Stop Shouting into the Void: 7 Ways to Make Your Staff Actually Care About Company Updates

At the recent CHART conference in Louisville, I attended a breakout session called "Building Better Training on a Budget," which was facilitated by Corban Nichols, the Vice President of Restaurant Excellence at Piada Italian Street Food (and current CHART Board Member), along with Matt Brunk and Sam Worobec of Training Simplified. The session focused on how to create engaging training materials without spending a lot of money, but as I listened, I realized that the strategies they shared weren’t just about training – they were about communication as a whole. Whether it was using short-form videos to increase engagement, tailoring content to match employees’ daily habits, or reducing barriers to access, the same principles that made training materials more effective could also enhance everyday company messaging. Their examples made it clear that thoughtful, intentional communication strategies can turn ineffective company announcements – often ignored by employees – into meaningful exchanges that foster a deeper connection to the workplace. 

Here are several approaches I gathered directly from their presentation, as well as with conversations with other attendees at my table, for industry leaders looking to transform their internal communications. 

1. Tailor messages for your audience: Different roles within your organization have unique communication preferences. Frontline workers might appreciate brief, visual content resembling TikTok videos or Instagram Reels, while multi-unit leaders, who spend substantial time commuting between locations, might prefer podcasts or audio messages. Understanding these nuances ensures your message reaches employees where they are most comfortable receiving it, increasing both reception and retention. Additionally, consider the pace and accessibility of each format – cashiers, servers, and valets might often have only a few minutes between tasks, so messages should be concise and easy to digest, while managers may have more flexibility to engage with longer, in-depth content. Offering multiple formats for the same message can further ensure that critical updates reach the widest audience possible. 

2. Schedule communications strategically: You know that feeling when your favorite show drops a new episode at the same time each week, and you find yourself eagerly counting down the days and hours until it is available? Or how you feel when it’s getting close to lunchtime each workday, and you know that your beloved chicken Caesar salad will soon be ready? That same excitement can apply to internal communication, because regular and consistent schedules can significantly boost engagement. Chipotle, for example, experienced great success with their weekly video series by releasing it every Monday at 8:00am, creating a routine that employees anticipated. Similarly, Piada restaurants found higher engagement by timing video releases during quieter operational periods like mid-morning or post-shift. To help establish this rhythm, try using an internal communications calendar that clearly maps out scheduled releases and helps your team plan ahead to ensure consistency in your messaging. 

3. Choose the right technology: Selecting the appropriate communication technology is crucial to engaging your team effectively. It doesn't always require expensive or sophisticated tools; often, simpler, accessible solutions work best. The presenters emphasized the importance of minimizing barriers to content accessibility, noting that traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS) or intranets with cumbersome login requirements can hinder engagement (and if you make something that is only readable on a desktop or laptop computer, what are the chances your frontline staff will ever see it?). Instead, consider mobile-friendly and easily accessible platforms, such as messaging apps (at Ivar’s, for example, we use GoHappy to send updates directly to our employees as text messages) or private SoundCloud channels for podcasts, to ensure employees can effortlessly access essential information. If content is difficult or frustrating to reach, people will often give up – even if it's something they genuinely want or need. 

4. Prioritize authenticity: Genuineness was repeatedly emphasized as crucial for effective engagement, because team members quickly sense when communications feel forced, overly scripted, or excessively corporate. To prevent this perception, consider featuring real people from your hotels or restaurants who share actual stories and experiences. Beyond just showcasing staff members, invite them to suggest topics or create their own content – such as short video clips, testimonials, or personal insights – to make communications more inclusive. Engagement deepens significantly when your team sees themselves not only reflected, but also actively involved in shaping internal communications. 

5. Embrace experimentation: Not every communication initiative will land perfectly, and that's okay. Don’t be afraid to try new approaches, even if some efforts miss the mark. Testing new formats – such as brief TikTok-style videos, informal podcast episodes, or casual employee-created content – might initially feel risky, but it also opens the door to innovation and greater engagement. Corban, Matt, and Sam stressed that successful communication strategies often evolve through trial and error, with each misstep providing valuable insights that help shape future successes. A good way to start this process would be with a small-scale pilot – try introducing a short-form video series at just a few locations, launch a test-run of a podcast for managers, or experiment with a new messaging format for a single department. Gather feedback, analyze engagement, and refine your approach before rolling it out more broadly. 

6. Measure what matters: To truly understand if your communication strategy is working, establish clear metrics beyond simple open rates. Track any behavioral changes following communications (like adoption of new procedures), survey employees regularly about communication effectiveness, and monitor engagement patterns to identify which topics and formats resonate most. Also, look for informal indicators of success – are your cooks, housekeepers, or front desk clerks referencing videos in their pre-shift meetings? Are managers repeating key takeaways in daily conversations? Sometimes, the best feedback isn’t just in the data but in how often messages resurface in day-to-day operations. 

7. Reflect your company culture in every message: Above all, the session emphasized that an organization's culture should be at the center of all internal communication decisions. The style, tone, frequency, and delivery methods of communication should directly reflect your company’s identity. Employees respond best when they feel a personal connection to messages that resonate with their everyday experiences and values. Whether using a CEO, frontline worker, or even an animated character, your organization's unique culture should guide these decisions to ensure authenticity and effectiveness. If you are unsure how to begin this process, I would suggest that you audit your recent communications through the lens of your core values. Ask yourself…or better yet, ask an industry colleague, “Can you identify the company culture/guiding principles of the hotel or restaurant from these messages alone?” If it’s not obvious during this exercise, consider how to infuse your authentic voice into every communication from the images you select to the language you use. 

If this list makes you feel a bit overwhelmed, please note that you don't have to implement all these strategies simultaneously. Start small by choosing one or two changes you believe will have the greatest immediate impact. For instance, simply shifting your video orientation from landscape to portrait to match popular social media formats could lead to an improvement in engagement. During the session, Corban shared how this single adjustment made content feel instantly more familiar and appealing to employees and resulted in increased views and enthusiasm. Once you're comfortable with smaller changes, you can later expand to larger initiatives to further strengthen internal connections. The key is beginning with manageable steps that resonate quickly and effectively with your audience. 

With industry turnover rates exceeding 100% in some areas and employees spread across multiple locations and shifts, keeping teams informed and engaged is one of hospitality’s greatest challenges. Generic corporate communication strategies often fail in environments where schedules, staffing, and operational demands are constantly shifting, so that’s why hospitality leaders must recognize that effective internal communication doesn't just inform – it inspires, connects, and motivates our teams. By approaching our messaging strategies with the same level of care that we give to the guest experience, we create an internal culture where employees feel valued, heard, and part of something meaningful. And in an industry built on human connection, that might be our most powerful competitive advantage of all.