Why workforce communication is more important than ever for bus and coach teams
Across Australia and New Zealand, bus and coach operators are under more pressure than they’ve been in years. Blink is built to help you reach your entire frontline workforce in real time. Tag: internal communication
Tom King
Published:
April 16, 2026
Last updated:
April 16, 2026
Why workforce communication is more important than ever for bus and coach teams
Across Australia and New Zealand, bus and coach operators are under more pressure than they’ve been in years.
As operators work to deliver safe, reliable services every day, the industry is navigating workforce shortages, rising operational costs, accelerating technology change, and increasing pressure to do more with less. Traffic congestion, network disruptions, and unplanned service changes add to that load, and there’s very little margin for error.
For many bus and coach operators, the question is no longer whether new technology is required. It’s whether legacy ways of communicating (paper noticeboards, depot briefings, email, and word of mouth) are now making things harder, not easier.
Blink is the platform bus and coach operators use to reach their entire frontline workforce in real time. Trusted today by nearly 30,000 drivers and depot-based employees across ANZ, it replaces paper noticeboards and fragmented messaging with a single hub for communication, safety, and operational updates.
As a platform used by operators around the world, Blink brings ANZ operators proven approaches from some of the most complex transit environments globally, and feeds what works locally back into how the platform develops.
The operational reality facing bus and coach operators
The challenges are well understood. What gets talked about less is what they actually cost to manage day to day.
The cost of driver churn
When a driver leaves, the loss is not just a vacancy. It’s the sunk cost of route familiarisation, safety accreditation, and network geography training, and an increased risk of cancelled services, reduced reliability, and financial penalties when contractual KPIs are not met.
The zero-emission transition
As fleet technology continues to evolve, the knowledge gap grows. Engineering and operational teams need practical, real-time access to new maintenance protocols and safety procedures. How well operators bring their frontline through that transition will determine whether the rollout goes smoothly or creates new risk.
The “shadow IT” risk
Without a dedicated communication platform, many operators still rely on paper noticeboards, depot briefings, or informal messaging apps that lead to unmonitored conversations, unverifiable safety updates, and corporate data sitting outside company control.
Communication sits at the heart of each of these challenges. The question is whether operators have the right communication tools to effectively address each one.
Closing the frontline communication gap
Many operators already have systems for payroll, rostering, and compliance. What’s often missing is a reliable way to reach the frontline in real time, with confidence that critical messages have actually landed.
In an environment where services change by the minute, from route diversions and special events to breakdowns and severe weather, that gap carries real risk. Right now, most operators have no reliable way to know whether a message was seen, understood, or acted on.
Blink closes that gap. Operators are using it today to streamline communications across operations, safety, and corporate updates, replacing paper noticeboards and depot-only briefings with a platform that validates messages have been received and actions completed. Native live streaming takes this further, giving operators a way to bring multiple depots together in real time for safety briefings, operational updates and company-wide announcements.
It’s also accelerating staff onboarding, keeping the whole workforce aligned on network and fleet changes, and consolidating near-miss and safety reporting in one place.
For operators running complex depots and rosters, Blink also integrates directly with rostering and workforce platforms like Trapeze, Workday, and ServiceNow, ensuring updates reach the right people automatically.
Up and running in weeks
Blink doesn’t require a large-scale rollout to deliver value.
Large multi-state operators use Blink alongside established HR, operations and payroll platforms. But many small and mid-sized bus and coach businesses adopt it precisely because it delivers immediate value without needing centralised enterprise systems already in place.
Out of the box, operators can:
Digitise paper-based processes such as pre-departure checks, incident reports and leave requests
Issue polls and surveys to capture workforce sentiment, training compliance and safety confirmations
Deliver targeted communications through feed posts and short video updates, covering everything from onboarding journeys and road closures to service disruptions and company-wide announcements
Deploy simple self-service tools (custom micro-apps) for things like roster visibility, digital payslips, HR and payroll queries, uniform orders and shift swaps, particularly where access to existing systems is limited
Recognise and reward frontline employees in the moment, whether that’s acknowledging safe driving, years of service, or going above and beyond, keeping morale high and making people feel seen, no matter where they’re located
Nobody has time for a drawn-out rollout. Blink is designed so operators can be up and running in weeks, not months.
Ready to test this in your depot?
Every depot has its own rhythms, constraints and safety requirements. The most practical way to evaluate frontline communication is to test it locally, under real operating conditions.
To help Bus Industry Confederation members assess this in practice, Blink is offering a no-obligation trial for a single depot or region, so you can validate whether clearer updates, better reach and confirmed acknowledgements translate into smoother day-to-day running before committing to a wider rollout.
Get started:Start for free and get your first operational group live
Onboarding support:Book a short call with our ANZ team to align setup with your business priorities
Member benefit: BIC members can access an exclusive introductory discount
Vehicles and infrastructure will keep evolving. But the operators who pull ahead will be the ones who’ve worked out how to keep their people informed and ready.
That starts with how you communicate.
Why workforce communication is more important than ever for bus and coach teams
Across Australia and New Zealand, bus and coach operators are under more pressure than they’ve been in years.
As operators work to deliver safe, reliable services every day, the industry is navigating workforce shortages, rising operational costs, accelerating technology change, and increasing pressure to do more with less. Traffic congestion, network disruptions, and unplanned service changes add to that load, and there’s very little margin for error.
For many bus and coach operators, the question is no longer whether new technology is required. It’s whether legacy ways of communicating (paper noticeboards, depot briefings, email, and word of mouth) are now making things harder, not easier.
Blink is the platform bus and coach operators use to reach their entire frontline workforce in real time. Trusted today by nearly 30,000 drivers and depot-based employees across ANZ, it replaces paper noticeboards and fragmented messaging with a single hub for communication, safety, and operational updates.
As a platform used by operators around the world, Blink brings ANZ operators proven approaches from some of the most complex transit environments globally, and feeds what works locally back into how the platform develops.
The operational reality facing bus and coach operators
The challenges are well understood. What gets talked about less is what they actually cost to manage day to day.
The cost of driver churn
When a driver leaves, the loss is not just a vacancy. It’s the sunk cost of route familiarisation, safety accreditation, and network geography training, and an increased risk of cancelled services, reduced reliability, and financial penalties when contractual KPIs are not met.
The zero-emission transition
As fleet technology continues to evolve, the knowledge gap grows. Engineering and operational teams need practical, real-time access to new maintenance protocols and safety procedures. How well operators bring their frontline through that transition will determine whether the rollout goes smoothly or creates new risk.
The “shadow IT” risk
Without a dedicated communication platform, many operators still rely on paper noticeboards, depot briefings, or informal messaging apps that lead to unmonitored conversations, unverifiable safety updates, and corporate data sitting outside company control.
Communication sits at the heart of each of these challenges. The question is whether operators have the right communication tools to effectively address each one.
Closing the frontline communication gap
Many operators already have systems for payroll, rostering, and compliance. What’s often missing is a reliable way to reach the frontline in real time, with confidence that critical messages have actually landed.
In an environment where services change by the minute, from route diversions and special events to breakdowns and severe weather, that gap carries real risk. Right now, most operators have no reliable way to know whether a message was seen, understood, or acted on.
Blink closes that gap. Operators are using it today to streamline communications across operations, safety, and corporate updates, replacing paper noticeboards and depot-only briefings with a platform that validates messages have been received and actions completed. Native live streaming takes this further, giving operators a way to bring multiple depots together in real time for safety briefings, operational updates and company-wide announcements.
It’s also accelerating staff onboarding, keeping the whole workforce aligned on network and fleet changes, and consolidating near-miss and safety reporting in one place.
For operators running complex depots and rosters, Blink also integrates directly with rostering and workforce platforms like Trapeze, Workday, and ServiceNow, ensuring updates reach the right people automatically.
Up and running in weeks
Blink doesn’t require a large-scale rollout to deliver value.
Large multi-state operators use Blink alongside established HR, operations and payroll platforms. But many small and mid-sized bus and coach businesses adopt it precisely because it delivers immediate value without needing centralised enterprise systems already in place.
Out of the box, operators can:
Digitise paper-based processes such as pre-departure checks, incident reports and leave requests
Issue polls and surveys to capture workforce sentiment, training compliance and safety confirmations
Deliver targeted communications through feed posts and short video updates, covering everything from onboarding journeys and road closures to service disruptions and company-wide announcements
Deploy simple self-service tools (custom micro-apps) for things like roster visibility, digital payslips, HR and payroll queries, uniform orders and shift swaps, particularly where access to existing systems is limited
Recognise and reward frontline employees in the moment, whether that’s acknowledging safe driving, years of service, or going above and beyond, keeping morale high and making people feel seen, no matter where they’re located
Nobody has time for a drawn-out rollout. Blink is designed so operators can be up and running in weeks, not months.
Ready to test this in your depot?
Every depot has its own rhythms, constraints and safety requirements. The most practical way to evaluate frontline communication is to test it locally, under real operating conditions.
To help Bus Industry Confederation members assess this in practice, Blink is offering a no-obligation trial for a single depot or region, so you can validate whether clearer updates, better reach and confirmed acknowledgements translate into smoother day-to-day running before committing to a wider rollout.
Get started:Start for free and get your first operational group live
Onboarding support:Book a short call with our ANZ team to align setup with your business priorities
Member benefit: BIC members can access an exclusive introductory discount
Vehicles and infrastructure will keep evolving. But the operators who pull ahead will be the ones who’ve worked out how to keep their people informed and ready.
That starts with how you communicate.
Start your free trial today
See how Blink helps frontline teams stay connected, informed, and engaged.
Introducing Journeys from Blink: a powerful new way to meet employee attrition and engagement challenges head-on.
Journeys lets you personalize employee interactions at scale.
Did you know that a third of employees quit within their first 90 days? All that time and effort invested in sourcing, recruiting, and onboarding new team members can so quickly go to waste. That's why it's crucial to equip your business with the right tools to keep employees engaged from the day they join.
Foster a personal connection with your employees from day one, and you'll gain control over frontline employee engagement — setting you up in the short term to reduce new starter attrition, and in the long run a happier, more engaged workforce.
What is Journeys?
Journeys is a new way to set up personalized content paths for every employee. Each new Journey helps businesses deliver and scale an engaging employee experience.
It's quick and easy to create Journeys that deliver meaningful interactions with your team.
Businesses using Journeys can:
✅ Boost employee happiness and retention by cultivating a sense of belonging and engagement within their workforce
✅ Personalize for the frontline — effortlessly. With Journeys, delivering personalized experiences to every frontline worker is quick and easy
✅ Streamline onboarding: The entire employee onboarding process is simplified by Journeys, saving valuable time and effort while accelerating employee ramp-up time
✅ Create a winning employee experience: In just a few minutes, you'll have created a tailored sequence of posts that align with your employees' needs
"Journeys has been perfect for giving our new team a great onboarding experience, as well as keeping the whole team reminded of key information such as our handbook and safety protocols. But this only scratches the surface: there are a ton of opportunities here."
Katie Palmatier, Operations Manager at Lifeline Ambulance Service
Ways organizations are using Journeys
Onboarding 👋 Effortlessly guide new starters through your induction process, welcoming them to Blink, sharing key onboarding documents and tools, and introducing them to key people who will support them in their roles.
Collecting feedback 💬 Keep your finger on the pulse throughout your employee lifecycle by linking to forms and surveys.
Celebrating work milestones 🎉 Ensure no work anniversary goes overlooked or unrecognized.
Training and compliance 🎓 Distribute key policies and learning and development resources, then send timely reminders for employees to act.
Organizations using Blink Journeys are benefitting from:
Time and effort saved in managing people operations
Improved employee engagement at scale, leading to better productivity and happiness
Reduced new employee churn, thanks to informative and well-timed onboarding communications
Decreased current employee churn through automated touch points and milestones
What's next?
Ready to transform your employee experience with Journeys and Blink? Reach out to us to learn more about Journeys and how it can elevate your employee experience. Get in touch today.
Fernando has been with Holcim since October 2022. Until earlier this year, Fernando's position was a RMX driver at the Bannock location in Denver. The summer of 2024 proved a challenge for staffing levels, and Fernando stepped in across a multitude of environments to keep the business marching forward. Fernando was task-trained, cross-trained, and utilized as an instrumental resource for operating skid steers, front end loaders, water trucks, shovels, and concrete batch plants across the Denver metro.
Plant managers as well as plant operators have welcomed Fernando’s support from operations in Aurora, Castle Rock, Centennial, Denver, Franktown, and Littleton, comprising seven ready-mix plants and both central and dry batch facilities. While every site was different, it was Fernando's attitude and willingness to learn that strengthened our teams’ ability to have a successful year in concrete production. We thank Fernando for being such a valuable member of the Denver RMX business.
How has Blink helped in his role?
Were it not for the Blink platform, I’m not sure Fernando would have the same level of peer recognition that Blink offers. In order to appreciate the opportunities within our business, sometimes allowing others to understand what is available is as simple as sharing a story of success!
What does he want to do next?
Fernando has recently transitioned from a driver to a plant operator at the Bannock RMX plant, and continues to develop his production skills to sharpen our business’s performance within a very competitive market. I look forward to seeing his continued growth within the organization.
Nominated by: Michael Galbraith, Operations Manager
If you’re one of the thousands of organizations using Workplace from Meta to power your internal communications, you’re probably in the thick of figuring out what you need to do next ahead of the Workplace sunsetting beginning in 2025. Researching, selecting, and implementing a Workplace alternative is likely taking up the bulk of your time and energy and may feel like an overwhelming project to tackle.
The good news: With the right platform — and technology partner — you can take the stress out of migration and continue to give employees the intranet features they know and love.
Whatever your vision is for your new platform — maybe a familiar format, or something new and improved — it’s important to get migration right. A smooth migration process can set you up for success and minimize headaches for you and your workforce.
In a recent webinar, Blink’s migration specialists outlined their full 5-step guide to a successful Workplace migration. While we (of course) believe there are lots of benefits to choosing Blink as a Workplace alternative, these steps are relevant to any platform you choose to use.
3 key steps to Workplace migration
Migrating to a Workplace from Meta alternative is about more than moving data from one system to another. A successful migration requires meticulous planning and a launch mindset. It keeps disruption to a minimum and supports a seamless employee experience.
Important steps you need to take when migrating from Workplace include:
Scope and plan the migration
Verify data mapping and reconfigure settings
Activate and engage users
Let’s take a closer look at how these can make or break your migration journey.
#1. Scope and plan the migration
Migrating to any of the Workplace from Meta alternatives available is a huge change — and it’s one you want to get right first time by thoroughly scoping and planning your migration.
Bear in mind that while employee communications platforms tend to have a lot in common, no two tools are identical. There are bound to be differences between Workplace from Meta and your new intranet platform.
To ensure each business function is accounted for, bring together people from across your organization. Discuss platform differences. Gather a wide range of perspectives on platform and migration needs. Also, clarify what you want to achieve with regards to user experience and platform capabilities.
As part of the scoping and planning stage, consider incorporating the following tasks:
Analyze data quality: Take stock of the data you have on Workplace. Are all user profiles activated and complete? Are all groups still relevant? Does your content have contextual elements, like author names and publication dates? Assess which data is complete, which needs to be improved, and which should be deleted or archived.
Review mobile vs. desktop strategy: Consider which data you want to feature on mobile and desktop versions of your platform. For companies with a frontline workforce, it’s wise to include exactly the same data on both mobile and desktop devices — ensuring everyone can enjoy the same great employee experience.
Identify champions and trend-setter groups: To boost early adoption and usage, treat your Workplace migration as a new platform launch. Identify champions and trend-setter groups who will be excited for the new communications hub and encourage peers to join them.
#2. Verify data mapping and reconfigure settings
It can take anywhere from days to weeks to run a migration, with timing depending on:
Your chosen platform
The size of your organization
The volume of data you want to migrate
But as soon as you’ve executed the technical migration, you can begin examining the details of your new platform. The first tasks on the list are verification and reconfiguration.
At Blink, we use our own migration matrix that allows us to clearly map Workplace data and content to corresponding Blink content. However, with any technology switch, it’s always good to be prepared for potential hiccups. Data and settings don’t always transfer neatly to the new platform and post-migration tweaks often have to be made.
To ensure the best user experience post-migration, check that your important data — including user profiles, groups, and knowledge base content — has been transferred correctly, imperfect data has been updated, and settings have been reconfigured as needed.
User profiles
Review the user profiles that have been transferred from Workplace. Check that all details — like names, roles, and profile pictures — are correct. Delete any duplicate users. Also, verify that your organizational hierarchy has transferred correctly, with the right employees assigned to the right managers.
This is a good opportunity to check the permissions and notification settings associated with each user profile. Do this during the verification process and you won’t have to revisit each user profile to make changes later.
Groups
Look at the groups that you’ve migrated over from Workplace. Check that their names are correct. View members and admins to ensure nothing has gone awry during the switch.
You should also take the time to look at dynamic team membership rules to ensure that employees are automatically assigned to relevant groups going forward.
Knowledge base content
To ensure a consistent employee experience, it’s important that users can access the resources they need as soon as they log in to your new internal communications platform. Check that content is in the right place and that users will be able to find it easily. Confirm that all contextual information, including author names and publication dates, is visible and correct. Review permissions for publishing, editing, and sharing rights.
And don’t forget about formatting: Check headings, double-check hyperlinks, and make sure your multimedia content, such as videos and images, looks good and works well.
#3. Activate and engage users
If you’re at this step, it means you’re ready to launch your new intranet to the workforce. Congratulations! To maximize engagement and encourage adoption, you’ll want to give employees an incredible experience on your new platform starting day one.
Decide how you’ll build buzz around the incoming platform. That may mean notifying employees that your new intranet is imminent and incentivizing them to log in on launch day. You can consider running giveaways, creating gamified experiences, or planning a launch party — all with the goal of boosting in-platform engagement.
Remember that you’re launching a social platform: Creating an immediate sense of active community will be the difference between delight and disengagement. By going live with a published backlog of engaging content, employees can be welcomed to the new platform with a lively and pre-populated news feed.
Education is another important part of the puzzle. Help employees get the most from your new solution through training sessions, Q&A forums, and dedicated support channels.
This is also a great time to promote the internal champions and trend-setter groups you identified earlier in the migration process. These ambassadors can spread the word about your new platform, drive activation, and offer support where it’s needed.
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Making your Workplace migration successful
Whether you want employees to instantly feel at home or are relishing the opportunity to start afresh, a clear migration plan can help you minimize disruption and keep the company conversation flowing during the transition from Workplace to your new company hub.
By starting the process with a thoughtful migration plan and ending it with a robust rollout strategy, you can supercharge employee adoption on day one and drive engagement long past launch day.
For our full 5-step guide to making migration easy on you — and your workforce — download our on-demand webinar: From Workplace to Blink: Migration Made Easy for actionable advice helpful for any organization exploring alternatives to Workplace.
If employee turnover is causing problems at your organization, take a look at these strategies for improving engagement and retention.
The Great Resignation may be over. But employee retention is still a challenge, particularly for companies with a large frontline workforce.
Frontline organizations have it hard because reaching frontline employees — who work in various locations across different shift patterns — isn’t easy. Deskless workers can end up feeling disconnected from their organization, which leads to disengagement and churn.
Engaging and retaining frontline talent may be tricky. But it’s well worth the investment. When you reduce employee turnover across your entire organization you boost productivity, morale, and business results.
Here, we look at the primary causes of employee turnover in 2024 — and at 14 strategies that will help you improve employee retention at your organization.
33% of hiring managers in the US believe employee turnover will increase at their company in 2024. And Forrester predicts an employee experience (EX) recession, where reduced spending on employee engagement initiatives leads to increased attrition.
Of course, there will always be some turnover in your organization. However, you do have the power to address many causes of employee turnover within your company. Gallup recently looked at the most common reasons people leave a job. They grouped these reasons into four categories:
Engagement and culture. Employees left because they didn’t feel aligned with the role or company culture. They left because they felt like they didn’t belong or because job expectations were unrealistic.
Wellbeing and work-life balance. Workers left because they struggled to manage their work schedule or balance work with personal responsibilities.
Career growth, pay, and benefits. Workers left in search of better pay and benefits. They also sought a culture where learning, development, and career advancement were the norm.
Managers and leaders. Employees left because they didn’t feel respected or appreciated by leadership. They wanted open communication and to be treated equitably.
As you can see, there’s a lot in there that comes down to organizational culture and internal communication — both of which you can do something about using the strategies below.
How to reduce employee turnover: 14 strategies that work
1. Focus on employee engagement
Employee engagement is linked to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and higher staff satisfaction.
Engaged employees are also more loyal to your organization. They’d only consider taking a job with another company if they were offered a 31% pay increase. Disengaged employees would leave for a lot less.
You can improve employee engagement by building a strong workplace culture and by looping all workers into company comms. Many of the strategies on this list support engagement and employee retention, too.
2. Cultivate a positive workplace culture
Research from MIT Sloan Management Review says that a toxic culture is by far the strongest predictor of employee turnover. In fact, it’s ten times more important than compensation in predicting attrition.
So how do you create a non-toxic culture that supports a positive employee experience?
Employees want to be part of a culture that is fair and trusting. A culture where transparency is the norm, stress is kept to a minimum, and workloads are reasonable.
In a positive culture, employees also understand the purpose of their work. They’re familiar with company goals and values — and know how their work fits into the bigger picture.
Internal communications have an important part to play in all this. With the communication channels, leaders and managers can amplify company culture. They can share workplace updates, highlight workplace values, and involve teams in decision-making.
3. Improve your onboarding program
Those first few months of employment are the riskiest in terms of retention. Up to 20% of turnover happens within the first 45 days of employment.
If you’re not sure whether your onboarding program is doing its bit for employee retention, start by surveying existing employees. Find out what they thought of their onboarding experience. Ask if there are any areas for improvement.
Then, use your findings to create an effective onboarding program, providing new hires with the following as standard:
The opportunity to make meaningful social connections
Clear expectations and goals
An understanding of company culture and values
Ongoing support from a mentor or manager
4. Embed training and development in company culture
When employees feel like they’re standing still in their careers, they feel less satisfied in their roles — and find less meaning in them, too. So it’s important to embed progression into your company culture.
When creating training and development plans, try to involve employees in decision-making. 90% of employees say having a say in the skills they learn is an important part of their employee experience.
It’s also important to make training opportunities available to everyone. Many frontline employees say they don’t get the right resources or support to advance their careers. This can leave them feeling disengaged and more likely to look for another job.
Of course, sometimes, there simply aren’t enough rungs on the career ladder for employees to progress within your organization. But if an upward move isn’t possible, there are other options.
Stretch assignments, a lateral move, and cross-training programs all help employees develop new skills and prepare for the next stage of their careers.
Bear in mind that managers benefit from training, too. 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by managers. So team leaders may need training to become more effective coaches and communicators.
5. Make internal communication channels more engaging
If you haven’t already, now’s the time to work on your internal communication. Too often, employees are left out of the loop. Or they’re bombarded with so many messages that they start ignoring them.
We know that employees who get enough information to do their job well are 2.8 times more likely to be engaged. And there are lots of ways to improve workplace communication.
Try to make your internal communications:
Personalized — so employees only receive relevant internal communications
Two-way — so employees can take part in the conversation, posting comments and giving feedback
Real-time — so employees get critical comms quickly
You should then use internal communication metrics to track your performance. By looking at measures like message open rates, response times, and communication tool usage, you get a clearer view of what’s working — and what isn’t.
6. Launch a recognition program
Recognition is another retention strategy that needs to be firmly on your radar.
A recent Gallup and Workhuman report revealed that, by making recognition an important part of company culture, a 10,000-person organization can save up to $16.1 million a year in reduced employee turnover costs.
Recognition reduces employee churn. And the best programs allow managers and peers to provide timely, personalized praise.
It’s worth noting that recognition doesn’t have to come from managers and leaders. And peer-to-peer appreciation has some surprising benefits. 75% of employees say that the act of giving recognition makes them want to stay at their current organization longer.
7. Facilitate informal co-worker connection
Employees who have a work best friend are less likely to leave. That’s because belonging and connection are two key elements of the employee experience.
But co-worker connection doesn’t always happen organically. It’s something that managers and leaders have to facilitate.
In-person activities work well for office-based teams. You can plan social activities, like team-building days and coffee mornings.
You also need to allow enough time in the day for informal chats to take place. Stressed, overworked employees are unlikely to spend much time catching up at the water cooler.
When employees are working away from the office, either at home or on the frontlines of your organization, you need an alternative solution. That solution tends to be tech-based.
Using an employee app or a mobile employee intranet you can:
Encourage employees to set up interest groups to find like-minded co-workers and plan social activities
Get managers to use tech tools too, encouraging connection and promoting employee posts
8. Champion flexibility
In workplaces without flexibility, employees are more likely to feel undervalued and unable to express their opinions. But when employees are highly satisfied with work flexibility, they’re 384% more likely to stay for a year or more at their current employer.
Supporting flexibility and work-life balance looks different for different organizations. But don’t rule it out for frontline employees.
Communicating shifts in advance. Incentivizing less appealing shifts. Co-worker shift-swapping tools. There are ways to make flexibility work for everyone.
Neiman Marcus Group, a luxury retailer, has done just that. The firm offered its sales associates flexibility over which store and department they worked in — and over the days and hours they worked. The result? An impressive 20% reduction in turnover.
9. Keep an eye on compensation and benefits
We’re going through a period of inflation. So compensation and benefits packages are on the rise. You need to keep an eye on competitor packages to ensure you don’t lose employees to higher offers.
But, as we’ve already touched upon, salary isn’t the only thing that keeps an employee working for your organization.
A sense of purpose, connection, and work-life balance can be just as important. So if you aren’t in a position to raise salaries right now, consider whether there are any other levers you can pull.
10. Make it fair for the frontline
When an employee feels unfairly treated, they’re much more likely to leave. So it’s crucial that leaders, particularly those responsible for a large frontline workforce, make the employee experience equitable.
We also know that deskless employees are less trusting, less engaged, and more likely to experience burnout than their desk-based peers. So frontline and remote working organizations need to ensure that their employee retention strategies apply to all employees.
Employee engagement initiatives, workplace connection, flexibility, training, and development. Make these things available to everyone if you want to make a real difference to your turnover stats.
11. Invest in health and wellness
Deloitte research shows that Gen Z workers don’t feel they’re getting the mental health support they need in the workplace. And 86% of employees would leave a job if it didn’t support their wellbeing.
Health and wellness initiatives are no longer a nice-to-have. For many employees, they’re an essential part of company culture and something they look for when deciding which company to work for.
There’s debate over the value of some popular workplace wellness programs. But we know that companies with honest feedback, open communication, and mutual respect have higher levels of employee emotional wellbeing than those without. Corporate volunteer days have a positive impact on worker wellbeing, too.
12. Encourage collaboration
Effective teamwork helps to create a positive working environment. Co-workers share knowledge and resources. They support one another. And everyone pulls in the same direction.
Better workplace diversity makes people feel like they belong and reduces employee turnover.
But to make a success of your DE&I efforts, you need to embed this ethos into your company culture. That may mean changing how you manage recruitment, onboarding, and employee advancement opportunities.
14. Get to grips with retention and engagement data
Any good strategy relies on metrics. You need data that shows where you started, where you’re at now, and how you can continue to improve.
So use an employee intranet or app to gather the employee retention and employee engagement data you need. Then, dive deep into that data to discover insights.
By analyzing the data alongside employee feedback, you’ll find data-driven ways to improve employee retention at your organization.
Using an employee app to improve employee retention
Employee retention is about improving employee engagement, internal communications, and company culture. The right tech makes it much easier to do all three.
With a mobile-first employee app, like Blink, you can reach employees via their smartphones. You can share company news, highlight company values, and involve everyone in company comms.
Blink is an easy-to-use tool that connects every employee, whether they’re sitting behind a desk or working on the frontlines of your organization. It provides all the following features.
Two-way communication
Leaders can share updates and critical comms. Employees can post and comment. So everyone gets to take part in the company conversation.
Recognition
Blink’s recognition features make it easy for managers and co-workers to celebrate great work. So you make appreciation an integral part of company culture.
Surveys and polls
Quick pulse surveys. Annual feedback. Employee engagement polls. Managers find it easy to seek employee opinions, helping workers to feel listened to and valued.
Mobile access
Our employee app is available on mobile and desktop devices. So every employee is included in company culture and comms.
Content hub
Employees can access all employee apps and resources from the same central hub. So they enjoy a friction-free digital experience.
Analytics
Use Blink analytics to track which of your employee retention strategies is having the biggest impact — and find areas ripe for improvement.
Domino's Pizza Group is the UK’s leading pizza brand; their first UK store opened in 1985. They have over 1,000 stores across the country and more than 35,000 team members. Their vision is simple: to be the number one pizza company in the world. But their internal communication strategy was holding them back.
So, what happens when communication becomes critical in the wake of a global pandemic? And how do you reach frontline workers who are digitally and physically disconnected (see the winning types of internal communication)?
The challenge
Domino’s have a distributed workforce operating out of various sites. These include Head Office and Supply Chain Centers in Milton Keynes, Warrington, West Ashland & Naas.
Frontline processes were paper-based and manual with no practical way to reach everyone. Dominoes struggles to get key messages across, because communication relied on word of mouth, posters and consumer channels like WhatsApp.
Domino’s had no reliable channel for frontline communication. And employees needed consistent information – but paperwork posed a Covid-19 transference risk.
The internal communications strategy
The situation demanded an immediate flow of two-way communication. As a result, Domino’s launched Blink in April 2020 as a critical part of their Covid-19 response plan. The goal? Empower, equip and protect all frontline employees.
Before long, Blink integrated with benefits, payslips and holiday bookings. Domino's also began using digital forms for shift swaps and holiday bookings. The result? 85% adoption rate in less than a fortnight, and a strong long-term, communication strategy.
Use internal communications to create a sense of belonging and community at your organization
When you’re surrounded by people who just get you, it feels good, right? We all love to experience that sense of belonging. And it’s no different in the workplace.
Employees who feel they belong within an organization are 5.3 times more likely to do their best work. They’re also happier and less likely to look for a job elsewhere.
So what makes the difference? Why do some company cultures feel inclusive while others leave employees feeling like they’re on the outside looking in?
The truth is a truly inclusive workplace isn’t just about policies and the right training. It’s about how employees experience the workplace environment day in, day out. And a lot of that comes down to employee communication.
Done right, an effective employee communication strategy ensures every employee — regardless of their age, language, identity, or role — feels heard, valued, and part of something bigger. Done wrong, it can unintentionally exclude people, which is bad for them and bad for business.
The challenge facing internal communicators? A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works. To create the type of employee experience everyone feels part of, your internal communication strategy has to enable flexible, personal, and transparent communication with employees.
Here’s how.
How to include everyone in the company conversation with inclusive employee comms
#1. Bridge the generational gap with multi-channel comms
Older employees may feel more at home with email. Gen Z and Millennials, on the other hand, expect mobile-first, social-style updates.
Gen X came of age in an era of top-down communications. Leadership spoke and employees listened.
But the digital natives in your midst grew up with interaction baked into their digital experiences. They want the option to like, share, and comment on the information they receive — and expect to engage in conversation with the powers that be.
To ensure messages cut through with every generation in your workforce, you need a way to reach all employees in the way they prefer.
The fix
By using a wide range of digital tools — from email and instant messaging, to internal newsletters and social news feeds — you can reach every generation effectively.
With employee communication apps, you can share traditional text-based communications, while also getting creative with graphics, photos, videos, and company news feed content. You can offer both asynchronous email communication and instant messaging tools.
Importantly, you need to ensure employees have access to two-way communication channels. It should be easy to share, track, and take action on employee feedback.
Diversifying internal communication channels, while still retaining one source of truth, ensures every generation feels included in company comms.
How Blink can help: Blink is a social media-style employee app that mirrors the key features and user experience of consumer tech, like Instagram and TikTok. As a centralized platform, it also supports traditional email updates — so your older employees don’t have to be down with the kids to receive crucial company updates.
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#2. Support a multilingual workforce with built-in translation
If you’re part of a global company — or have a large population of frontline workers — you may have employees who don’t work in their first language.
Language barriers exclude employees from critical information and conversations. They make it hard — if not impossible — to foster a fully engaged workforce. Workers have to work hard to understand essential internal communications. So they’re likely to gloss over them and miss vital information.
The fix
Pick internal communication tools with real-time translation features. Give employees control over their settings so they can see company content in their preferred language.
They can even respond in their preferred language, enjoying two-way communication with peers and managers, who can then auto-translate content back into their preferred language.
With modern employee communication platforms, you can break down language barriers and build connections between every member of your workforce.
How Blink can help: Blink’s automatic translation feature lets employees read and engage with content in their preferred language, increasing accessibility.
#3. Recognize and respect pronouns in employee tech
Inclusive language may be a given when you speak to employees face to face. But — to build a truly inclusive employee experience — you need digital tools that use inclusive language too.
Many workplace systems still lack pronoun options or force binary gender selections. The result? Some employees don’t feel they fit within the system or organization. And they can’t help but feel alienated from company culture.
The fix
Pick workplace tech that reflects company values. Ensure employee directories, employee profiles, and internal communication tools allow employees to display and use their preferred pronouns. And if your systems ask for data on employee gender or titles, make sure fields reflect the identities of your entire workforce.
How Blink can help: With Blink's employee communication software, you have access to user-friendly customization tools. So employees can use their preferred pronouns and your company can reinforce a workplace culture of inclusion and respect.
#4. Personalize communication for different locations and teams
Employees in different locations have different policies and cultural norms. Employees in different teams have different priorities and daily operations. But these differences aren’t always reflected in company comms.
When you deliver the same messages, in the same standard channels, to employees across a large and diverse organization, you try to speak to everyone. But this can mean you end up speaking to no one.
Internal communications tend to be impersonal and corporate. And — with a one-size-fits-all approach — it’s difficult for comms teams to inspire the employee engagement and positive employee experience you’re striving for.
The fix
Don’t blast everyone with the same messages. Segment your audience by location and team. Then, personalize and regionalize your content. Create tailored communications, hyper-relevant to each section of your workforce.
Send information about your new shift swap tool to retail staff. Share details of the next office coffee morning with your team at HQ. Reference local holidays and events — and make sure every employee sees themselves in the story you’re telling.
The same overarching company values and vision can run through everything you do. But by making your internal messages specific to particular groups of employees, you make it easier for them to relate to company culture. Which means a more inclusive employee experience.
How Blink can help: Blink’s smart targeting feature allows you to segment employees based on their location, role, and team. This makes it easy for you to craft and send relevant and inclusive messages.
#5. Cater to every work environment — frontline, remote, desk-based, and hybrid
Without careful thought for inclusion, employees working in different environments get a very different employee experience.
Office-based employees often have access to the best tech and the most appealing benefits. They get more contact with business leaders and more opportunities for co-worker connection.
If you have employees working beyond the office — at home or on the frontlines of your organization — it’s easy for these workers to feel excluded from the best that your company culture has to offer.
Without mobile-first, employee communication tools, they’re left adrift. They don’t have reliable access to company updates, they don’t build connections with co-workers, and they get little opportunity to join the company conversation.
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The fix
To connect and include employees working in different locations, you need to take company culture digital. You need an employee experience platform that works across all devices.
(Not sure what your different employee groups — from remote workers to the mobile workforce — are looking for? Ask them via employee surveys or other employee feedback tools!)
Frontline employees deserve special consideration. This segment of your workforce doesn’t always have a company email address or a workplace computer.
But with mobile-first software, you create a digital hub for your organization and bring a stellar employee experience to every employee smartphone.
Employees can count on the same consumer-grade experience and extensive features no matter their location or the device they use. And the entire workforce gets easy and inclusive access to workplace communications and collaboration tools.
How Blink can help: Blink is a communications platform designed for mobile-first employee engagement. It provides the same great user experience for frontline, hybrid, desk-based, and remote employees, ensuring everyone stays connected — wherever they spend their work days.
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A more inclusive employee experience starts today
True inclusion goes beyond sound bites and sensitivity training. It’s a value embedded within company culture and the employee experience — and shared with the help of effective employee communication.
With tailored, multi-channel communication, you deliver content in a way that all employees can relate to. Comms tools that offer auto-translation break down language barriers. Inclusive, mobile-first tech supports every employee in every location to feel part of company culture.
A few tweaks to your employee communication strategy can make all the difference to employees. You help them to feel valued, respected, and that they truly belong within your organization.