceless leader simply delivers information, never seeking feedback, never engaging in conversation. It feels like a ghostly figure hovering over the organization, whispering commands from the shadows.

The team grows frustrated, morale dips, and engagement begins to vanish into thin air.

With a comms platform that encourages two-way dialogue, maybe The Leader could finally step out of the shadows, engage with employees directly, and build trust. Until then, employees are left haunted by the eerie silence on the other end of the message.

Don’t let internal comms frights keep you up at night.

While these spooky stories may send a chill down your spine, they don’t have to haunt your workplace.

With the right internal communication tools — from mobile-first apps that keep everyone in the loop no matter where they work, to message segmentation that prevents information overload — you can save your employees from these hair-raising horrors.

This Halloween, don’t let outdated technology, disjointed messaging, or phantom notifications haunt your team. After all, internal comms should unite — not cause fright.

Blink. And deliver all treats — no tricks — with your internal comms this Halloween season.

‍