An introduction to the employee spotlight
Employees spotlight programmes form an essential part of the business culture. With such a programme, businesses demonstrate that they prioritise their people. As such, employee spotlights can influence employee retention, talent acquisition and overall employee satisfaction. This section goes deeper into the benefits of employee spotlights for your organisation. But first of all, let’s start with a definition.
What is an employee spotlight?
You may have heard the term before without reflecting on what it is. An employee spotlight is, as it states, putting the spotlight on an employee or a group of employees for specific reasons. It is content that highlights the history, background, personal facts, performance at work and much more of an employee. The format of the employee spotlight may vary. It may be a short video, a casual interview in front of colleagues or simply a slide dedicated to the employee. Some organisations even post employee spotlight content externally on their social media page, company website or blog posts. Doing so highlights the company culture and demonstrates that it values its people. As such, it may attract new talent.
The benefits of employee spotlights
There are many benefits to employee spotlights, most relating to the branding of the organisation and the image that it gives to others, both internally and externally. Below is a good snapshot of some of the key benefits of employee spotlights.
Foster a culture that puts people first
Letting someone share their story is impactful, both for the employee in the spotlight and for the audience. It shows that they are important for the organisation as individuals. In a way, it humanises the organisation by showing the employee’s personality, work achievements and overall journey. When employees are given the opportunity to share about themselves and their work, they feel like people and the business that they work for care. This has a direct impact on their motivation and engagement in the organisation.
Read more: How to develop employee engagement and motivation in the workplace
Value hard work
When employees are in the spotlight, their work is being valued by their leader and by the rest of the organisation. Acknowledging hard work by showing it to the rest of the team has two effects. It sets the standard for the rest of the team and gives them something to aim for. It shows the employee who has put the extra effort in that their engagement has not gone unnoticed and thus motivates them to go on.
Nurture the company brand
When businesses share their employees’ stories, they demonstrate that they care about their people. This, when done thoughtfully, has an impact on their branding and their overall company culture. An impactful employee spotlight might attract job seekers towards the brand. In addition, the content can be utilised across different channels or for different purposes. As an example, having an employee spotlight might boost a sales pitch.
Build relationships
Positive relationships between employees are essential for the good functioning of the business. When creating an employee spotlight, you put a face and a story behind an employee profile. As such, you humanise the relationship between people within the business. This is particularly important for organisations that have remote workers.
Employee spotlight questions
When a leader or human resources team wishes to create an employee spotlight, they should use a list of questions that will guide the content. There are many topics that can form part of an employee spotlight. It is important that the content is somewhat guided. Here are some topics and employee spotlight questions that can help you draft your employee spotlight.
Questions on professional background
These questions aim to understand the background of the employee, what their experiences are, where they have worked before and what their career goals are. Here are some examples:
- What do you love about your job and what inspires you?
- Can you give us an example of a challenge that you have faced in the past and how you overcame it?
- What do you think is most valued in your role ?
Questions on personal background
These questions are meant to get to know your colleague on a personal level. They help build the relationship by humanising it. Here are some examples of questions that can be asked:
- What are your hobbies outside of work?
- Can you tell us about your family and the people who matter to you?
- What is your dream?
Questions on the team contribution
These questions are meant to understand how the employee in the spotlight connects with their colleagues and how they contribute to the success of the organisation. Take a look at the example below:
- What is your role within your team and what value do you add to it?
Questions on the employee’s favourite memories:
The objective of these questions is to foster an environment of gratitude, thus creating a company culture that fosters appreciation. See some examples below:
- Could you describe to us one of your proudest moments, either at work or in your personal life?
- What is the best thing that has happened to you this year?
- What is your most meaningful accomplishment in the organisation?
Questions around work/life balance or work routine:
These questions are designed to understand your colleague’s routine. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples:
- What is the first thing that you do every day?
- How do you create your to-do list for the day?
There are many more questions that can be asked to employees in the spotlight. For example, questions on their future objectives or more personal questions on their favourite food. The type of question will depend on the atmosphere that you want during your spotlight and the company culture that you want to foster.
An employee spotlight programme can bring many benefits to your business. It increases employee engagement, humanises the relationship and demonstrates that your company culture is one that values its people. Don’t be shy about celebrating employees and be creative as well. For more on how to support your employees, take a look at our content below:
