Is Your Organization’s Culture Ready For An Employee Advocacy Program?

Building an employee advocacy program for social media requires a delicate balance. On one hand, investing in employees to be brand ambassadors for your organization seems an obvious choice. Yet your communications and HR teams need to be aligned on whether the culture is in a state where employees would be proud to talk about their work for your brand.

For social media marketers and internal comms pros, the challenge is shifting from “corporate broadcasting” to “authentic storytelling” while maintaining brand safety.

Before you invest staffing and financial resources in developing your employee advocacy program, consider whether your organization’s culture is ready for it.

Take The Temperature Of Team Morale

Starting an employee advocacy program on top of low morale is like trying to paint a house while the foundation is cracking. The program can be a “culture booster” or perceived as “forced labor,” depending on timing.

Employee Engagement Scores

In 2025, Gallup found that employee engagement levels hit a 10-year low. The biggest drops were in three areas:

• Having clear expectations.
• Feeling someone at work cares about them as a person.
• Being encouraged to continue professional development.

Authentic advocacy requires employees to feel safe being themselves and expressing ideas.

Again, tap into those employee engagement surveys. Look at the scores for “I feel my opinions count” and “My supervisor cares about me.” If trust in leadership is low, employees will be hesitant to attach their personal name to the brand. They may fear that a “wrong” post could lead to disciplinary action, even with a policy in place.

If your employees aren’t feeling that your organization won’t invest in them, building the case that they can or should post about working for you in a positive light will be difficult.

Internal vs. External Brand Sentiment

Make sure the internal experience matches the external brand promise. Don’t suggest employees post about “our innovative culture” if the internal experience is defined by outdated technology and red tape. If posts on Glassdoor or Reddit discuss low pay or toxic culture, launching an advocacy program will appear to be an attempt to cover up the truth. It’s better to address the feedback internally before asking employees to drown it out with positivity.

Morale Readiness Check

Indicator	Green Light (Launch)	Red Light (Pause/Repair)
Internal Communications	High open rates, positive comments.	Low employee engagement scores, low employee participation on social media channels, “ghosting” on intranet or email communications.
Leadership Trust	Leaders are seen as transparent.	“Us vs. Them” mentality is prevalent.
Employee Feedback	Active participation in town halls.	Silence or anonymous “venting;” low social media participation by employees on brand accounts.
External Reviews	Positive/Balanced Glassdoor or Reddit trends.	Trending downward; specific mentions of “burnout.”

Review Employee Messaging And Asks

From an employee’s perspective, participating in an advocacy program is a “big ask”—you are asking for their personal social capital and time.

Review the organization’s recent history and internal communications to confirm this is the right time to launch an advocacy program. Has the organization been asking for a lot lately (overtime, new software adoption, policy changes) without providing “gives” (recognition, bonuses, improved staffing)? Has your organization had layoffs or significant departures? If employees feel “spent,” asking them to promote the company on their personal LinkedIn will likely trigger resentment.

When the internal culture is right, advocacy isn’t an “initiative;” it’s an inevitability. After all, the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing; it feels like a recommendation from a friend.