Humanizing the Brand, One Employee at a Time

Situation

Wahsega faced challenges with low engagement on our social media channels and difficulty attracting top talent. Compounding this issue, former low-performing employees who were let go occasionally left negative reviews on platforms like Google and Glassdoor, which further hurt our reputation.

Task

We needed a way to increase positive visibility of our company culture, boost employee engagement, and build a stronger employer brand that would appeal to both potential hires and current team members.

Action

The idea began when one of our employees completed her Master’s degree. To celebrate, I created a custom social media image and a blog post highlighting her achievement. The post gained traction, with every employee sharing and celebrating the moment online. That success sparked the idea for an ongoing initiative—our Employee Spotlight Award.

I designed the program so any employee could nominate a colleague for recognition. Nominations could be for going above and beyond, promotions, work anniversaries, or major life events. I formed a review committee to vet and approve nominations. Each spotlight included a personal element—something non-work-related like a hobby or passion—to help humanize the employee and foster connection across teams.

Result

The Employee Spotlight Program significantly boosted morale and internal engagement. Employees felt genuinely appreciated, and many winners reached out to say how honored they were. The initiative also had unexpected benefits:

• Job applicants began referencing specific spotlight posts in interviews, saying it made the company feel authentic and relatable.
• Employees across departments got to know each other better, improving cross-team communication.
• Clients and partners began commenting on the posts, with several noting how uncommon this type of recognition was in our industry. One client even remarked, “Wahsega clearly goes above and beyond to recognize their team.”

The employee spotlight program helped reshape our online presence, shift public perception, and strengthen our company culture—inside and out.