Turning Culture into Your Secret Brand Power

Culture Drives Engagement: How to Turn Employees into Brand Ambassadors

In today’s hybrid and increasingly AI-driven workplace, employee engagement isn’t just about attendance or meeting KPIs, it’s about whether your staff feel connected to your brand, your mission, and each other. While many senior executives believe their teams are highly engaged, data from employee experience platforms like CultureAmp, Peakon, and Qualtrics often reveal a different story.

The root cause? More often than not, it’s workplace culture. A thriving, inclusive culture fuels loyalty, creativity, and advocacy, while a toxic one erodes trust, stifles innovation, and harms both employee retention and brand reputation.

I recently led a webinar on global employee engagement where the majority of questions centered on whether company culture impacts brand perception. The answer is a resounding yes. A positive culture produces engaged and passionate employees who feel respected, trusted, and empowered to share ideas. A toxic culture breeds fear, suspicion, and disengagement.

Here are several strategies to transform your work culture and inspire employees to actively champion your brand.

1. Recognize Achievements, Publicly and Personally

Recognition is one of the most powerful drivers of engagement. Celebrate accomplishments both in team meetings and across internal communication platforms like Microsoft Viva Engage or Workplace from Meta. Tailor recognition to the individual. Some may value a public shout-out, others a private message from leadership.

2. Align Expectations Between Employees and Leadership

Ensure employees understand how their goals connect to organizational objectives. Use project management and goal-tracking tools like Asana, Monday.com, or ClickUp to provide transparency and keep priorities aligned. This clarity helps employees see the direct impact of their work.

3. Address Performance Gaps Proactively

Don’t wait for annual reviews to discuss improvements. Create continuous feedback loops with tools like 15Five or Lattice, combining real-time coaching with incentives for progress. Early interventions prevent small issues from becoming morale or productivity problems.

4. Build Inclusivity into Everyday Interactions

Eliminate cliques and favoritism by encouraging cross-team collaboration and tracking inclusiveness as part of performance reviews. Platforms like Donut (which pairs colleagues randomly for virtual coffee chats) help foster connections in hybrid and remote teams.

5. Keep Communication Channels Open and Consistent

A transparent flow of information from leadership to employees is essential. Use engagement platforms like Slido which integrates with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Slides to crowdsource questions, run live polls, and collect feedback. Regular “Ask Me Anything” sessions with executives reinforce trust and accessibility.

6. Define and Live Your Purpose, Values, and Behaviors

• Purpose: Why does your company exist? What problem do you aim to solve?

• Values: Use surveys (via tools like SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics) to understand what your employees and customers associate with your brand.

• Behaviors: Translate values into tangible actions. Share examples of what “living the brand” looks like in daily work.

7. Pilot an Employee Engagement Program

Before rolling out company-wide changes, launch a small-scale engagement pilot to test initiatives. This allows for data-driven adjustments before committing to a larger investment.

8. Hire for Culture First, Skills Second

Ensure candidates align with your values through behavioral interviews, group problem-solving exercises, and scenario-based assessments. Skills can be trained—culture fit is harder to teach.