In today's hybrid and multi-location world, reaching every employee with meaningful communication is one of the biggest challenges organisations face. From branch teams and frontline staff to remote workers and head office colleagues, how do you ensure everyone feels informed, included, and connected?
At the recent Engage Customer Summit, three experts shared their insights on building connection across dispersed workforces: Jane Garnsey, Head of Colleague Listening & Engagement at Skipton Building Society, Nicola Marshall, People Director at Welcome Break, and Nicolette Roses-Agoro, Professional Services at Workvivo.
Here's what they had to say.
Each panellist brought a different perspective on what "dispersed" means in their organisation:
Jane shared how Skipton introduced Pecan (an employee survey tool within Workday) 18 months ago to tackle the long-standing branch-versus-head-office divide.
"The biggest game-changer has been giving branch colleagues direct access to leadership," Jane explained. "Through Pecan's conversation tool, colleagues can post anonymous feedback, and our CEO, Stewart, responds personally. He might say, 'I haven't visited your branch in ten years—I'll be there in the next six months.' That direct line to leadership has transformed how branch teams feel about the organisation."
The platform also enables managers and regional leaders to respond to their teams in real time, creating a level playing field for engagement across all locations.
For Welcome Break, the challenge is different. With 15 different brands operating under franchise licences (including KFC, Starbucks, and Waitrose), the workforce needs to feel connected to both Welcome Break and their specific brand.
"We've launched Workvivo as our digital front door," Nicola said. "But depending on where you work, what you see is completely bespoke. If you're in a KFC team, you see KFC content. If you're at Starbucks, you see Starbucks. We segment by brand and by location so people only see what's relevant to them."
This approach creates "cultures within cultures"—employees feel connected to Welcome Break's vision and values while also belonging to their specific brand and local team.
A recurring theme was the critical role of leadership visibility in building trust. The panellists agreed that employees don't expect leaders to be perfect—they just want them to show up as real people.
"Leaders are essentially influencers in an organisation," Nicolette said. "Employees want to see you as one of them. They don't need you to know every answer—they just want you to be authentic."
Nicola shared how Welcome Break supports leaders who are nervous about posting on internal platforms: "We help them draft messages, but we don't write it for them. They give us bullet points, we help shape it, and then they put their own voice on it. A corporate voice is a corporate voice, but how I speak to the team is different to how the CEO speaks."
Jane added that tools like Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) have helped create a level playing field where leaders can comment on posts, join conversations, and show up in a human way. "It makes them more accessible and visible," she said.
The panellists reflected on how the pandemic forced leaders out from behind their scripts and into a more vulnerable, authentic style of communication.
"It was awful, but there were so many silver linings," Jane said. "Leaders had to show up in a way they never had before, and that created a new expectation from employees."
Nicola agreed: "Post-pandemic, the expectation has shifted massively. Employees now expect employers to look after their mental health, physical health, and financial wellbeing. We have a much stronger duty of care than we did pre-2020."
When asked for one practical tip each on communicating with dispersed workforces, the panellists offered:
Jane: "Gather feedback and listen. Employee listening is transformative."
Nicola: "Understand your team and what they want. Segment your content so it's relevant.
Nicolette: "Create shared experiences and focus on local actions. Make people feel connected to both the wider organisation and their immediate team."
Connecting a dispersed workforce isn't about one-size-fits-all communication. It's about:
Listening to understand what different audiences need
Segmenting content so it's relevant and actionable
Empowering leaders to show up authentically and engage in real conversations
Creating shared experiences that bring people together, whether virtually or in person
As Jane put it: "Don't be apologetic when you can't bring everyone together in one room. Find the things that are bespoke to that audience and make them feel included."
In a world of information overload, the organisations that win are those that meet their people where they are—with the right message, on the right channel, at the right time.How might you start acting as an internal intelligence unit – not just a broadcast function – in the next major change programme?
To register your interest for the 2027 Engage Employee Summit click here.