Generic internal communications that are written for everyone land with no one. According to a recent survey, only 50% of employees agree that their internal communications are clear and engaging. Employee personas change that equation, helping your messages reach the people who need them by recognizing distinct groups with different priorities, channels, and communication preferences.
This guide walks through what employee personas are, how to build them without dedicating your waking life to it, and how to put them to work in your internal communications strategy.
What are employee personas?
Employee personas are fictional, research-based employee profiles that represent distinct segments of the workforce. Each persona captures how a particular group prefers to receive information, what motivates them, and what communication challenges they face. The goal is to evolve from one-size-fits-all messaging toward communications that resonate with different people in your organization.
Building employee personas involves gathering data through surveys, interviews, and existing HR information, then grouping employees into meaningful segments based on factors like role type, location, and technology access. From there, you create detailed profiles—complete with names, avatars, and defining characteristics—that guide your communication decisions.
Unlike marketing personas that focus on external customers, employee personas look inward. A warehouse associate and a corporate analyst experience your company very differently. Personas help you see and account for those differences.
Why employee personas improve internal communications
When internal communications miss the mark, it's often because they treat every employee the same. Your organization's workforce isn't homogeneous. A night-shift warehouse worker, a remote software developer, and a retail store manager all have vastly different days, priorities, and ways of accessing information.
Personas help you see those differences clearly and communicate accordingly.
Sharper message relevance
When you know what each employee segment cares about, you can lead with what matters to them. A benefits update looks different to parents than recent graduates. Personas help you speak each group's language instead of defaulting to generic corporate-speak.
Higher employee engagement
Employees who receive communications that feel relevant to their role and situation are more likely to actually read them. And when people feel like leadership understands their reality, engagement tends to follow.
Smarter channel selection
Different groups access information differently. Your desk-based teams might live in Slack, or Microsoft Teams, or email, while your frontline workers only see what comes through a mobile app or digital signage. Personas reveal which channels actually reach each segment.
Stronger connection across distributed teams
For organizations with remote, hybrid, and frontline workers, personas are especially valuable. They help you design intentional touchpoints that keep physically distant employees informed and connected to company culture.
Data-driven communication decisions
Personas transform gut-feeling decisions into informed strategy. Instead of guessing what might work, you're building on actual employee behaviors and preferences.
Key components of an effective employee persona
A useful persona includes only the details that will actually influence your communication decisions. Here's what to capture:
- Demographics and role information: Demographics and role information: Job title, department, tenure, location, and reporting structure
- Work environment: Work environment: Office-based, remote, hybrid, frontline, field-based, or deskless
- Communication preferences: Communication preferences: Preferred channels, when they check messages, and how they consume content (quick scans versus deep reads)
- Motivations and pain points: Motivations and pain points: What drives them at work and what frustrates them about current communications
- Technology access: Technology access: Device access during work hours, digital literacy, and app usage patterns
You don't need exhaustive profiles; you just need to capture what's actionable.
Common types of workplace personas
Most organizations encounter a few recurring persona types. The following aren't templates to copy—they're starting points to customize based on your workforce.
Desk-based knowledge workers
Desk-based employees typically have constant email and intranet access. In this cohort, you're much more likely to run into information overload than information scarcity. They often skim communications and appreciate concise, scannable content.
Frontline and deskless employees
Limited access to computers during shifts means frontline workers rely on mobile devices, digital signage, or team huddles for updates. Timing matters enormously. A message sent at 2 PM might never reach someone whose shift ended at noon.
Remote and hybrid team members
Physical distance can create cultural distance. Remote employees often crave connection and context that office-based colleagues absorb naturally through hallway conversations. But according to Gallup research, only 28% of remote employees strongly agree they feel connected to their organization's mission and purpose.
Thoughtful, tailored communications are an essential key to bridging the physical distance barrier and building those connections.
People managers and team leads
Managers are a communication conduit. They often want information early so they can cascade it to their teams and answer questions confidently. It's absolutely critical that your communication strategy addresses manager communication
New hires and long-tenured employees
New hires and long-tenured employees have vastly different context. New hires want foundational information, while tenured staff want to understand why things are changing, not just what's changing.
How to build employee personas
You don't need a massive research budget to create useful personas. Start simple and iterate over time.
1. Define your communication objectives
What are you trying to achieve? Improving engagement? Reaching deskless workers? Reducing information overload? Your goals shape which personas matter most.
2. Gather employee data from multiple sources
Pull from what you already have:
- Employee surveys and feedback
- HR data (roles, locations, tenure)
- Intranet and communication analytics
- Focus groups or informal conversations
- Manager insights about their teams
3. Segment your workforce into meaningful groups
Look for patterns in how groups differ. Segment by factors that actually affect communication—role type, location, shift patterns, technology access—not arbitrary demographics.
4. Identify defining characteristics for each persona
For each segment, capture what makes them distinct: their typical day, how they access information, what they care about, and what communication pain points they experience.
5. Document and visualize each persona
Create a simple one-page profile for each persona. Give them a name and avatar to make them memorable and easy to reference in planning meetings.
6. Validate with employee feedback
Test your personas with real employees who fit each profile. Ask: does this ring true? What's missing? Refine based on their input.
Employee persona examples
Abstract concepts become clearer with concrete examples. Here are three personas you might recognize in your organization.
The busy field technician
Marcus spends his days traveling between job sites with limited computer access. He checks his phone during breaks and wants short, actionable information—not lengthy policy documents. Push notifications and mobile-friendly content work well for Marcus. Long emails don't.
The overwhelmed middle manager
Priya juggles competing priorities and sits in meetings most of the day. She wants information early so she can prepare for team questions. Clear action items and talking points help her cascade messages effectively.
The engaged remote worker
David is digitally connected but physically distant from headquarters. He actively seeks information but misses the watercooler context that office colleagues absorb naturally. Culture content and virtual connection opportunities help him feel part of the team.
How to use employee personas in internal communications
Building personas is only half the work. The real value comes from applying them consistently.
Align messages with persona priorities
The same core message can be framed differentlyThe same core message can be framed differently for each persona. Lead with what matters to them, using language they relate to.
Select channels based on persona behavior
Match your channels to how each persona actually accesses information:
Adjust timing and frequency by segment
Different personas have different rhythms. What feels like helpful frequency to one group might overwhelm another.
Tailor tone and content format
Some personas want bullet points and quick facts. Others appreciate context and narrative. Match format to consumption patterns.
Best practices for persona-driven employee communications
1. Start with your hardest-to-reach groups
Focus first on the employee segments you struggle to reach—often frontline or deskless workers. Solving for them often improves communication for everyone.
2. Keep personas simple and actionable
Avoid over-complicated personas with excessive detail. If a characteristic won't influence a communication decision, leave it out.
3. Share personas across departments
Personas are most valuable when HR, IT, and internal comms teams all use the same understanding of employee segments.
4. Measure results by persona segment
Track communication metrics by segment to see which personas you're reaching effectively and where gaps remain.
5. Refresh personas as your workforce changes
Personas aren't static. Update them as your organization evolves—new locations, remote work policies, generational shifts.
How to build employee personas with limited time and resources
If extensive research feels out of reach, start smaller:
- Create just two or three personas representing your most distinct segments
- Use existing data from HR systems, communication analytics, and recent surveys
- Talk informally with a handful of employees from each segment
- Build simple one-page profiles and iterate over time
- Focus on communication-relevant details, not exhaustive profiles
You can always add depth later. The important thing is to start.
Put your employee personas to work with a modern intranet
Personas are only valuable if you can act on them. A modern intranet platform lets you target communications and continuously refine your approach based on real data. Haystack's group-based audience targeting and analytics toolkit make persona-based communication practical and measurable, so you can see exactly which messages land with which groups and adjust accordingly.
FAQs about building employee personas
How many employee personas should an organization create?
Most organizations find three to five personas sufficient to capture meaningful differences without becoming unwieldy. Start small and add personas only when distinct communication needs emerge.
How often should employee personas be updated?
Review personas annually or whenever your workforce experiences significant changes like new locations, shifts to remote work, or major restructuring.
What happens when an employee fits into multiple personas?
Fitting into multiple personas is common and expected. Prioritize based on the communication context and the characteristic most relevant to that particular message.
How can internal communicators measure if persona-based communications are working?
Compare engagement metrics like open rates and survey responses across persona segments before and after implementing targeted communications.
How do internal communicators get leadership buy-in for developing employee personas?
Frame personas as a way to improve communication ROI and reach critical employee segments that current approaches miss. Leaders often respond to the business case for reaching frontline and deskless workers.
