Do you feel engaged at work and enthusiastic about your company? If you do, you’re in the minority — Gallup reports 64% of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged at work.

These levels are close to what we saw pre-pandemic, but there’s no doubt that the proliferation of remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to the low engagement. Most analysts agree that we’re seeing a combination of low interest in the work itself — which can’t always be helped — and a disconnect with the company culture — which certainly can be improved upon.

There are tangible benefits to boosting your company culture. Engaged employees report a 66% increase in well-being, a 14% rise in productivity, and a 23% increase in a company’s profitability.

Of course, any company initiative doesn’t happen overnight, but the important thing is to get started in the first place. As hybrid workplaces become the norm and businesses allow employees to operate across the country, more organizations are turning to podcasts to keep their company culture thriving — or to bring it back up from perilously low levels.

Here are five ways to build workplace culture through an internal podcast.

Grow employee feedback

One way to improve workplace communication is by creating a dialogue between colleagues and leadership, but not everyone is comfortable with direct, 1-on-1 feedback. While ongoing check-ins should be a part of your internal communications, encourage additional questions and comments through an internal podcast.

Episodes could feature a “mailbag” section that answers one or two questions from employees. They can share anonymously or you can recognize them for submitting. Either way, you’re getting them involved with the show and growing company culture.

Not only are you showing that you hear what employees are saying, but you’re also giving them actionable, timely responses. And once people hear questions and comments being addressed, they’ll want to submit their own.

Highlight impactful work

Along the same lines as a mailbag, let your internal podcast be an avenue to highlight the impressive things employees are doing.

Getting praise in an internal newsletter or a town hall is one thing, but being memorialized in a permanent podcast? That’s a special achievement.

Even better, invite the employee onto the podcast to talk about their project or expertise. They’ll appreciate the opportunity to be a subject matter expert, and they’ll be excited to tune in when the episode goes live — and encourage their coworkers to listen, too.

After all, how many colleagues can say they’ve been a featured expert on a podcast before?

Retain information more effectively

The average employee forgets 65% of material covered in a training session within seven days. Granted, you may have one or two employees that have the memory of a supercomputer, but for the rest of us, we’re going to forget more than we remember with a standard training.

But when you add a video component? That increases people’s retention — and it only gets stronger over time. Including video alongside slide text is nine percent more effective than text alone. When those tests are delayed, video is 83% more effective.

Particularly with sales teams, mobile audio and video messages help clear through the clutter of an inbox. They’re more convenient, private, secure, and deliver a stronger impact. In fact, audio and video communication is 500% more effective than email or text alone.

Create community events

Your internal podcast is a big deal, so show it off to your employees! Turning the show into a live event is a nice technique for building company culture.

Even if you’re not back in the office, host a virtual listening session for a “live” episode. While you won’t do this type of event for every show — think big company news and updates and special guests, either internally or from outside the company — you can sprinkle it in periodically and grow the feeling of community for your employees.

Get creative with how you present the show, too. Bring in coffee or snacks for people to enjoy while listening (or send beverages or gift cards to people’s homes), and offer incentives for people who participate and ask questions during the show. Contests aren’t a bad idea — a little competition never hurts in the game of podcast promotion.

Showcase new talents

Does an employee have a soothing voice during calls? Or has one of your colleagues mentioned a love of playing music in passing? An enterprise podcast is the perfect stage for them to shine.

Don’t be afraid to tap into the company for help with the podcast. Recruiting someone to create the show art/brand, record the show's theme music, or the lead-in to each segment is a nice way to boost internal company engagement. Ask the more musically inclined folks to contribute music for the intro or outro and even offer a link if they have additional songs.

Remember, people featured in an episode are more likely to encourage others to listen. While you don’t need to go overboard and jam everyone into a single episode — this isn’t a packed New York City subway —include a few every time and boost your engagement numbers.

Every company should strive for building company culture. It leads to individual and company benefits across the board. An internal podcast will help you reach those culture and engagement goals, and then some. Ready to get started? Try the uStudio platform for free.