Turning Employee Voices into Impact

At the 2025 ATC event, one of the breakout sessions featured an engaging conversation on employee storytelling. Jamie Holder from MUFG Retirement Solutions interviewed Athanasia Corso from Network Insurance House, both of whom use VideoMy to amplify employee voices.

During the session, they shared their experiences in turning employee stories into meaningful talent acquisition and employer branding content — even while managing organisational changes, limited resources, and evolving EVPs. This blog distils their insights into practical lessons for talent acquisition professionals looking to leverage authentic employee storytelling effectively.

Understanding the Challenge: When EVP Takes a Backseat

Organisational changes, like mergers, can disrupt EVP and culture strategies. Athanasia described how her company faced such a scenario:

“Earlier this year, two wholly owned subsidiaries of our parent company merged. Instantly, our EVP and culture strategy disappeared. It wasn’t a top priority — we had to focus on systems, staffing, client retention. EVP naturally fell by the wayside.”

This is a common challenge. Talent teams often need to act with agility, leveraging what they have rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

Leveraging Existing Resources: Owning Your Seat at the Table

A key takeaway from the session was the importance of “owning the seat you already have.” Athanasia explained how she turned a modest recruitment marketing budget into a pilot program with VideoMy:

“We couldn’t move big rocks at this stage, but I had budget and tools. I used what we had and the people we had.”

The approach was fast and low-risk, producing dozens of employee videos with just a $10,000 investment — nearly half the cost of previous efforts that required flying in employees for filming.

Building Authentic Storytelling: Bottom-Up Engagement

Both Jamie and Athanasia emphasised that authentic EVP storytelling starts from the bottom up. Instead of a top-down narrative, engaging employees directly creates genuine, relatable stories.

“Building it bottom-up was absolutely the objective. The sequence of engagement is critical — the right people in the right way at the right time,” Athanasia said.

Key steps included:

• Clarifying the Objective: Capture real employee voices to articulate the emerging EVP.

• Identifying the Right Advocates: Involve trusted colleagues across levels to represent diverse perspectives.

• Conducting Workshops: Structured sessions allowed employees to choose how they shared their stories, enhancing authenticity.

• Iterative Review: Quick feedback loops improved content quality and engagement over time.

This approach produced 50+ videos that highlighted cultural themes such as human connection and personal purpose — even before formal values were established.

Overcoming Internal Skepticism and Fostering Collaboration

Jamie and Athanasia discussed the importance of navigating internal scepticism, especially with new technology or processes.

“When I said I could produce 100 videos through workshops, people were sceptical. All I needed was permission to access employees — the rest we could handle,” Athanasia explained.

Early collaboration with marketing was key:

“Marketing was running in a similar direction but with different objectives. By including them from the start, sharing resources, and aligning on outputs, they were incredibly generous and helped amplify our videos.”

This partnership allowed content to reach wider audiences via LinkedIn, YouTube, and the company careers site, multiplying the impact beyond recruitment.

Measurable Impact and Future Plans

The pilot demonstrated significant efficiency gains compared with traditional video production:

• Time: Reduced from 24 employee-days to 2 hours per employee.

• Volume: Produced 50+ authentic employee videos in just one month.

• Scalability: Created a reusable content library for recruitment marketing and broader corporate storytelling.

“Previously, flying employees in from 24 offices cost ~$20,000 for three videos. With VideoMy, we invested $10,000, didn’t need to fly anyone, and produced 50 videos in a month,” Athanasia said.

Early feedback indicates these videos directly influence candidate decisions:

“People tell us, ‘It was this video that got me to say yes’ or ‘I saw this and it convinced me to engage with your LinkedIn outreach.’”

Looking ahead, the team plans to iterate and expand employee storytelling each year, continuously shaping EVP and business culture:

“Hearing the voices of our people does half, if not 80%, of the work. It reflects who the business truly is. You cannot be everything to everyone — understanding your team’s uniqueness is the key.”

Practical Tips to Start Your Employee Storytelling Journey

1. Start Small, Move Fast: Pilot quickly using available resources and learn as you go.

2. Engage Bottom-Up: Facilitate workshops that give employees options in how they share their stories.

3. Collaborate Closely: Work with marketing and stakeholders early to align objectives.

4. Be Ambitious and Curious: Bold goals inspire wider organisational support.

5. Leverage Agility: Use platforms and processes that allow rapid iteration and refinement.

“Be clear on what you want, plan carefully, and be adventurous. Your ambition fuels impact within your business and among others,” Athanasia concluded.

By turning employee voices into authentic narratives, talent leaders can enrich EVP while creating meaningful impact that resonates internally and externally.

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