Are you looking for ideas to show people that your company is, in fact, a phenomenal place to work? Employee spotlights can help you do just that.
Whether it’s through stories, videos or podcasts – there are so many opportunities for showing off your team’s accomplishments! To help get those creative juices flowing, we have curated some of our best employee spotlight examples to inspire you.
Plus, if you’re new to the whole concept, we’ll also give you a quick explanation of:
- What is an employee spotlight?
- How 6 companies spotlight their employees + key takeaways
- How tools like SurveySparrow can make the process smoother
- 42 employee spotlight questions to get the content you need – professional and fun versions included
What is an Employee Spotlight?
Employee spotlights are a type of content that’s similar to customer testimonials. However, spotlights focus on the employee and their experience as a member of the company.
Employee spotlights are typically short. They act as crisp profiles about employees, and they can be shared on a brand’s social media, internal channels, website or newsletter.
What does an employee spotlight include? It can include details about their achievements, a typical work day, personality or interests. Let’s check out some employee spotlight examples below.
Related (free) resource ahead! Continue reading below ↓
SurveySparrow: The Complete Toolkit for HR
6 Employee Spotlight Examples & Takeaways
Employee spotlight blog – Crobox
In their ‘Crobox Insider’ blog series, Crobox shines the spotlight on senior and C-suite employees around the world.
In one of their employee profiles, Head of Operations Elaine Simpson gives a quick summary of the professional side of things – her job, her accomplishments, interests, what she loves about Crobox, and advice to people working in her field.
But there’s some quirky stuff along with that – like, for example, what song does she 100% know the lyrics to. We all have that one song, right?
Takeaways:
- Does your organization have lots of employees? If so, most of them might not know their coworkers. Interviews like this one can be great conversation starters for getting to know each other beyond the job titles.
- Will people read a blog post? Yes to that too! Especially if it puts them in the shoes of someone who works in their field. Such a blog can be insightful for potential candidates.
- Have fun with the employee spotlight questions. It’s okay to mix things up and ask something completely random!
Employee testimonials – Summit CPA Group
What makes your company culture one of the best? More importantly, how do you use that to spread the word about job openings?
Virtual CPA firm Summit CPA shows us how. Also, bonus points if your company has recently been certified as a Great Place to Work™.
In this employee spotlight video, senior accountant and mom-of-three Hannah Hood tells us why she loves being a part of Summit CPA. The tweet includes a caption with the hashtag #GPTWcertified, and a link to a landing page for remote job openings.
At Summit CPA our culture is powered by our people. This is why we’re proud to be a Great Place to Work – Certified ™️ company #GPTWcertified.
Watch out next week as we share more videos from the rest of the team. JOIN US!
👉🏻https://t.co/8Edc3hGvSx pic.twitter.com/cjQ4Je7wzA— Summit CPA Group (@SummitCPAGroup) May 17, 2022
Takeaways:
- What better way to showcase the voice of your employees than letting them put it in their own words?
- Promoting your wins and employee spotlights on social can help boost your brand and reputation.
- When posting links, make sure to measure and track your results. This will help you figure out what works well.
Career insights – UIPath
When potential hires are deciding whether to apply for a role, they might find it helpful to know the paths that current employees are on.
In their employee spotlight series ‘Humans of UI Path’, the business automation platform UI Path offers in-depth interviews with staff at different levels.
Each interview provides a glimpse into their specific area of expertise, and their unique approach to work.
Takeaways:
- Employee spotlights can focus on a team as well. This is a great opportunity to show how each team functions and their unique sub-culture.
- By giving your interns a chance to shine, employee spotlights gives potential hires an insight into the company culture.
- From leaders to interns, everyone has a unique perspective to offer. Showcasing these perspectives gives people insights into the culture, and whether it will be a good fit for them.
Day-to-day life: Adobe
If you want an employee spotlight template that takes a more fun approach, check out this gem by Adobe.
@AdobeLife, Adobe’s community page, constantly posts fun content about life at one of the largest digital software companies in the world. From corporate awards to staff spotlights to internships to the shenanigans behind the scenes, everything’s covered.
As an example, this employee spotlight video shows us a day in the life of their social team.
View this post on Instagram
Takeaways:
- Let no content go to waste. A social media community is the perfect showcase for your employees, your company, and by extension, your brand.
- Want to give potential hires a feel for the role? There’s no better way than to show the team in action!
- Informal content like this also makes the people, and their day-to-day work, feel much more human and relatable.
Fireside chats – Expensify
Using the expertise of your C-suite execs, especially if they are leaders in their industry, can be a powerful way to reinforce your brand.
Expense management software Expensify does just that in this staff spotlight example featuring their CEO, David Barrett. This post packs a double whammy of sorts because it’s also in collaboration with Running Remote, the world’s largest remote work conference.
Takeaways:
- Employee spotlight formats like this are a win-win for both your management and brand. It establishes your C-suite’s expertise, and bolsters the brand’s credibility.
- Virtual fireside chats and interviews are a low-cost, high-impact way for busy execs to connect with employees – especially if they are part of a global team.
- It is also an invaluable tool for hearing insights and perspectives on your industry from some of the world’s top talent.
Content that teaches others – Figma
We can’t talk about Adobe without mentioning its rival (and potential $20b acquisition) Figma.
Two of the key drivers of Figma’s community-led growth model are their employees, and their most vocal users. Consequently, their YouTube page is packed with video tutorials by employees and Figma evangelists that cover the basics of Figma, designs, prototyping and so much more.
Takeaways:
- Collabs between your product team and early evangelists are a great starting point for growing your community.
- Content that teaches others – whether internal or external – creates a more open culture of knowledge-sharing.
- By formally classifying and sharing this knowledge – within or outside your organization – your organization can provide value to customers and companies.
Employee Spotlight Examples: How a Tool Like SurveySparrow Can Help
Employee spotlights are a key part of employee recognition, and they make your staff feel appreciated, no doubt.
But, finding the right employee to feature in your employee spotlight can be a challenge. Employee recognition tools like SurveySparrow make life easier that way.
For example:
- With employee engagement surveys and analytics, SurveySparrow simplifies the process of employee recognition, making it easier for you to find employees who deserve special recognition.
- From employee appreciation awards to employee of the month activities, you can quickly find outstanding employees to feature in employee spotlights.
- Additionally, 360 degree feedback helps recognize hidden talents so that you can identify high performing employees or teams.
- Moreover, you can easily store employee performance and recognition data. This makes it easier to appreciate those employees who have shown consistent improvement.
- The best part? You can save time on manually sifting through data and instead spend it on fostering appreciation for your employees.
The spotlight is for sharing
Easily recognize your best employees. Crowdsource feedback with our customizable employee surveys.
Employee Spotlight Templates
Employee Award Nomination Form Template
Employee of the Month Nomination Form
42 Employee Spotlight Questions to Get the Content You Need
Keep it professional
- When did you join [your organization’s name]?
- Why did you join [your organization’s name]?
- What is your current role/occupation?
- How would you sum up your work?
- What motivates you to work for [your organization’s name]?
- How have you grown professionally while working with us?
- What do you like best about the company culture?
- What advice can you give someone who wants to work for us?
- Describe your team.
- Is there anything you have noticed about our leadership team that stands out to you?
- As a member of our team, what has been your greatest accomplishment?
- In the company, who inspires you the most?
- Which company benefits are your favorite, and why?
- What’s the most unique aspect about working here?
- What’s your favorite part of being a member of [your organization’s name]?
- What committee/clubs are you currently a part of? (Note: This is under the assumption that they’re a member of a club or committee.)
- What do you love the most about [your line of work]?
- What is success to you?
- Which person would you choose as a mentor, and why?
- If someone wanted to enter [your field], what advice would you give them?
- Name one thing — either personally or professionally — you learned in the last year.
Make it fun
- What is a fact about you that few people are aware of?
- Your favorite day of the week?
- What do you like to do to unwind?
- Where are you hoping to travel to next?
- What’s on your binge list?
- If you had to eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what would that be?
- If you inherited or won a million dollars, what’s the very first thing you would do with the money?
- Name the one thing you cannot live without.
- In an alternate universe, what would you be?
- What’s the biggest personal change you’ve ever made?
- What two languages would you like to be fluent in?
- If there’s one thing you could tell your 18-year-old self, what would it be?
- If you could trade lives with anyone for a day, who would be it and why?
- How many slices of pizza are you capable of eating in one sitting?
- What is your favorite destination, and why?
- Where is your hometown?
- What does your dream vacation look like?
- What dumb accomplishment are you most proud of?
- Who would you rather be: pirate, ninja, samurai or viking?
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
- What issue will you always speak your mind about?
Short on time? Go ahead, use our Random Question Generator.
Employee Spotlight Examples – Wrapping Up
Happy employees make for happier customers, and staff spotlights are a wholesome way to appreciate your people for what they do. We hope the employee spotlight examples above help to inspire you with your own content ideas.
