Why employee stories should be part of your employer branding strategy plus real company examples for sharing them with maximum impact.
What was your company’s latest social media post? Was it about your product? Or was it about your people?
How often do you feature employee stories on your social media? (If you do it at all.)
As any marketer knows, social media is one of the most important tools in their kit, providing instant reach to an audience in real time. And yet, while millions of businesses have social media accounts, two critical factors are too often overlooked:
Social media is social, meaning it’s meant to be a two-way conversation, not a broadcast
Marketing your people and values is just as important as marketing your goods and services
Why you should feature employee stories on social media
Sharing employee stories on social media shows potential job candidates what they can expect from your company culture. It’s also cost-effective and possible with a dispersed team.
79% of consumers prefer buying from brands with aligned values
68% have stopped supporting brands that don’t align with their personal values
That alignment also applies to employees, who are increasingly seeking out workplaces that fit their values. Which is why featuring employee stories on your social media is so important. Sharing employee stories on social media is a way to showcase your company culture and values and attract customers and potential hires alike.
But how do you share employee stories in a way that’s authentic and engaging?
Here are five ways to feature employee stories on social media that will work for remote and in-person workplaces, starring examples from Certified™ great workplaces around the globe.
How to share employee stories on social media
1. Employee social media take-overs
Hand your account(s) over to your employees and let them speak for themselves. That could be something like a “day in the life” on TikTok, an interactive Twitter chat, or an Instagram ‘Ask Me Anything.’
Of course, blindly giving the reins of your brand accounts may not fly with your PR and communications team. But if the employee and the marketing team collaborate on the message, you can come up with some creative and authentic employee stories. Best Workplace Version 1, for example, have shared “day in the life” videos of employees like Amardeep, which give a glimpse into what working there is like.
2. Participate in theme days for maximum reach
Global theme days (or even themed weeks or months) are a social media gold mine. Not only do they supply you with a focused content topic, but they enable you to take part in a worldwide conversation and reach more people.
Days like Employee Appreciation Day, Certification Nation Day or World Mental Health Day are perfect times to show off how your workplace is making the world better – especially when you can connect those themes directly to your employees’ stories.
For example, check out how Edrington UK honoured the women on its team for International Women’s Day, through a fun video highlighting why each woman had been nominated for recognition.
3. Think beyond the workplace
Great workplaces recognise that their employees have lives beyond the office. While it’s great (and encouraged!) to praise employees for their hard work, why not extend that and shout out some of the amazing things they’re doing outside of work?
Maybe you have an employee who volunteers with a charity, or who has a fascinating hobby, or a talent beyond their 9-to-5. Show off the personality of your people and in doing so, you’ll convey how your business puts its people first. Aer Studios, for example, welcomed a new employee to the team with a fun ‘two truths and a lie’ post.
4. Share your stats for transparency
If done right, numbers can be very eye-catching on social media. If done wrong, they’re just another boring statistic.
When it comes to social media, think visual: graphs or infographics that are easy to read at a quick glance. And be selective with which numbers you want to present.
Tap into the stats that truly set your company apart, whether that’s:
how many women you have in leadership positions
how your salaries compare to the competition
how your employees answered your latest pulse survey.
If you’re stuck for ideas, why not try taking a look at what’s trending? From TikTok audios to Instagram buzzwords, there’s plenty of ways to adapt current trends for your organisations’ socials – like Signable, part of Domo Group, who shared their ‘office icks’ in a fun video for Instagram
Brilliant ideas for promoting your company culture award inspired by how Certified™ great workplaces celebrate their workplace recognition.
Did you recently become Great Place To Work® Certified™ or named a Best Workplaces™winner? It’s time to tell the world that you’ve created a company culture worth celebrating!
Seeking positive ways to identify and promote company culture is one of the most powerful tools you have. Too few companies take the time to align smart, inclusive company culture ideas to their business growth strategies, but you’ve done it. Now’s the time to share and recognize this amazing achievement. Go ahead, tell the world you’ve earned Great Place To Work Certification™.
Company culture award and its significance
A company culture award honors your organizational drive to build and sustain an exceptional work environment for employees. It demonstrates your company’s ability to create the values, beliefs, and practices necessary to support staff well-being, growth, and satisfaction. You’ve shown a true commitment to advancing a workplace where employees can flourish both personally and professionally.
Importance of promoting company culture and its impact
Your company culture award isn’t just for show – it has the ability to positively impact your organization. Actively promoting this hard-earned distinction will notably enhance employee engagement, whether it’s by sharing highlight reels on social media or hosting celebratory virtual events for remote workers. When employees see external validation of their workplace, they feel a sense of pride and belonging.
They become more motivated and loyal. A strong company culture also plays a crucial role in boosting productivity. By highlighting your award in newsletters and press releases, you showcase exactly how your organization values and invests in employee well-being. This fosters trust and encourages collaboration, empowering your workforce to bring their best selves every day. The result? Increased efficiency, cohesive teamwork, and improved performance.
Fostering belonging and teamwork among employees
A strong sense of belonging and teamwork not only improves employee satisfaction and morale but also heightens productivity and collaboration. When employees feel they are truly part of a supportive team, they are more likely to thrive. They’ll go the extra mile, share knowledge, and support each other’s success.
Choosing a platform to celebrate
When it comes to celebrating your company culture award, there are many options to communicate your win. A formal press release to mainstream news outlets and specialized trade publications shines attention on your workplace. A website blog is an excellent way to highlight many of the essential employees who make your organization an ideal place to work. Online celebrations are a jovial way to mark this award. (Pro tip: We recommend doing them all!)
Press releases
Companies use press releases as a strategic communication tool to disseminate important announcements. They effectively spread your expertly crafted message to a wide audience that includes the media, stakeholders, customers, and the general public. Here are key reasons why press releases play a critical role in sharing your award news:
● Media visibility: Press releases are designed to catch the attention of journalists and media outlets.
● Controlled messaging: These releases also allow your company to shape and control the narrative surrounding your news.
● Timely communication: Press releases enable your organization to deliver time-sensitive information efficiently.
● Stakeholder engagement: Beyond the media, press releases are a great way to communicate with stakeholders, including your investors, employees, partners, and customers.
● SEO and online visibility: Press releases distributed through online platforms can improve your company’s search engine optimization (SEO) visibility.
● Brand building: When you consistently share positive news and updates through press releases, you also build and reinforce your organization’s brand image.
Promote it in a newsletter
A newsletter is another valuable communication tool for sharing company news such as culture awards. Its ability to deliver targeted and frequent updates directly engages with a receptive audience. Here’s why you should share your major win in a newsletter:
● Targeted distribution: Newsletters allow your company to reach a specific audience that already has opted in to receive such emails.
● Engagement and attention: Subscribers to your newsletter are more likely to be interested and perhaps involved in your company’s activities.
● Consistent communication: Newsletters provide a platform for regular and dependable communication. This is especially critical when you have an ongoing updates about company culture, awards, achievements, and other developments.
● Brand building: A well-tailored newsletter reinforces your company’s brand identity and values.
● Detailed information: Newsletters offer a chance for in-depth coverage of company news compared to shorter announcements and promotions.
● Visual appeal: You can incorporate dynamic graphics, images, and even videos to dramatically present your culture award in a newsletter.
● Two-way communication: Newsletters should include calls-to-action, such as feedback surveys or links to social media. This is an easy and efficient way to get the recipients involved. Have them share their thoughts and connect with your company’s content to build a sense of community.
● Data insights: Many newsletter platforms provide analytics that track email open rates, click-through rates, and other engagement metrics. This data helps your company understand which content resonates most with your audience, so you can adjust future newsletters accordingly.
● Internal alignment: For larger organizations, a newsletter spotlighting company achievements can bring together various teams and departments. It effectively imparts information that aligns with the company’s culture and accomplishments.
Promote your company culture award on a blog
A website blog plays a crucial role in shaping your company culture and highlighting this award with a wider audience. You completely control its content and tone while sharing important news about your organization. Here’s why a company-sponsored blog is vital to molding your employer brand:
● Detailed coverage: A blog post allows for in-depth coverage of your company culture award.
● SEO benefits: Publishing a thoughtful blog post on your organization’s website can improve search engine optimization.
● Permanent record: A blog post serves as a permanent record of your company’s achievements.
● Shareability: Blog posts are easily shareable across social media platforms, email newsletters, and other communication channels.
● Engagement and interaction: Blog readers love to post comments. Having them share their thoughts, congratulations, and questions can cultivate community.
● Storytelling: A blog post provides an opportunity to tell the captivating story behind your culture award.
● Media and press reference: A thorough and informative blog post can serve as a source of inspiration for journalists and bloggers interested in covering the award.
● Educational content: Beyond just announcing the award, a blog post can educate its audience about how your company’s culture, values, and initiatives contributed to the win.
● Internal communication: Sharing the blog post internally keeps all employees informed about the award and your company’s recognition.
Virtual celebration ideas
Reinforce a positive work environment by hosting virtual events for remote workers to celebrate their company culture award. Assembling your team for a happy occasion can boost morale and camaraderie, which leads to stronger social support and connection among remote employees. Put these five ideas in action to make your online celebrations memorable:
● Virtual awards ceremony: Host a virtual event dedicated to the company culture award. Gather all team members on a video conference and have senior leaders or managers present the award. Share the significance of your award, the criteria for winning, and highlight the values it represents.
● Personalized video messages: Ask your team to record short video messages commemorating the award or expressing what company culture means to them. Compile these videos into a heartwarming montage that can be played during a virtual meeting or shared on the company’s communication platform.
● Interactive virtual workshop: Coordinate a virtual workshop or training session related to the core values of your company culture. It can focus on teamwork, communication, or any other relevant topic. This not only celebrates the award, but also reinforces the culture you’re celebrating.
● Virtual culture wall: Create a virtual culture wall where team members can post messages, images, and videos that celebrate your award and company culture. This can be set up on your company’s intranet or collaboration platform, providing a digital space for sharing appreciation and memories.
● Virtual team-building activity: Plan a team-building activity that aligns with the company culture and award. Think virtual escape room, collaborative art project, or online scavenger hunt. This allows team members to be active participants while strengthening their workplace bonds.
Record these moments and reveal them on social media!
Social media channels
Social media is essential to sharing important news about your company culture award. It rapidly and widely disseminates information, engages with various audiences, and amplifies the positive impact of your award. Here’s why you should use social media:
● Instant reach: Share your good news immediately and globally. With just a few clicks, information about your culture award can reach a vast audience that includes employees, stakeholders, customers, partners, and the general public.
● Engagement: Directly interact with your audience through social media platforms. People can like, comment, share, and engage with your post, which builds community and allows your company to quickly respond to congratulatory messages and inquiries.
● Viral potential: If your culture award news resonates with an audience, it has the potential to go viral. When you share news on social media, it can reach an even broader audience than intended. This creates buzz and raises visibility.
● Visual impact: Social media strongly supports visual content, such as images and videos. Share images of your award ceremony, employees celebrating, or interview snippets for greater impact.
● Storytelling: Social media invites creative storytelling. Use short captions, hashtags, and multimedia elements to reveal the story behind the award. Highlight the individuals who contributed to it.
● Brand reputation: Reinforce a positive employer brand reputation through upbeat news about your culture award. Maximize social media to show the ways your company values its employees, recognizes their efforts, and is committed to creating a positive work environment.
● Employee morale: Celebrate your culture award on social media to boost goodwill among employees. Your team will feel appreciated and proud to be part of an organization that receives worldwide company recognition for its culture and values.
● Transparency: Showcase your company’s achievements in a public space to build trust and community with customers and stakeholders. Sharing your culture award on social media demonstrates authenticity.
● Real-time updates: Social media gives you the ability to update in real time and go live with award festivities. Keep your audience engaged and involved in your company’s activities as they unfold.
● Cross-promotion: Social media also makes it easy to cross-promote related content, such as blog posts, press releases, and videos about the culture award. This creates a comprehensive and interconnected communication strategy.
21 social media celebration examples
Over the years, we’ve seen Certified workplaces share the news with their teams (and the world) in creative, memorable ways. Here are some of our favorites to inspire your own celebration and recruiting efforts.
1. Start from the top
Show employees (and prospective hires) that workplace culture is one of your company’s highest priorities. Film a congratulatory message from your CEO or collect quotes from various levels of management.
Remember to share these both internally and externally, You want your team to get a morale boost and potential job candidates to see that you’ve put in the work to create a great workplace.
2. Surprise and delight
If your employees work on-site, celebrate them as they enter on the day of the announcement. Decorate the office, hang signs celebrating the win, and ask your top leaders to greet and thank employees at the door. You could even roll out a red carpet and create a step-and-repeat with a photographer for the occasion.
3. Get social with #GPTW and #GPTWCertified
Tell the world about your big win and what makes your company amazing. We can even send you a celebration kit with balloons, stickers, and more to celebrate your company culture.
4. Let your employees do the talking Don’t limit your celebration-sharing to executives – get the whole team involved! Here’s a great example from AvidXchange, who celebrated by creating a fun group GIF of employees posing. Help job seekers see that employees are proud to be a part of your organization and excited to celebrate your achievements together.
5. Go old-school social
When you’re thinking social, don’t stop at social media. Host a happy hour, throw a party, or provide free lunch for employees.
A few years ago, CHG Healthcare marked 10 years of recognition by bringing their people together for a thank-you from their CEO, along with games and prizes, including “spin the wheel of good fortune,” rolling giant dice and Plinko.
6. Tap into technology
If you have employees working hybrid or fully remote, don’t forget to include them in the celebrations. Use the technology you’re already using to host a happy hour, cocktail-making class, or live concert over Zoom, like ALKU did during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns.
7. Provide giveaways
Everyone loves swag! Develop custom swag items so employees can boast about their workplace. Mugs, pins, stickers and notebooks are popular. You can also get creative – Cadence handed out foam fingers!
8. Create culture cookies
Commemorate earning your recognition as a great place to work with branded cookies. One company we work with sent out 14,000 cookies to ensure partners and customers knew they had earned such an accolade.
9. Give the gift of time
A great way to say thank you is to offer employees some extra time to pause, relax, and take in what they’ve accomplished. So, give your employees an extra day of PTO — they’ve earned it. Some companies close early on the day of the announcement and encourage employees to celebrate with family and colleagues.
10. Offer a financial reward
If your budget allows it, honor your employees’ hard work with a pay raise or financial bonus. In our own research of workplaces across the country, Gen Z ranked better minimum wage and increased hourly pay as their number one factor in ranking an employer as a great place to work.
11. Reward the whole self (and their household)
A great workplace encourages employees to bring their whole selves to work. And with so many employees continuing to work from home, the crossover between home life and work life has never been so intertwined. Invite employees’ families to be part of the celebrations or send them a card or small gift in the mail.
12. Celebrate in your job ads
Add GPTW branding and messaging to your job postings on social media and on your careers page to up your recruiting game.
13. Launch an outdoor ad campaign
Earning Certification or a Best Workplace designation is a brag-worthy achievement. Ensure your office neighbors know they’re in the presence of greatness with a billboard announcement or other signage near your major locations.
14. Email your customers
If you have a customer database that you send marketing emails to, send them the ultimate piece of employer branding: your company culture award.
Your workplace award is a big win for your employer branding. And these days, customers weigh a company’s values and its treatment of its people in their buying decisions. Show your customers that you treat your employees as well as you treat them.
15. Update your company profiles
It may seem like a little thing, but it will make a big impact when job seekers come looking for you. Ensure that your company boilerplate and all your company profiles (Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) mention that you are Certified or a Best Workplace. And while you’re at it, update business cards and email signatures, too.
16. Start spreading the news
A press release, like this one from DuPont, is a reliable way to get the word out about your achievement. Highlighting your Certification in a release helps media outlets find out about it and demonstrates that you value your culture just as highly as you value other aspects of the business.
17. Show your stats
Everybody enjoys showing off a great score. Your employee surveys generate a ton of quantitative data, and if you’ve earned Certification, you know those numbers are impressive. So show them off!
18. Share stories throughout the year
Invite a different employee to open all hands-meetings with a short speech about why the company is a great place to work for them personally. Hearing directly from employees will reiterate the message that your goal is to create and maintain a great workplace for all.
19. Send your culture leaders to Summit
Managers can make or break a company culture. Got amazing culture leaders in your organization? Thank them and keep them engaged by sending them to our For All™ Summit.
They’ll learn from other passionate business leaders and bring back fresh ideas to take your workplace to the next level.
20. Know your why
Great workplaces don’t happen by accident. Behind the Certification and any other accolades you’ve earned, there’s a story. What is it about your workplace that makes employees excited to come to work, proud to stay? Sharing employee stories on social media can be a compelling, credible way to attract talented job candidates who are considering where to make their next career move.
Teleperformance, a Certified workplace in the United Kingdom, showcased one employee’s story as an example of why people choose to join and stay.
21. Rally for next year
While everyone is celebrating this year’s win, let employees know that there is always room for improvement. Continue the success by following up with an action plan soon. Greatness never rests.
There are so many ways to celebrate the unique and amazing culture you’ve created, and these ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. We can’t wait to see the creative ways you celebrate your company culture award!
As the Content Program Manager at Great Place To Work, Claire helps decode the psychology behind high-trust workplaces using Great Place To Work’s extensive data repository on employee experience. Claire has co-authored noted reports such as “Women in the Workplace” and “The Power of Purpose at Work,” and contributed to Fortune with her profiles of the Best Workplaces™. Her latest white paper draws on three decades of employee survey data to give HR leaders strategic guidance on nurturing trust, inclusivity, and growth within their organizations.
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