11 Employee Spotlight Examples to Get Inspired in 2024

Have you noticed how businesses are telling their stories on social media in 2024? If you’ve been paying attention, you know they’re increasingly starred by a clearly defined crowd: The employees.

Some of this content is employee-generated, while others stem from structured employee advocacy programs. And then we have employee spotlights.

So, what is an employee spotlight?

An employee spotlight is a content format that features individual employees or teams, detailing their roles, achievements, insights, or aspects of their personalities.

Employee spotlights pursue goals that range from bringing the brand closer to its audience to showcasing the company’s internal culture to attract new talent. Nowadays they are usually produced for social media channels, but the format is flexible enough to be turned into blog posts and event bits, for example.

It’s important to understand that employee spotlights aren’t just feel-good content, but strategic pieces planned and deployed to reach goals and metrics.

With this in mind, we’ve gathered 11 examples of employee spotlights from across industries.

For perspective, we’re including two types of examples: good and not-so-good ones, because when it comes to learning, fun employee spotlight examples will only take you so far.

Employee spotlight examples: The good ones

Below we have eight examples of good employee spotlights. Some are brief and simple, while others carry more production value and efficiently convey compelling stories.

Some might not look great at first glance, but I’ll share a few words explaining why they’re worth looking at.

1. Zoro.com – Posting with purpose

Less is more, but also, less is hard.

In this example, office equipment brand Zoro.com shows how well-executed simplicity is the best alternative when you have much to say in an attention-restricted environment like social media.

What we like about this post:

• It gets to the point – not a single word is wasted.
• Highlights excellent human qualities (which support brand association).
• Professional, but sprinkled with personal touches.
• Tags the employee in the post, allowing for advocacy on their side.

2. Uber for Business – The employee and the workplace

In the post above, Uber for Business shows how an employee spotlight can highlight company culture.

This is often useful to attract candidates, as it gives a sneak peek of what the workplace – and everything in it, such as roles, responsibilities, and challenges – looks like.

What we like about this post:

• Keeps a high level of professionalism (in tune with the brand).
• Displays a detailed description of responsibilities.
• Gives a “what to expect” vibe that potential candidates can spot.
• Tags the employee, allowing for advocacy on their side.

3. Atlassian – Adding a twist to holiday posts

When you hear a social media professional talk about innovation, chances are that they’re talking about a post like the one above.

And they’d be right! Innovative social media content is, more often than not, adding a twist to something that already exists, and that we’re familiarized with.

That’s exactly what Atlassian did in this post by combining a typical holiday theme (e.g. New Year’s resolutions) with an employee spotlight.

What we like about this post:

• It’s cheerful and simple, in tune with how many feel (or want to feel) at the end of the year.
• Highlights the employee and the team.
• Puts company values and mission (“Impossible Alone”) front and center.

4. Canva – Employee spotlights within employer branding

We’re among the first to criticize social media posts that try to do many things at once. This is not the case, because Canva did it flawlessly.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that this is not just an employee spotlight, but a post with women leadership, employer branding, diversity, and recruitment elements, all while staying on brand with beautiful design.

What we like about this post:

• Alignment between message and audience (go-getter, moved by challenges).
• Leverages dedicated employer branding social media channels with the right content.
• Design and aesthetic choices.

5. Twilio – Excellent story execution

Career journeys are a common theme in employee spotlights, and that’s just fine as there’s a lot of story material in careers.

However, execution is where the main bottleneck is, with many brands failing to execute these complex, episodic stories in social media.

Then again, that’s not the case with Twilio, who in this post shows how to use design elements to tell a great story in a post that is longer than average, but still incredibly effective.

6. Toggl – Employee benefits, told by employees themselves

By now, toting the benefits of a remote-friendly culture (where available) is an old trick in the book of social media managers.

But using this as a theme for an employee spotlight is where the genius is, as Toggl shows us.

This can make the difference between getting a message delivered – the kind of scroll-stopping material that you want to have when tackling topics that may look tired at first glance.

What we like about this post:

• Angle. A smiling person sharing a first-hand account of events is always better than a logo telling the world how great they are.
• Proof. We have a story of digital nomadism, with real content to support it.
• Dogs, of course.

7. Design studio – An exuberant display of talent

Design Studio is a branding and design agency known for the quality of their work. And it’s not only customers who love it but also designers looking for a smart career move.

In a recent employee spotlight video, they seized the occasion to show how one of their team members enjoys a benefit they offer (spending up to 90 days in one of their studios).

In the video, we can see three main themes. The first two are explicit (employee spotlight, employer branding), and the third is implicit (mastery in video creation).

What we like about this post:

• Production value. The video pays homage to the brand here.
• Does everything right: Visuals, music, messaging, length.
• Tries something different and succeeds. Most companies have interesting benefits, but not all communicate them effectively.

8. Set + Stage Creative – Authenticity always pays off

Set+Stage Creative is a prop design studio that specializes in retail window displays. Creativity and variety are their bread and butter, but this reality is also a double-edged sword.

On one side, it provides you with many great stories to share.

On the other, it also creates tons of gaps and inconsistencies – a bit of decision paralysis when it comes to sharing content about your brand.

And this is where authenticity pays the most.

As they show us in this TikTok employee spotlight video, sometimes it’s better to let the protagonists tell the world what is it like to work there, using their own words and experience as a script.

What we like about this post:

• It feels natural, unscripted, authentic.
• The viewer gets a down-to-earth peek into the reality of working in that company and industry.
• Aligned with channel best practices and style.

Employee spotlight examples: The ones that could be better

Now it’s time to explore three examples that, while well-intentioned, illustrate common pitfalls that can diminish the impact of employee spotlight posts.

It’s important to note that our focus isn’t on the brands or individuals featured.

By identifying common missteps, we aim to help you refine your approach to creating employee spotlights that elevate your team members and brand on social media.

9. Asana – Lack of strength in execution

Framing a teaser into an employee spotlight is hard.

Doing so while telling your audience to click a link in your bio so they can learn more about how to create a workplace that clicks is a lot harder…or at least, that’s what we believe after seeing this Instagram post from Asana.

Even though it’s just a 2-image post, there’s quite a bit to unpack here.

What we don’t like about this post:

• There’s an aftertaste of mystery and lack of clarity. Not the best qualities to associate with an executive (and a good reason to kickstart an exec social media strategy, if you ask us).
• Mechanics (“click the link in our bio”) are just impossible. Remember, this is social media. A single click/engagement is hard enough to aim for three just like that.
• There’s very little going on with the protagonist of the post. The employee is always first in an employee spotlight!

10. Erie County Department of Public Works – Less is more

We’re not taking it hard on them because the post has the right spirit – thanking the employee for their service.

However, things would be smoother with a few adjustments in the extension of displayed text, and also by using a better pic of the employee in question.

What we don’t like about this post:

• The huge wall of text.
• Spotlights are meant to portray your employees at their best. We can barely see the employee’s face in the post.

11. JB Warranties – Going extra steps for nothing

unless you have an extraordinary story or a weird but logical SEO incentive in your hands, it’s a bad idea to try to convince your audience to read an employee spotlight post.

And yet, here we are, seeing such a post on X.

Many things don’t work here, but the most unsettling one is that there’s no real message anywhere, not even in the blog post.

What we don’t like about this post:

• Feels fabricated.
• Tries to make the audience click away – algorithms don’t like that.
• Says nothing about the employee, their role, contributions, or ideas.

Conclusion: Bring passion and precision to the spotlight

Throughout the article, we’ve explored many employee spotlight formats, each showing how effectively crafted stories can enhance your brand and the people who help it succeed.

As you consider the examples, we encourage you to adapt and innovate upon them. That’s the final lesson to be learned from them, and a good one for social media altogether: Be innovative, passionate, and authentic in what you’re transmitting.

If you need help with employee spotlight ideas and how to bring them to life, you can always drop us a line and tell us your thoughts.