Ben Heaysman, head of film and content at Sledge, explores how creative content strategies can help drive employee engagement in a fragmented workplace.

There are no doubt many ways to communicate with the modern day employee, and yet with the world of work more fragmented, inspiring, informing and engaging them in ways that truly resonate is not as clear cut as it once was, making a strategic and creative approach more important than ever today.

While content plays a powerful role here, our current times – where additional factors such as rising inflation levels are adding further pressure on employees – highlight the need to look beyond solely traditional formats and approaches.

The case for a robust, employee-focused strategy

Understanding employees on a granular level is an important first step to take. This should ideally involve not only focusing on general demographics and data, but conducting company-wide surveys and interviews, and conversing with team members on a regular, one-to-one basis.

This approach enables the relevant stakeholders to extract valuable insights in terms of how and where team members consume information, their preferred learning styles, and what matters most to them, among others.

While internal teams no doubt have busy schedules, it is also recommended that the information gained from this exercise is utilised to inform an annual content strategy, as opposed to a singular piece of content.

Planning ahead in this way can ensure organisations achieve their respective goals, due to the fact that employees remain well-informed and engaged, as they feel as though they are not simply another number – they are a valued member of the business.

Connection through creativity

A solid internal content strategy is only as effective as the deliverables that are closely aligned with it, and this is where thinking outside the box is essential.

While there are many ways to achieve this, below are several recommendations organisations may wish to add to their arsenal.

Embracing a connected employee-led approach

This involves inviting and encouraging an organisation's people to play an active role in shaping the content together, which can create a sense of empowerment and camaraderie.

This may span the nature of the information that is to be shared, such as around sustainability and ESG or other policies that are important and of interest to them, through to the methods that are adopted, and internal platforms that are utilised to communicate it.

Transforming announcements into video series’

While sharing internal announcements via platforms such as email and company intranets have their place, lengthy copy can be quickly forgotten or prove overwhelming, particularly when it relates to a complex process, or involves reporting on an ESG related initiative.

Identifying the key takeaways and messages from communications, and packaging them up into mini content series’ – where individual films are potentially released over a specified time period – complete with animated elements that illustrate pertinent facts, figures, or other, can therefore both educate employees and maintain their interest.

Placing people at the forefront of films

Recognising employees is an effective way to boost morale and create a sense of connection and ownership, as content features not only senior leaders, but also those from a wide range of departments, seniority levels and backgrounds.

Adopting a documentary style approach is a great method to explore here, as it can be utilised to showcase everything from employees' journeys within an organisation, through to the company’s history, as narrated by different team members.

If and when shared externally, they can prove beneficial from a talent attraction perspective, too.

Repurposing live event content

There’s no denying the power of face-to-face experiences for employees, and there is often a wealth of content shared during such events.

Rather than create this content as a one-off, consider repurposing it, so the messages live on in a more permanent way. This may involve adjusting films that celebrate employee successes or outline a company’s recent CSR efforts for screens including displays and LED walls that are located throughout offices, or housing them within an intranet or other internal resource for future reference.

Fuse the B2B with the B2C

We all enjoy consuming programmes and movies in our spare time, and gaming is another popular leisure activity for many.

Analysing ways to weave elements of these into video content, by paying close attention to elements such as camera angles, motion graphics, animated effects and computer-generated imagery (CGI), as well as looking to external talent to feature within such content, can therefore similarly drive interest among employees, and enhance their understanding of what may be complex subject matter.

It’s clear that from an employee engagement perspective, the stakes are higher than ever today, however actively seeking input from staff, developing a well structured content plan, and championing creativity can no doubt add immense value to an organisation’s people and culture, and in turn, bottom line.