Let’s face it, with workloads like communications staff in 2017, it’s not a question of who needs, but rather who can afford sick days and holidays. There’s just so much to do, and so little time to do it in, trying to encourage employees to get involved in collective tasks outside their direct remit can be tricky. If not near-impossible.
Nevertheless, two heads are better than one, and a fully engaged office, with all minds toiling towards the same goal, is far better than anything else. Thankfully, the world of apps has armed us with some incredibly powerful tools that can make it far easier to get everyone onboard. We’ve picked six of the best employee engagement comms tools you really should be using in order to drive efficiency, improve productivity, and garner ever-more impressive results.
 
15Five
15Five is a communal noticeboard, on which messages can be shared immediately with an entire staff base. It’s a place for gripes, frustrations, and problem points to be raised, but also to voice ideas, hold virtual 1on1s, and undertake informal surveys. Or you can simply use it for weekly check-ins, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
 
Slack
Slack also offers communal communications, but it’s real selling point is the instant file sharing option, meaning you can distribute important docs within channels dedicated to discussions on specific projects, complete with a thread of all previous and ongoing messages relating to that task. Winner.
 
iDoneThis
We love the name almost as much as the app itself. At the end of each day, staff only need to reply to one invitation email with an update of all the ticks off their to-do list. The following morning, everyone receives a run down of those messages, making it easy to figure out what’s outstanding and what’s completed from the overall workload.

 
PostBeyond
Imagine if you could have one place where you stored every interesting, industry-related article, which can then be approved for your staff to share. PostBeyond is that place. A manager selects the best content from their own pool, then employees log in, choose the stream they want to view, and instantly share from there to social media channels.
 
Pomello
Creating staff surveys was once a ghastly task. Not so with Pomello. This handy programme gives you the ability to quickly develop bespoke questionnaires, and send these out to staff. When the results are in analytics highlight areas for improvement, maximising job satisfaction and revealing where personal and team values don’t match.
 
Everwise
A fantastic idea for companies that place a high value on building up their staff skillset. Using data you input, Everwise will match employees with ideal mentors within the wider team, taking into account specific focus areas, traits and aspirations, with interactive goal setting making it easier for individuals to identify what they need to work on.

Looking for more advice on PR, social media, and marketing? Why not get in contact or submit a brief to inject a little ingeniousness into your brand.