Every leader in an organization that has frontline workforce has likely experienced the 'frontline connection gap' - but what is it?
Jess DeVore
Published:
September 6, 2023
Last updated:
October 8, 2024
This article is part of Blink’s “frontline first” series: content created specifically for leaders of deskless or distributed teams. We know that the job of frontline leadership is entirely different from managing ‘desk-based’ teams, so this is for you and your unique set of challenges.
Every leader in an organization that has frontline workforce has likely experienced the 'Frontline Connection Gap' - it's the root cause of thousands of wasted hours and measurable negative impact on key business metrics like retention and productivity.
But what exactly is this 'gap', and how do you know if your organization is one of the ones experiencing it? And if it turns out that you are, how do you go about closing it (and is it even worth the effort)? In this article, we'll explore all of those questions and give you some simple answers.
What is the Frontline Connection Gap?
In a nutshell, the Frontline Connection Gap is the failure to enable frontline workers to communicate with the same ease, scale and speed as desk-based workers.
If it sounds simple, that's because it is. Think about how the average desk-based worker gets to communicate at work:
Easy access to their co-workers via email, work apps such as Slack and video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams
Easy access to key information and updates via intranets and cloud-based drives
Easy access to key HR processes such as booking time off and downloading paystubs through tools such as Deel or Workday
Easy access to learning and development through dedicated Learning Management Systems
Easy access to other parts of the organization (including leadership) through shared directories
Easy access to feedback portals through tools such as CultureAmp or Peakon
There's more where this came from, but the key point is that desk-based workers have access to a wealth of people, processes and information within just a few clicks.
For deskless workers, the picture looks very different - let's look at those same areas again:
Limited access to co-workers beyond those in the same physical space, often leading to isolation
Limited access to key information, often still delivered through paper memos as many frontline workers don't have access to a company email address.
Limited access to key HR processes such as booking time off and arranging shifts, which often requires making phonecalls or messaging managers via text and WhatsApp. Processes such as claiming expenses often still involve using paper forms.
Limited access to learning and development, as access to computers is infrequent
Limited access to management and leadership, leading to disengagement
Limited ability to deliver feedback or whistleblow on critical problems
The stark difference in these two worlds all comes down to communications infrastructure (or lack thereof): without continuous access to computers and email addresses, frontline workers are in a world that desk-based workers haven't experienced in more than twenty years.
The impact of the Gap
The way to know if your organization has a Frontline Connection Gap is by seeing if anything 'disappears' into it.
For the best examples of this, look to what your Human Resources team are doing. Let's take Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs as a key case - these critical initiatives are often planned and tracked at board level, and in order for them to be effective they need to impact every single member of an organization. The roll-out of these will often work well for desk-based teams thanks to regular communications such as emails, chat groups, in-person Employee Resource Groups and video calls.
However, getting to the frontline is a different matter. Without reliable channels for communications, People leaders will often find that promoting DEI programs is restricted to a flyer on a noticeboard, curtailing awareness and participation from the very start. In other words, the DEI program has fallen into the Frontline Connection Gap.
So we see just how big a problem the Gap can be: company policies and programs might as well not exist, for all the frontline are able to engage with them. As a result, the impact of the Gap can be felt on almost any core business metric - for example:
Retention drops because frontline employee engagement is low
Recruitment faces challenges as the organization is unable to offer an ideal employee experience
Customer experience is impacted when employees are ill-informed and disengaged
Productivity drops through inefficiencies in processes such as filling empty shifts and inconsistent onboarding and training
Safety is put at risk through failures to communicate critical information at scale
Employee wellbeing suffers as a result of isolation and inability to access support
The list could go on - and it does. If any one of these key metrics looks different in the frontline part of your organization in comparison to the desk-based part, then the likelihood is that you have a Frontline Connection Gap to bridge.
How to close the Frontline Connection Gap
It's important at this point to remember that the Frontline Connection Gap is rarely caused through neglect or intention - in fact, many organizations have tried (and are still trying) to close it. The problem is that the strategies that they employ usually fail, and it's for one important reason: the kind of communications infrastructure that works for the desk-based will not work for the frontline.
A key example of this is using intranets. Many organizations find intranets to be a useful means of sharing information with their desk-based workers, and so attempt to roll these out to their frontline workers through a mobile-based approach. In theory, this should work: most frontline workers have access to a smartphone and are confident enough in using them to download an intranet app.
However, this strategy comes across a number of roadblocks:
Firstly, it requires frontline workers to remember a new login and password (IT teams often find themselves facing high volumes of password reset requests as a result).
Secondly, engagement with intranet apps will usually be disappointingly low - but the reason for this poor uptake will help you unlock the secret of successfully crossing the Frontline Connection Gap (keep reading to find out).
To close the Frontline Connection Gap, there are three simple principles to follow:
Go mobile. With smartphone adoption having reached a critical tipping point, this is a no-brainer.
Consolidate where you can. The more systems and apps you ask a frontline worker to instal, the more you dilute your success. If you're asking your frontline to download and login to separate systems for accessing paystubs, receiving communications, giving feedback and arranging shifts, you're adding friction with every step. Create a single point of access wherever you can.
Put daily value at the centre of your solution. This is the crucial secret behind adoption, and the last mile of closing the Frontline Connection Gap. Busy frontline workers need a reason to engage with HQ, and that's the problem with simply rolling out an intranet on mobile: there's little in it for a frontline worker, so even if they have an app in the palm of their hand, they'll rarely take time out to log in. Success lies in inverting this, by making sure that at the heart of your communications infrastructure are processes that the frontline always need - for example, access to shifts and paystubs. By placing value at the heart of your system, you get the consistent engagement you need to close the Gap (we call this 'Chips and Dip theory'.
Despite the seriousness of its impact, the Frontline Connection Gap is actually a relatively simple problem - which thankfully means relatively simple solutions. If you're ready to get started, check out some of the best solutions on the market over here.
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What do the words leadership visibility mean to you?
Is it a lone wolf standing at the top of a hill raised up above the masses or is the usual visual that pops into your mind more nuanced?
Leadership usually conjures up thoughts of the very pinnacle of corporate hierarchies. The CEO, and his or her c-suite.
Those who run the company or who are tasked with running it.
Then there are leaders who are less symbolic and more down to earth leaders like team managers and supervisors. The everyday people managers.
What about their visibility? They also need to be seen and heard but also available to see and hear from their people that they’re tasked with looking after.
That, for me, is at the heart of leadership visibility.
What does leadership visibility equate to?
The accountability and responsibility for a group of people and their ability to have a positive experience during the time they are affiliated with your organization.
Visibility equates to being both visible so people can see leaders and also accessible so employees can gain access to interact with leaders in a meaningful way.
In a 2019 Salesforce research report it was found that when employees feel heard they are over four times more likely to feel empowered to perform to the best of their abilities.
To give it their all or exercise that discretionary effort that can make the difference between good and excellent. Of course, it matters how this is done and informality can create a more comfortable environment for both leaders and their people to interact.
What does leadership visibility look like?
For example, if you organize a breakfast session where a leader makes themselves available for 45 minutes and you provide breakfast treats and hot beverages, that could be deemed as a formal gathering.
I have organized a few such sessions and found, in some cases, that there was a level of reluctance to participate. Why should this be? I would say it was cultural as well as the event type.
A breakfast session cannot, in of itself, change a culture or create a welcoming one that provides a safe environment where employees want to be seen, listened to, and heard by their leaders.
That willingness to have conversations with leaders is key.
The role of culture
If an organisation’s culture doesn’t permit or encourage connections with leaders or where they are cordoned off, no amount of breakfast sessions, walk the floors or town hall Q&As will fix this.
In this instance, the toxicity would need to be addressed before any activities could successfully come to fruition. So, it’s less a case of visibility and more a case of authentic visibility.
An approach that aligns visibility programmes with an organisation’s culture. If your managers are having regular conversations with their teams as part of business-as-usual activities, then you’re halfway into the journey of engaging employees through visible leadership.
Managers are key to making unconcealed leadership a success.
The persona of a visible leader
What do accessible leaders look like?
They are personality-driven and offer a heady combination of charisma, capability, intelligence, and social skills that culminates in a person who makes others feel at ease, relaxed, empowered and emboldened to have their say.
Not to say that quiet leaders cannot elicit the same reaction.
It’s less about being extroverted and more about being confident in one’s own skin to give others the assurance that they can do the same without fear of retaliation in response to the sharing of candid views.
Mutual respect is crucial which again is largely driven by culture .
If everyone knows they are in an environment that actively promotes transparency, then leaders can be authentically visible and encourage employees to respond positively to this visibility without viewing this access with suspicion.
Picture an orchestra. The musicians are world-class. The music is tried and tested. The venue is sold out. But the conductor?
If the conductor doesn’t show up and lead the way, each musician does their own thing. The strings speed up. The brass drags. Percussion is having its own little party in the back.
The same thing happens in the workplace.
You can hire the best people, invest in the smartest collaboration tools, and launch a jam-packed schedule of team-building activities. But without a leader actively bringing people together — and modelling the kind of team collaboration you want to see — you fail to see the desired results.
Collaboration is a by-product of consistent leadership behaviors — along with the right systems and practices. Find out what you can do to encourage your people to work together and stop going it alone.
Leaders are a catalyst for collaboration
There’s a strong link between internal communication and collaboration. When workplace communication is open and effective, collaboration comes much easier.
The right comms tools take you part of the way. But it’s leaders who decide the style and tone of communication. They set the stage for how information is shared, decisions made, and conflicts resolved.
Most importantly, they shape psychological safety within your organization. This is the belief that it’s safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and share new perspectives — all of which are vital to effective collaboration.
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Common collaboration blockers: Where leaders are going wrong
Collaboration brings many benefits — including increased efficiency, productivity, and employee engagement. But you may be missing out on all the above if leadership is displaying the following collaboration-blocking behaviors.
Playing favorites
When leaders give certain people or teams special treatment, everyone sees it. Opportunities, information, and recognition flow toward the chosen few. Other employees stop bothering to contribute. Over time, trust erodes and people assume collaboration is shorthand for helping someone else to shine.
A closed leadership style
When leaders are reluctant to share information or delegate tasks, when they struggle to admit mistakes or ask for help, they model a non-collaborative style of leadership and communication. Employees are likely to follow suit, gatekeeping workplace knowledge and keeping their guard up.
Siloing teams
Failing to encourage cross-department collaboration creates silos. Projects are contained within one team. This limits the sharing of ideas, causes duplicate work, and prevents teams from seeing the bigger picture. Collaboration becomes the exception, not the rule.
Leading only through email or announcements
Relying solely on email or one-way announcements leads to poor comms engagement. It’s then hard for leaders to convey information — on corporate strategy, common goals, and company culture — and to encourage the two-way communication you need for effective collaboration.
Not inviting feedback from all levels
Leaders who only hear from their inner circle miss out on well-rounded insights. If you don’t proactively seek perspectives from every level, you risk building strategies in an echo chamber — and making it clear to certain groups of workers that their contribution isn’t valued.
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Leadership behaviors that encourage collaboration
We’ve looked at what could be going wrong. Now, let’s look at what leaders can do to get it right. To improve teamwork in the workplace, good leaders consistently demonstrate these collaborative behaviors.
Modelling open communication
Collaboration thrives when leaders share information openly and honestly — and when they create opportunities for employees to respond, ask questions, and contribute ideas. Acting on feedback is also important. It shows that employee input is valued. And that leadership isn’t afraid to adapt and admit mistakes.
Consistently demonstrate this style of communication and employees will adopt these behaviors as their own, helping you pave the way for effective collaboration across the organization.
Recognizing and celebrating cross-team wins
If a joint project succeeds, shout about it. Not just in the quarterly meeting, but in the moment. Share teamwork achievements in real time, and allow employees to add their congratulations, too.
When praise comes from the highest levels of your organization and is amplified across the organization, employees see that working together is valued and celebrated.
Showing up regularly and authentically
Only picking up the microphone when there’s big news to share? Then you’re missing out on opportunities to engage and align your workforce.
Show up regularly on the communication channels your employees like to use and — once you’re there — be yourself. Share an unpolished video message. Tell stories about real people.
By going beyond formal emails and announcements, you make yourself visible, approachable, and aligned with the day-to-day work of employees. Again, this is great for building psychological safety and setting norms around workplace communication.
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Embedding collaboration into company culture: 6 practical tips
Beyond individual leader behavior, the right systems, policies, and practices can bake collaboration into company culture. Here’s what leaders can do to make teamworking an expected and celebrated part of the workplace.
#1. Make cross-functional projects the norm
Cross-functional collaboration helps you solve problems faster and more effectively. When launching a new project, consider which teams should get a seat at the table. Then, give these teams the time, support, and tools they need to work together.
#2. Providing tools and spaces (digital + physical) for collaboration
The right supportive environment makes all the difference. Breakout spaces encourage collaboration within your physical workplace. But you need digital collaboration tools too. That might mean creating a central hub of resources and information — where everyone, from remote teams to frontline crews, is kept in the loop.
#3. Set collaboration as a performance metric for managers
What gets measured gets managed. You can encourage managers to develop teamwork skills by evaluating them on collaboration outcomes. Recognize the joint projects and information sharing that goes on under their watch, and they’re more likely to encourage collaborative behaviors.
#4. Provide training
Collaboration relies on soft skills, like open communication, active listening, empathy, and negotiation. These skills don’t always come naturally, so it pays to provide training. With the right support, employees have a better understanding of collaborative behaviors, and managers know how to encourage them.
#5. Ask for employee feedback
Regularly seek feedback from employees and you show them that their opinions and ideas matter. To build trust and psychological safety even further, close the feedback loop. Whether you’re surveying employees on the state of internal communication, their engagement levels, or the latest shift swap policy, share survey results and the action you plan to take.
#6. Regularly revisit and refine collaboration rituals
The needs of your teams are liable to change. The collaboration tools that worked two years ago might feel clunky now. The teamwork strategies you put into play may no longer feel relevant to the makeup of your teams. Leaders should make it a habit to review and refresh the collaboration rituals they’ve established to ensure that teamwork remains effective.
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How the right collaboration tools can help
Leaders have a huge impact on workplace collaboration. They set the tone. But with all the will in the world, dispersed teams will find it hard to collaborate without the right digital communication tools. You need collaboration software for remote teams, frontline workers, and office-based staff to facilitate knowledge sharing and project management. Here’s what to look for.
Centralized communication platforms
Updates, files, and conversations scattered across multiple apps? Then you’re creating friction and encouraging siloed working. A tool like Blink puts all internal communications and essential files in one centralized hub. As a mobile-first tool, these resources are available to any employee with a smartphone. So everyone is kept in the loop.
Real-time feeds, stories, and live updates
Leaders can use digital channels to reinforce collaborative behaviors daily, not just at once-in-a-blue-moon meetings. You can use a Story, a live update, or a recognition post to highlight teamwork lessons and wins. In doing so, you show that collaboration is happening — and that it’s valued.
Integration with existing systems
The best collaboration tools don’t expect people to drop what’s working. Instead, they connect the dots. Blink integrates with your other workplace software — so employee communications, collaboration, and project management can all live in one place. Teams don’t have to hop between apps — instead, they can focus on tackling the task at hand together.
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Lead the way: Make collaboration part of your day-to-day
If you’re committed to improving collaboration in the workplace, you can’t be the conductor who hides in the wings.
Leaders have to be visible and present. They need to use every update, recognition post, and meeting as a chance to model the teamwork strategies they want their workforce to follow.
Because collaboration is built by leaders who demonstrate collaborative behaviors themselves. By leaders who listen as much as they speak, who establish a culture of psychological safety, and who welcome the input of employees from all levels of the organization.
Combine a collaborative leadership style and the right teamworking tools and you give employees everything they need to achieve more, together.
Supercharge engagement across your employee intranet
It might be harsh, but we've all experienced it: Legacy intranet systems are bad at attracting and engaging workers. You may even find that staff actively avoid a traditional intranet, citing outdated content and a clunky interface as reasons to stay away.
If this sounds familiar, your employee intranet is crying out for a glow-up.
A new and improved intranet is a place where your workforce can access the information, connection, and support they need to do their jobs well. It contains engaging, useful content that has employees logging in multiple times a day.
This unified platform, built around the needs of your workforce, can improve internal communications and amplify company culture. It also has a positive impact on employee engagement, satisfaction, employee productivity, and retention rates.
Ready to turn your intranet into an employee magnet? This guide will help you create a modern employee intranet, with all the essential features and tools you need to transform platform engagement and the employee experience.
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How to turn your employee intranet into a hub of engagement
Set the stage: Design your homepage to make the ultimate first impression
Get your intranet experience off to the best possible start by treating your homepage as a digital storefront. Elevate visuals and copy so they reflect the consumer-grade experience employees enjoy on tech tools away from work.
Use vibrant imagery, brand colors, and an intuitive layout to draw employees in. And put the most important information front and center. That might include company news, employee recognition content, or your latest events.
Some other must-have intranet homepage elements include:
Clear navigation. Logical menu options make it easy for employees to navigate your intranet. Employees should be able to access all communication channels and resources in just a few clicks. You can also add a search bar and provide robust search functionality to help them uncover any and all intranet content.
Dynamic announcements. Your intranet homepage should feature real-time updates. This makes it easy for employees to get up-to-date news — and it reassures them that your intranet provides relevant, reliable information as standard. Use embedded videos, images, interactive tools, and compelling copy to direct employee attention to your announcements.
Quick links to essential tools. A good employee intranet platform acts as a central repository for all your digital workplace software. So whether employees want to swap shifts, view their pay stubs, or complete the next module of their training program, your intranet homepage should provide quick links to their most commonly used tools.
Also, bear in mind that your homepage will make zero impression if employees can’t access it. Frontline workers, in particular, struggle to access legacy intranet systems. So ensure your intranet is available on the devices and via the login methods that employees can actually use. That might mean honing or launching an employee app so workers can log into your intranet via their smartphones.
Make it personal: Tailor the experience for every employee
Imagine you’re a bus driver working for a transit organization and — thanks to your organization’s employee app — you log onto the company intranet using your smartphone.
What do you expect to see on your dashboard?
Are you greeted with details of the next Casual Friday event? A celebration of the previous office lunch? A link to the latest Excel training module?
Or do you see quick links to a shift swap tool and your pay stubs? Do you see the latest route and safety updates — and a post celebrating the driver of the month?
When an intranet dashboard offers a personalized experience, tailored to the role, department, location, tenure, and interests of each employee, you can count on:
Higher levels of engagement
Higher adoption rates
More intranet logins
So when giving your employee intranet a much-needed glow-up, make personalization one of your guiding lights.
Segment employees so they only receive relevant content. Allow employees to customize their intranet dashboard with the widgets and resources they use most. Use AI to surface relevant content and updates based on an employee’s intranet interactions.
Of course, there will be internal communications that are relevant to the whole organization. So there should also be space on employee dashboards for high-level company announcements and mandatory reads. These messages keep employees in the loop and connected to wider business goals.
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Keep it fresh: Ensure your intranet is dynamic and up to date
If we consider the big social media platforms as masters of engagement, it’s clear that up-to-date content is key to creating an employee intranet that your workers want to spend time on. Your intranet platform can quickly feel stale if you fail to maintain the right cadence of effective communication.
So, with that in mind, here’s what you need to do to keep your intranet content fresh.
Post content regularly
A content calendar helps you plan and create content in advance. Seeing everything down on paper, it’s easy to plan a varied mix of engaging content ideas, including news feed posts, blogs, videos, and leadership messages, while leaving space for critical updates too.
Find your comms cadence
It’s a delicate balance. You need to keep employees engaged with the platform. But you don’t want to overwhelm them with information. To find the right comms cadence for your organization, play around with your content schedule and keep an eye on platform engagement.
Like Coastal Medical — an emergency and non-emergency medical transportation organization — you’ll soon find the sweet spot. Their intranet now has a 98% adoption rate and gets 5.7 daily app opens per user.
Harness employee-generated content
You don’t have to leave content creation to your employee communications team. Encourage employees to share their own posts, photos, and Stories to create a sense of community. This informal content tends to prompt the likes and comments of coworkers.
Commit to regular content maintenance
The traditional intranet is a place where resources go to gather digital dust. Fail to update intranet content and employees come to see your content hub as unreliable and irrelevant. So keep track of publication dates and regularly audit old intranet content, updating and archiving content as needed.
Take inspiration from social media managers
Create Insta-worthy internal comms and your intranet will become irresistible to employees. So make like a social media manager and create news feed posts that are quick to access and easy to digest. Use multimedia visuals to stop their scroll and keep any copy concise and to the point.
Bonus points if your intranet has easy mobile access — especially helpful for frontline and remote teams.
Foster interactivity: Make your employee intranet a two-way communication hub
Two-way internal communication is another intranet essential. When employees can use the intranet to build connections with coworkers and to share their ideas and feedback with leadership, they’re much more likely to hang out there.
As we’ve already mentioned, employee-generated content is a great way to increase intranet engagement. You can support interactivity using the following key features too:
Engagement tools. Use polls, surveys, and forums to request employee feedback. If you have a willing leadership team, you can also host live Q&A sessions.
Recognition features. Use your intranet to celebrate employee achievements — and encourage coworkers to add their congratulations too.
Collaboration spaces. Create social Communities, where employees can exchange ideas, collaborate on work projects, and connect over shared hobbies.
Gamification. Use progress trackers, badges, and points to gamify the intranet experience. You can give rewards in return for activities like login streaks or survey completions.
Measure and adapt: Continuously improve the employee experience
No matter how much careful thought you put into your intranet software glow-up, it’s rare to get every little detail right, first time. And this is where intranet data proves invaluable.
The number of comments, likes, and shares associated with each news feed post
Employee adoption and login rates
User satisfaction scores
As well as tracking key metrics, be sure to seek feedback from employees using surveys and polls. Viewed together, this data will reveal which elements of your intranet solution and content offering are working well — and which could use improvement.
You can then set intranet performance goals and identify ways to adapt your intranet to keep ahead of ever-evolving employee needs.
Build an employee intranet your workforce will love
Make your employee intranet more magnetic and it can become one of the most-used communication tools in your digital workplace. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a social intranet platform, bringing it in line with internal communication trends and employee expectations.
Personalized, multimedia content. Opportunities to interact with coworkers and leaders. Visual appeal and an unbeatable user experience. Data-driven platform improvements.
Incorporate these social features into your employee intranet and you create a better digital employee experience. You can count on high levels of intranet engagement, a stronger corporate culture, and a happier workforce.
So what should you do first?
Start by taking a good hard look at your current intranet solution. There may be underutilized features on there with the potential to transform the intranet experience.
If, however, you feel you’ve maxed out your current intranet solution and still aren’t attracting employees to the platform, it may be time for a software switch. The best intranet software providers are built with the modern workforce and the latest internal comms trends in mind.
Employee experience (EX) has been a trending topic across workplaces for a few years now. Originating as what seemed like a corporate buzzword quickly became a large-scale strategy for major employers across the globe.
And according to Forrester, the EX outlook for 2024 remains gloomy:
“Two key metrics dropped between 2022 and 2023 globally: Employee engagement fell from 41% to 37%, while culture energy fell from 63% to 59%[...]We predict that 2024 will see continued decline, with employee engagement dipping to 34%.”
These percentages are likely lower for frontline employees.
That’s because frontline workers often miss out on the employee engagement boosts available to their office-based counterparts. We’re talking connection and development opportunities, tech tools, and regular recognition.
The key issue now is what employers plan to do about it. Employee experience remains an important focus for any forward-thinking business. That’s because when employees are happy and engaged, your business benefits from:
So how are companies planning to engage and retain employees in 2024? And what EX patterns are already emerging? Here are the employee trends set to impact the future of employee experience over the coming year and beyond.
Top 5 EX trends to look out for in 2025
The growth of AI in the workplace
First on our list of employee experience trends is artificial intelligence (AI).
AI was a hot topic in 2023. As generative AI – like ChatGPT and Bard – marched onto the scene, lots of people got their first, hands-on experience with the technology.
Many businesses are already on board. 55% of respondents to a McKinsey survey said that their organizations were using AI in 2023. And more than two-thirds expect their organizations to increase AI investment over the next three years.
AI isn’t going anywhere. So in 2024, we predict that more companies will harness its potential for both business and employee experience transformation. Here’s how.
Streamlining workflows
AI is helping to streamline workflows. Which is good news for organizations – and for frontline employees.
Tech takes care of repetitive and monotonous tasks. It reduces frontline friction, so employees can perform tasks more easily. Workers get to spend more time on customer care and on activities that demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, in retail, AI is predicting increased footfall. This gives shop floor staff time to prepare the store and provide a better service.
In healthcare, AI can help to reduce waiting times, which means happier patients and frontline healthcare staff.
And in manufacturing, real-time AI insight into equipment status allows workers to make repairs before machines break down entirely, making their job easier.
In 2024, more businesses will use AI to improve processes and streamline the work of their frontline teams.
Internal communications
AI is also playing an important role in internal communications. Leaders are using AI to perform tasks like these:
supporting DEI by highlighting bias in real-time, as employees type a message
identifying employees who haven’t received recognition in a while
helping employees find relevant resources on the company portal
Some organizations are also using AI chatbots to support the employee experience. Bots provide 24/7 assistance to employees, guiding them through company systems and helping them complete HR self-service tasks.
This spells satisfying experiences for employees where their queries are answered quickly – and a lighter workload for your People Team.
HR
HR teams are using AI to hone recruiting, onboarding, and training processes. They’re making these EX touchstones more effective and streamlined.
AI is helping to:
remove bias from the recruitment process
predict the needs of new hires
highlight training resources relevant to a chosen career pathway
This means People Teams get more time to focus on value-add employee experience activities. And employees feel more engaged with your organization, right from the very beginning of their journey.
But a word of warning. Getting the right AI balance will be key. Employees are happy to deal with AI for some HR functions. But AI in its current form lacks emotional intelligence. A real, human touch is still needed if you want to achieve the very best EX.
Education
As a whole, organizations are more optimistic and curious about AI than they were five years ago. But there’s a disconnect between leaders and frontline employees. According to a BCG survey:
Leaders are more optimistic than frontline employees about AI (62% vs 42%)
Leaders are more likely than frontline workers to say they’ve received training to improve skills and stay relevant (44% vs 14%)
Leaders use generative AI more regularly than frontline workers (80% vs 20%)
Regular generative AI users are more optimistic than non-users about the technology (62% vs 36%)
Frontline workers are worried about AI eroding or stealing their jobs, so we anticipate AI education being an important part of the puzzle in 2024. Leaders will have to explain the value of this tech to employees and how they plan to use it going forward.
Every digital interaction a worker has at your company forms part of their digital employee experience (DEX). But workplace tech often falls short.
It fails to mirror the seamless digital experiences people get in their lives away from work. It’s also often inaccessible to any worker who doesn’t sit behind a desk.
However, in 2024, it feels like things are changing.
Updating technology
52% of employees believe that software related to their employee experience is dated and difficult to use. And 52% of frontline employees say they would leave their jobs over poor tech tools.
Employers are taking note. In response to employee tech frustrations, companies are upgrading from old company intranets to modern, mobile-first solutions.
They’re using employee apps, like Blink, that help organizations create connected company ecosystems that include every member of the workforce.
Available via a smartphone app, Blink doesn’t rely on email addresses or a complicated login process. It’s a secure, streamlined platform that puts company comms, tools, and resources in the same accessible place.
And because mobile-first apps like Blink are similar to the digital tools employees already use at home, they’re intuitive. Any team member can pick up an app and use it instantly.
Streamlining technology
We now know that too many tools hamper the employee experience. Rather than switching between different platforms, employees prefer to use the fewest number of programs to achieve their goals.
So this year, companies are battling tech bloat and looking for tools that perform multiple functions. They’re also implementing tools that meet the needs of various departments – like HR, IT, and comms teams – bringing all EX essentials under the same roof.
This streamlined approach will reduce the need for multiple employee logins. Instead, tools will be increasingly integrated and easy to use.
Personalizing the experience
Employees are getting personalized experiences away from work. Movie recommendations on Netflix. The annual listening roundup from Spotify. A shopping list from their supermarket app.
We know that a personalized approach drives customer loyalty. So could this be the year employers apply the same logic to their employee experience?
Personalized internal comms
Good internal communication is essential to EX. It fosters trust between employees and leadership. It also makes your workforce more engaged, connected, and aligned.
The best internal comms are reliable and consistent. They’re also personalized to each employee, based on their location, department, role, or tenure.
Comms leaders are increasingly using personalization as a way to get their message heard. They’re doing this with the help of tech that allows them to segment employees more effectively.
This means employees no longer receive irrelevant memos. They don’t get distracted or overwhelmed by internal communications that don’t apply to them.
Instead, they receive tailored messages that resonate – and that encourage sustained engagement with comms going forward.
Personalized tech
As you’ve probably gathered, tech and AI are a common thread throughout these employee experience trends. They’re integral to the progress being made in the sector.
As well as using AI to segment your workforce and target internal communications more effectively, you can use tech to create personalized digital experiences.
For example, employees can reconfigure their company dashboard, prioritizing the features most relevant to their work. Some companies are using tools that go a step further, using AI to personalize portals automatically.
Personalized learning and career pathways
L&D and career advancement are still top priorities for frontline employees in 2024. But one size never fits all. So we expect more organizations to develop personalized learning and career pathways for their employees.
It’s about making learning accessible and engaging for each individual. Leaders will make micro-learning, mentorship, coaching, on-the-job learning, and online courses available to all employees.
It’s also about making learning relevant to each individual career path. Tech tools – once again – stand at the forefront of this shift. L&D leaders are using them to identify and benchmark skills related to each role. And then recommend relevant learning materials and assessments.
Employees want to be heard
Companies that only engage in top-down communication will stick out like a sore thumb in 2024. Listening and open communication are now cornerstones of good employee experience management.
Employees want to feel heard because it helps them to feel valued. And employers stand to benefit, too.
When you give employees a voice – and listen to what they have to say – you gain valuable insight into what your workforce wants. You then make better EX decisions. But this is only possible when you allow information to travel in all directions – top-down, bottom-up and peer-to-peer.
Manager training
Good company-wide communication relies on an open company culture. But it seems there’s disagreement over how well organizations are doing.
According to Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 97% of HR leaders say that they have a good feedback culture. But only 13% of remote employees agree. What’s more, a third of all employees don’t feel they can talk to HR.
This is perhaps why organizations are putting greater focus on manager development. Managers help set the culture. But listening and open communication don’t always come naturally.
With training, managers can gain the active listening and empathy skills they need to encourage collaborative communication. They also learn to embrace rather than shy away from employee feedback.
Surveys & feedback
In a bid to make EX strategies more effective, we expect organizations to spend more time in 2024 gathering the opinions of employees.
They’ll be finding out what matters to their workers. And what workers think of EX as it currently stands.
Companies will develop a regular schedule of feedback requests and surveys. Annual surveys to track progress over time – and pulse surveys to get an up-to-the-minute snapshot of their organization.
Personalization comes into play here too. By personalizing surveys to different departments, teams, and employee journeys, organizations get better feedback engagement and more accurate results.
But simply filling out a survey isn’t enough to make employees feel heard. Currently, it’s a hollow exercise for a worrying proportion of organizations.
According to O.C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report, only 58% of organizations take action to improve after receiving employee feedback.
So to get the most employee satisfaction and retention benefits from your surveys, always incorporate the following actions:
Acknowledging and thanking employees for feedback
Sharing survey results
Communicating how you plan to use employee feedback to improve EX
Giving everyone a voice
When it comes to being heard, some employees seem to have a louder voice than others. Usually, it’s those closer to the heart of operations – employees based at HQ who get regular contact with managers and leaders.
However, as organizations strive to improve EX for all employees, they’re looking to include everyone in the conversation. This means frontline as well as desk-based teams.
Leaders increasingly understand the importance of spending time with frontline workers – either digitally or in person. It’s a way to grasp the realities, successes, and challenges of their roles.
We predict more of this in 2024, as well as a push for more inclusive decision-making.
With the right communication tools, accessible to everyone, head office can pose questions and present problems to all employees. They can get input from all members of the workforce and craft better, more effective solutions.
Data-driven decision-making
As we’ve seen, companies are using tech solutions to supercharge their EX. In the process, they’re gathering a ton of valuable data that they can use to inform their future efforts.
Data-driven decision-making is the last of our employee experience trends. And it seems it’s becoming par for the course. Organizations are routinely asking their employees:
Are you engaged with your team?
Are you happy with management? Leadership?
Are you satisfied with your experience at work?
Companies are using data from staff surveys to better identify employee experience issues. But they’re also getting a sense of the bigger picture by setting employee sentiment data alongside statistics on staff retention and productivity.
With the help of segmentation, they’re able to understand these figures at a granular level – by location, by department, by manager. This is allowing leaders to make more targeted and effective EX interventions.
But to harness the potential of data-driven decisions, you need the right tech tools. You need readily available, real-time data. You also need data that is well-presented and easy to digest so management can pivot EX strategies effectively.
Blink analytics lets you see positive and negative team relationships at a glance. It shows you the data associated with each individual post on the company newsfeed. And it has all of the features you need to filter and benchmark data with ease.
What’s your EX plan for 2025?
2023 was a tough year. But the future of employee experience remains bright and exciting.
In 2024, we expect to see a real internal comms culture shift. Organizations are finding ways to amplify unheard frontline voices. They’re also making real efforts to act upon what they hear – and to involve everyone in the conversation.
AI and tech are a powerful force that we can use to improve EX. They make work easier and more enjoyable for employees while helping leaders create personalized and engaging experiences at every point in the employee journey.
And finally, thanks to both employee listening initiatives and great AI and tech tools, employers are getting better access to perspective-changing data. This is allowing them to drive informed and effective EX transformation.
So what are your EX plans for 2024?
Incorporate these employee trends into your EX strategy and you’ll get ahead of the competition. You’ll develop an employee-centric approach that drives better retention, productivity, and profits.
Check out a preview of Blink here to see how our frontline employee super-app can help transform employee experience.
Study after study has shown the importance of collaboration at work. Companies that get collaboration right are more likely to beat competitors and have a highly motivated, engaged workforce.
But fostering collaboration can be a challenge when most of your employees don’t work from the office. If your employees work on the front lines or from their homes, they won’t have the same bonding opportunities as desk-based workers.
What can you do about this? Invest in creative ways to build effective virtual collaboration into your culture and promote teamwork.
One such way is to conduct online collaboration activities. These exercises provide remote employees the chance to socialize with peers whom they rarely get to meet in person.
So in this post, we’ll walk you through some of the best online collaboration activities we have hosted or seen working recently. But before we get to that, let’s see why virtual collaboration is so important.
Why is online collaboration important?
2500% more companies globally are investing in remote collaboration initiatives in response to Covid-19.
The media has bombarded us for years with stories of isolated, self-made geniuses. But whether you’re an individual or a business, you need to work with other people and teams successfully to get positive results.
You and your workers need opportunities to develop rapport, understand each other’s abilities, and communicate effectively as needed.
It’s teamwork that lets employees put out a collective effort and get things done — things that cannot be carried out alone.
But as we said before, remote work deprives people of the chance to interact with their coworkers beyond the scope of work. If you’re part of a dispersed team, there’s little chance that you’ll ever bump into another colleague near the water cooler, or talk about a hobby.
Because of this, virtual teams often lack the human connection that is critical to job satisfaction and employee retention. And without emotional bonds, team members are less likely to be engaged at work.
That’s where online collaboration activities fill the gap. You can use them to enhance relations between employees and boost motivation. The remote collaboration exercises below will help your workers feel closer than ever, improving their overall well-being and happiness.
Online collaboration activities for remote teams
When picking the following online collaboration activities, we have ensured they are easy to implement and effective. And that they can be adapted to remote work environments using any well-known video conferencing tools.
Plus, if an activity requires a whiteboard, you can share your screen and use any online whiteboard or note-sharing software for each person to see a live, editable page. Let’s begin.
What’s on your bucket list?
Sharing our dreams with another person is a great bonding experience. In this online collaboration example, you’ll give each employee a few minutes to think and make a list of their goals.
Specifically, these would be the things they want to do in the next 12 months, or at least once in their lifetime.
Then, every worker will share the list they created in a video conference. If some employees have the same things on their lists, they can continue the conversation offline to discuss and plan together.
Online coffee meeting
Call for a short, stand-up meeting at the start of the day. Each team member finds a coffee shop nearby, or brews a fresh cup on their own if they are home.
During the meeting, they can talk about the work they have planned for the day while enjoying their morning coffee. If mornings are not possible, you can apply the same concept to evening coffee breaks.
Be careful with this activity though. It’s very easy for it to become a strictly formal, work-related conversation. Make sure to keep the chatter light and fun.
Wall of fame
This online collaboration exercise helps employees facilitate clear communication and recognize each others’ strengths.
Divide workers into teams of two. Now ask each employee to take two minutes and share a work-related accomplishment they have had recently. You can set a particular time frame, such as last year, quarter, or week.
These could include successes such as handling a client, reducing the time it takes for a task, or gaining new insights.
After a worker is done speaking, the other person on their team will summarize to make sure they have understood the value of this achievement. Then repeat the same process for everyone in the meeting.
Photo of your life
Ask your distributed employees to take or share a snap of something meaningful from their personal life.
For example, it can be:
A family portrait
A picture from their recent vacation
A shot from their daily routine
Something they recently purchased
Whatever it is, it should shine some light on their personality and interests. Then schedule a video meeting where workers can show and talk about their pictures. They can say why they chose the image and what it means to them.
Memory board
The memory board is an amazing way to bond over past events, and it helps immensely with virtual team building.
Create a list of some work-related subjects and post them as notes on a whiteboard. For example:
My favorite team member
First day at work
Client presentation
You can then have each worker pick a topic and share a memory related to it.
Two truths and a lie
This is a great collaboration example for newly formed remote teams. Typical introductions based on “say something about yourself” can feel awkward, boring, and uncomfortable.
But with this remote team-building activity, you can give workers a fun, alternative way to introduce themselves and improve future communication.
Before calling an introduction meeting, ask employees to prepare three statements — two truths and one lie — about themselves. The lie should be conveyed as realistically as possible. It shouldn’t be easy to spot.
Each worker will then disclose their three statements in the meeting when delivering their introduction. And other team members will guess what’s the lie and what the truths are. Once they are done, the worker will tell the team members if they were right or wrong.
You can also make it more fun by awarding points to people who hid the lie successfully or who guessed it correctly.
Guess the phrase
This team-building activity has gained so much momentum over the years that companies like Hasbro have turned it into an electronic game.
Create a list of words or phrases. These could include celebrities, expressions, objects in the office, or movie names.
Then assign one to each employee. No one should know the word apart from the worker whom it’s assigned to.
Next, ask each employee to describe the word given to them without actually mentioning the word. And other team members will guess what the word is.
Online lunch and learn
Breaking bread together is an obvious connector. And lunch and learns have been one of the classic online training activities to promote collaboration in physical workplaces. So there’s no reason they can’t be adapted to the virtual world.
Get your team members on a video call and invite a subject matter expert to teach something that everyone can use. The topics may include productivity, problem-solving, and of course, working remotely.
You can schedule the event during lunchtime, allowing workers to enjoy their meals while absorbing new knowledge. If budget is not an issue, you can also offer to pay for the food.
Survival on an island
In this virtual team-building activity, give your team a hard situation. For example, let’s say they were going somewhere in a plane and it crashed on a deserted island, or a zombie apocalypse has made its way into their region.
Then share with them a list of objects that might help with their survival and eventual rescue. Next, ask them to rank each item based on its importance, first individually and then as a whole group.
It’s a great way for everyone to reflect and compare their personal decisions with collective choices. And it may give them new perspectives on collaboration.
Online recipe showcase
It’s not just eating. Cooking too can lead to an effective online collaboration exercise. With the popularity of remote work, more and more people are cooking at home.
You can start an online event where workers share their culinary favorites or experiments with food. And you can also run a challenge where employees will try each others’ recipes and take pictures of what they made.
Over to you: 10 online collaboration activities
Online team building doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be just as fun for workers to get to know each other virtually as physically.
As you can see, there are many online collaboration activities that are quick and easy to arrange. And they are essential to creating a digital employee experience fueled by teamwork and positive working relationships.
Not just that.
Online team-building exercises help you leverage the unique strengths and perspectives of each and every employee, resulting in a better output at work. So incorporate them regularly in the virtual workplace, and the harmony you’ll create is bound to help your business excel. Consider it one of the best practices for employee engagement you need to follow.
Plus, having the right technology, like one of the best employee engagement tools or an all-in-one team collaboration platform can foster collaboration to an even greater level. Request a free Blink demo today.
A practical guide to cutting through the noise and making your messages matter
#1. Navigating modern internal comms
Writing internal comms can feel a lot like packing for vacation. At first, it’s tempting to bring everything — just in case.
That extra pair of shoes? Might need them.
A backup raincoat? Better safe than sorry.
Before you know it, your suitcase is way too heavy, can barely zip up, and becomes a disorganized mess the moment you arrive at your destination.
The same thing happens with internal communications. Overwriting is like overpacking — it makes everything more stressful and less effective. When we overload messages with too much information, jargon, or unnecessary details, they become cluttered, overwhelming, and easy to ignore. Employees don’t have time to sift through paragraphs of content to find what’s important.
The ultimate goal of any internal comms strategy is to foster genuine open communication in the workplace. However, bombarding your frontline teams with long, text-heavy, and jargon-filled broadcasts actually achieves the exact opposite, it causes them to tune out.
The power of “less is more”
Great communicators know that less is more. Just like an experienced traveler packs only the essentials — choosing versatile outfits and rolling clothes for maximum efficiency — strong internal comms should be:
Focused: Stick to the essentials. What does the reader really need to know?
Compact: Cut the fluff. Every word should earn its place.
Easy to navigate: Use structure, formatting, and clear takeaways to help employees skim and understand instantly.
By applying the “pack light” mindset to your internal communications, you ensure that your message is clear, effective, and memorable — without the baggage.
Now, let’s unpack the key principles of writing internal comms that actually stick.
What you’ll learn in this guide:
Techniques to write concise, high-impact messages
Examples of great internal comms writing
Visual tips to make content more digestible
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#2. The science behind shorter messages
Our attention span is shrinking. If your key message isn’t immediate, it’s lost.
You’re competing with overflowing inboxes, endless notifications, and workplace distractions — so if your message isn’t short, structured, and engaging, it’s simply ignored. The way we consume information has changed, and your internal comms need to adapt.
The psychology of information retention
Cognitive overload: Employees process over 120 emails a day, plus chats, notifications, and meetings. Too much information leads to decision fatigue, stress, and disengagement.
The rule of processing fluency: Our brains prefer simple, easy-to-digest information. When content is clear and structured well, it feels more credible, persuasive, and memorable.
The serial position effect: People remember the first and last things they read — but forget the middle. If your key message is buried, it won’t stick.
If your message takes more than a few seconds to process, employees will move on.
Over 90% of people read their text messages within 3 minutes of receiving them — while it takes 90 minutes for emails to get read.
Less text = more readership: When messages are brief and scannable, employees are more likely to engage and act. We see this in our personal lives, too: Over 30,000 field experiments with The Washington Post and Upworthy showed that readers prefer simpler headlines over more complex ones.
More clarity = more trust: Research shows that simpler language increases credibility. Employees trust and engage with messages that get to the point.
Skimmable = actionable: Well-structured messages increase retention because they mirror how the brain processes information. Using features like headings, bolding, and bullet points improves readability.
TLDR: Welcome to the era of Insta-grade comms
Shorter, well-structured internal comms don’t just respect employees’ time — they actually drive higher engagement and action. If your message can be read and understood in under 10 seconds, you’re doing it right.
Picture this: Your employees are glancing at their phone between tasks, skimming their inbox, or checking messages on the go. In those few seconds, they see a new email or internal feed post alert pop up, and they have to decide whether to engage with your message — or ignore it.
While the idea that humans have an actual 8-second attention span has been debunked, the reality is that attention is fleeting, and distractions are everywhere. If your key message isn’t clear immediately, it gets lost in the noise.
So, how do you write like every second counts?
Write a snack rather than a meal
Employees don’t sit down to consume internal messages like a three-course meal — they graze. They snack on bits of information throughout the day, picking up what interests them and moving on.
Employees only read 28% of words on a screen, and 55% of emails are skimmed for under 10 seconds.
Assume employees will only glance at your message. If they can’t understand the point in a few seconds, they’ll move on.
Craft strong subject lines and headlines
Your subject line or headline is the first thing employees see — and often, the only thing they read. It needs to grab attention and deliver instant value.
Be specific: Instead of “Important update,” say "New PTO policy: What you need to know.”
Use action words: “Action required: Complete your training by Friday!”
Keep it short: 6-8 words is the sweet spot.
Use plain language & action-oriented writing
To drive engagement and action, make your messages effortless to read. Aim for an 8th-grade reading level or below — this ensures clarity and accessibility for everyone, including non-native English speakers.
Keep it simple and direct:
Choose familiar words: Say “use” instead of “utilize,” “help” instead of “assist,” or “fix” instead of “rectify.”
Make actions clear: Swap “We hope you take advantage of this opportunity” for “Sign up now!”
When employees can quickly read, understand, and act, your communications become more effective — and more inclusive.
TLDR: What can you say in 8 seconds?
Next time you write an internal message, set a timer for 8 seconds and read it out loud. If you can’t get to the main point in that time, revise.
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#4. When in doubt, keep it BRIEF
You’ve probably heard the old saying KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
While it’s memorable, internal comms teams deserve a smarter, more practical approach — one that reflects the fast-paced, message-saturated reality of today’s workplace.
When employees are flooded with messages, clarity isn’t just nice to have — it’s necessary. That’s where the BRIEF method comes in: A simple, effective framework to ensure your internal communications are concise, engaging, and actionable.
Bottom-line first
Remove fluff
Include essentials
Embrace formatting
Feature one action
If you can apply these five steps, your messages will cut through the noise and actually stick.
B: Bottom-line first
Employees don’t have time to hunt for the key message. Lead with what matters most:
Start with the “so what?” If they read only the first sentence, they should know the takeaway.
Use BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): Instead of building up to the key point, start with it.
Don't do this
Do this instead:
To improve efficiency, we’re implementing a new scheduling tool that integrates with our existing system. This will allow you to manage shifts more easily and reduce confusion.
Starting Monday, you’ll use a new scheduling tool to manage shifts — it’s faster, easier, and integrated into our current system.
R: Remove fluff
Every extra word makes your message weaker, not stronger:
Cut jargon, filler words, and redundant phrases (“at this point in time” → “now”).
Write for clarity, not formality (“utilize” → “use,” “commence” → “start”).
Stick to one key idea per message — if you’re cramming in multiple topics, break it up.
Don't do this:
Do this instead:
In order to facilitate improved collaboration across departments, we are pleased to announce the rollout of a new platform that will enhance teamwork and communication among employees company-wide.
We’re launching a new platform to make teamwork easier across departments.
Quick tip: Before you send it, read your message out loud. If you wouldn’t say it that way in conversation, change it.
I: Include essentials
Employees will only remember one or two things from your message — make them count:
Stick to the who, what, when, and why — cut the rest.
If details are necessary, link to a resource instead of cramming everything in.
Use bullet points to highlight the must-know facts.
Don't do this:
Do this instead:
Join us for an energizing and fun team lunch on Friday, July 1st, starting at 12pm ET. We’ll plan to meet in the main break room. For more details, click the link below:
[Link]
What: Team lunch
When: Friday, July 1, 12pm ET
Where: Main break room
Details & RSVP: [Link]
Quick tip: If you can remove a sentence and the message still makes sense, delete it.
E: Embrace formatting
Employees skim before they read — help them find key info fast:
Use bolding, bullet points, and spacing for readability.
Avoid long paragraphs — stick to 1-2 sentences per block.
Use emojis or icons (sparingly!) to draw attention in digital comms.
Before:
After:
“The new shift scheduling system will go live next Monday. All employees must log in before Friday to update their availability. The new system includes improvements in user experience and scheduling flexibility, and training resources are available in the employee portal.”
📢 New scheduling system launches Monday
🗓️ Update your availability by Friday
✨ What’s new: Easier interface + more flexibility
🎥 Training video here: [Link]
Quick tip: Design your message like a social media post — scannable, engaging, and to the point.
F: Feature one action
If you ask employees to do multiple things, they’ll do none:
Every message should drive one clear action.
Place the call to action (CTA) at the end — make it specific and easy to follow.
Lead action verbs: For example, “Update your profile by Friday” is a lot more compelling than “If you could update your profile before the end of the week, that would be great.”
Don't do this:
Do this instead:
We hope you’ll review the new policy, update your preferences, and attend the training session next week!
✅ Action required: Complete your profile update by Friday.
Quick tip: If your message has more than one action, split it into separate comms.
TLDR: BRIEF is better
Employees don’t need more communication — they need better communication. Applying the BRIEF method will help your internal comms stand out, be remembered, and most importantly — be acted upon.
Now, try this: Take a recent internal email or message and apply the BRIEF method. Can you make it 50% shorter without losing meaning?
#5. The evolving role of visuals
A well-placed image, GIF, or micro-video can convey information faster and more effectively than a wall of text. Employees are bombarded with messages daily — so making your comms visually engaging isn’t just nice to have, it’s a must.
Images, icons, emojis
To simplify complex information… Incorporate charts or infographics.
To add personality and emotion… Throw in a GIF or emoji — especially for executive communications, these can make a message feel more human.
To direct attention… Use a well-placed arrows highlight, or icon
To reinforce brand and culture… Include team photos, event snapshots, and user-generated content
Try this: Instead of sending a long email about a new policy, post a 30-second video from leadership or an animated explainer — it’s faster, more engaging, and easier to remember.
75% of employees prefer visual aids, like videos or infographics, over text-based internal communications.
Employees are used to short-form content — think TikTok videos and Instagram stories and reels. Wherever possible, internal comms should embrace this quick, visual format to create an engaging employee experience that rivals social media platforms.
Good use cases for micro-videos include:
Leadership updates: A quick 1-minute message from the CEO beats a long email.
Policy changes: An animated explainer and visual aids can make complex information much easier to digest.
Employee recognition: A fun, shareable shoutout video is more engaging than a text announcement.
TLDR: Show, don’t tell
If a picture’s worth 1,000 words, then a well-placed image, GIF, or video can save your employees a whole lot of reading.
Next time you craft a message, ask yourself: Could this be a visual instead? If so, make the switch — your employees will thank you.
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#6. Right message, right place
You wouldn’t send a virtual meeting invite via a printed flyer. So why would you rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to your internal comms strategy?
Different messages belong in different places — and using the right channel can mean the difference between being seen and being ignored.
Match the message to the medium
Consider the best-fit channel for the message or content you’re planning to share. What channels do you have at your disposal — and where do you think employees are most likely to engage with you?
Short-form, high-impact updates? Post them in your internal news feed or Stories.
Team-specific reminders? Drop them in a group message.
Company-wide announcements? Send via a scannable email — or, even better, a video or recorded live stream!
Need engagement or feedback? Use interactive polls or quick emoji reactions.
As a general rule of thumb, the shorter the message, the more dynamic the format should be.
80% of the global workforce does not sit behind a desk to do their jobs.
Employees consume content differently: Some prefer mobile updates, others check email. And beyond preferences, content engagement will likely vary based on where, when, and how they work. Your workers on the frontline will see your messages in a much different way than your remote employees or office-based staff.
Repetition increases retention: Seeing a message in multiple places boosts awareness. Dismiss a “one and done” mindset — get creative sharing the same update or information in different ways across multiple channels!
Urgency varies: A chat notification or message marked as a Mandatory Read may get an instant response, while an email detailing a policy update or new benefit might sit unread.
TLDR: Even the best message will be ignored if it’s in the wrong place
Your workforce isn’t sitting at a desk refreshing email all day. The more you adapt your message to the right channel, the more likely it is to be seen, understood, and acted on.
Next time you send an update, ask yourself: Am I using the right channel for this message?
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#7. Measuring your success
Writing concise, scannable internal comms is only half the battle — the real test is whether employees read, understand, and act on your messages. Here’s how to track the impact of a “less is more” approach and continuously refine your strategy.
(Keep in mind: Not all internal comms platforms are made the same. Take a close look at which insights you’re able to glean from your tool of choice. If your platform can’t capture helpful internal comms insights, it may be time to make a change!)
#1. Open rates: Are employees clicking?
What to measure:
Email open rates: Are employees even opening your messages?
Push notification click-through rates: Do mobile alerts drive engagement?
Intranet post views: Are employees interested in your intranet content?
Try this: Compare open rates for long-winded subject lines vs. punchy, action-driven ones (e.g., “All-staff meeting agenda” vs. “🚀 Big updates: Here’s what’s next”). Track whether shorter, clearer emails lead to higher engagement.
9 in 10 employees want weekly communication from their company — and 1 in 3 want daily communication.
Read time: Are employees skimming or fully reading?
Likes, comments, shares: Do they engage with the content?
Survey completion rates: Are they responding to quick polls or feedback requests
Try this: Post two versions of the same message — one long, one short — to see how it impacts engagement. And be sure to keep all other factors (such as publishing time, day, and channel) the same in order to compare your messages in a true A/B test format.
#3. Feedback loops: Are messages hitting the mark?
What to measure:
Employee feedback surveys: Do employees feel well-informed?
Pulse checks: Send a one-question poll (e.g., “Was this message clear?” 👍👎)
Manager check-ins: Are teams receiving and acting on important updates?
Try this: Make it interactive by adding a quick emoji reaction option to messages to gauge sentiment. Or create a “Too long? Too short? Just right?” poll to see what format employees prefer.
TLDR: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it
The best internal comms strategies evolve. Keep testing, measuring, and refining. If engagement improves, double down on what works — if it doesn’t, adjust and experiment.
Remember: The goal isn’t just to send messages — it’s to make sure they’re read, understood, and acted on.
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#8. Final thought: Less is more, every time
TLDR: It’s time to TLDR your own content
You’ve learned that less really is more when it comes to internal comms. Whether it’s writing scannable messages, using visuals to replace dense paragraphs, or crafting bite-sized, memorable updates, the goal remains the same: Make it easy for employees to read, understand, and act.
Great internal comms aren’t about saying more — they’re about saying the right things, in the right way. The next time you write a message, ask yourself:
Would I actually read this?
Is this eye-catching enough?
What can I cut without losing meaning?
Now, it’s your turn to put these strategies into action.
Your challenge: Try this in your next message
The next time you write an internal communication, challenge yourself to:
Give it a headline of 6 words or less
Include a relevant image, GIF, or video
Try shortening the message by 30%
Mastering concise, high-impact internal comms won’t just make your messages better — it’ll make your workplace more connected, engaged, and informed.
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