THE POWER OF SOCIAL PROOF IN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

The whole HR, L&D and People space is abuzz with tips, tricks and tactics to help you solve your employee engagement issues. Whether it’s new tech, models or theories – everybody wants to offer you a silver bullet to solve your problems. The magic thing that will suddenly make employees feel connected to their work, and do what you want them to do.

But all of them seem to miss one of the most impactful tactics when it comes to employee engagement: social proof.

WHAT IS SOCIAL PROOF?

Social proof is the idea that people copy the actions of others in an attempt to emulate behaviour in certain situations. The phrase itself was coined by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence in 1984. And although it focuses on human behaviour in social situations, it can easily be transferred to the world of employee engagement.

In fact, if you’ve ever found yourself binge watching a new series because your friend told you about it, or going to a new restaurant based on online reviews alone, or even bought a new gadget thanks to a TikTok video… you’ve experienced the power of social proof first hand. So now you see how influential social proof really is.

So how can we leverage it in the workplace to drive employee engagement? Well in the same way marketers do, through reviews, influencers and case studies. It’s simple, employees are far more likely to engage in events, initiatives and training if they see their peers doing it (and enjoying it!) first.

HOW SOCIAL PROOF DRIVES EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

1. PEOPLE BELIEVE PEOPLE, MORE THAN THEY BELIEVE A BRAND

If you met me at a networking event, and I spoke to you about the power of marketing for people functions, you’d probably have a niggling thought in the back of your mind: “Of course you’d say that, Han. It’s your job!” That’s exactly what your employees are thinking when you’re trying to get them engaged in your latest initiative. Of course you want them to take your latest learning programme, sign up to your next team building initiative or be part of a new society. It’s your job to do that.

Now imagine you met a fellow People professional at an event, and they told you how impactful marketing has been on their People function. You’d have a different perspective on the conversation, wouldn’t you? They’re telling you, first hand, what worked for them, with no ulterior motive.

That’s social proof in action.

No matter how slick your internal comms are, your employees will always trust the words of their colleagues over yours. (Sad, but true!)

2. THE FEAR OF MISSING OUT

The fear of missing out (or FOMO as the cool kids call it!) is that little pang of envy you get when you see somebody benefiting from something you haven’t tried yet. For example, if you see your colleagues celebrating completing the latest leadership training initiative that you turned down, you might feel a little envious, disappointed and left out. Social proof helps us leverage FOMO as a tactic for employee engagement – show your employees how great your latest initiative is by showing them how other people have benefited from it!

3. TURN ENGAGEMENT INTO A MOVEMENT

Effective employee engagement isn’t a one-and-done deal. It should be an ongoing culture shift that results in long term employee engagement. When employees see your latest initiative is gaining traction, they won’t want to be left behind, so they’ll get involved. This concept is dubbed a ‘flywheel’ in marketing circles – and for good reason. Initially your social proof might get 10 new people involved. But then those 10 new people will get 10 new people EACH involved, and so on and so forth. And the flywheel gains velocity – leading to that long-term employee engagement we’re all striving for.

HOW TO USE SOCIAL PROOF IN YOUR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Ok, so now we know why social proof is important for employee engagement – how do we implement it?

1. LET EMPLOYEES TELL THEIR OWN STORIES
   Instead of just announcing an initiative, showcase employees who are already benefiting from it. Share testimonials, video snippets, or short case studies featuring real people with real experiences.
   
   

2. CREATE INTERNAL INFLUENCERS
   Identify and empower champions within teams. The kind of people who are naturally engaged and influential among their colleagues. Encourage them to share their experiences and advocate for company initiatives.
   
   

3. LEVERAGE USER-GENERATED CONTENT
   Encourage employees to share their experiences on internal social platforms, company Slack channels, or even LinkedIn. Seeing a peer share something authentically is far more persuasive than a corporate post.
   
   

4. USE DATA TO HIGHLIGHT TRENDS
   Got a shy employee base? Yeah we’ve been there. Sometimes employees just don’t want to speak up to share their stories. And they certainly do not want to film a selfie video. But the good news is, numbers can be persuasive, too.
   
   “90% of your team has already completed this training” is much more compelling than “Please complete this training by Friday.” People don’t want to be the last ones to get on board, thus, social proof is still in action!
   
   

5. MAKE IT VISIBLE
   There’s no point collating social proof to then hide it away on your HRIS or LMS. Feature employee testimonials on your intranet, highlight participation rates in all-hands meetings, and use digital screens around the office to showcase success stories. The more visible social proof is, the more powerful it becomes.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT ISN’T ABOUT TECH OR BENEFITS, IT’S ABOUT HUMAN CONNECTION

Employee engagement isn’t just about throwing more benefits, tech, or initiatives into the mix. It’s about shifting the culture so that participation feels natural, desirable, and valuable. Social proof taps into human psychology in a way that traditional corporate messaging simply can’t.

So next time you’re rolling out a new initiative, don’t just tell employees why they should care… show them that their peers already do. Because when engagement becomes contagious, that’s when you’ll get real impact with your marketing-led initiatives.