Why Employee Stories Matter with Lehigh University
With shake ups in the workplace such as “the great resignation” and new employees onboarding during a pandemic, it has never been so important to find ways to build your employee community and strengthen those human connections.We spoke to Hillary Kwiatek, Lehigh University’s employee communications specialist. Lehigh is a mid-size private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that ranks in the top 50 in the US. Hillary dropped by to share her experience of launching Lehigh University's career journey story podcast.What inspired you to start a podcast?Creating their podcast The Spotcast was part of the natural evolution of diversifying from traditional, printed communications to more digital media. With a very limited budget to speak of, podcasting offered an efficient and affordable medium to reach Lehigh’s staff and even the broader community.It also provided Hillary with a channel to showcase the staff in a way that is different from the normal press release and social media paths, offering opportunities to give voice to the diverse stories that make up their community.Who creates the podcast?Hillary and, when she has one, an intern, do all the work, from identifying interviewees to purchasing the music license to interviewing and recording. The University has its own audio recording studio, so Hillary has access to all the equipment she needs to record and edit the show.The strategy Hillary applies to each podcast is to have a fifteen minute conversation with the interviewee before the show. She tries to avoid giving them a specific list of the questions she intends to ask prior to the interview. She helps them feel comfortable in this pre-interview meeting so they go into the interview prepared and it can then follow a natural conversational flow.How is the podcast promoted?The marketing of the podcast is all on Hillary. She promotes each show in the e-newsletter and the university's social media channels: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Hillary uses quotes and images of the interviewee and, of course, makes sure she shares the link with the interviewee. This cross promotion between Lehigh University’s official channels and the interviewee’s network often widens that reach.What is the value your podcast offers your audience?At one level, the podcast is about building the brand of Lehigh and augmenting employee relations.On another level, it performs a particular function, which is to open the audience to the incredible potential and possibilities they will have access to in their career path. Many careers, and especially perhaps careers in the academic and academic-support space, only make sense with a degree of hindsight. The podcast provides an avenue through which to showcase employees' careers and provide that hindsight, so that others may be inspired to see different paths.And finally, the podcast is also a vital part of Lehigh's hiring strategy. From portraying the wide array of types of positions available at a university to articulating the work culture at Lehigh, the podcast allows people who are external to the community to learn more about Lehigh and its 1,200 staff members.Is there a wider value to the podcast?Hillary feels that the podcast has allowed staff members’ stories to have greater reach than their normal range might offer. For example, one of the staffers is a role model to, and supportive of, the LGBT+ community at Lehigh. Students and faculty members who otherwise may not know, were made aware of this person's commitment to being an important resource. Another episode featured the story of the university’s performing arts center director. This story served both to highlight the diverse careers and paths to them at Lehigh and also to show people beyond the campus the many functions the university serves in the community.What has the response been to the podcast?Interestingly, the response is often related to a more hidden value of the podcast. That is, the recognition that the interviewee receives as a result of the exposure.Time and again, Hillary sees the podcast travel beyond the normal brand reach of Lehigh University and travel outward on social media in the interviewee's own circle.In fact, it is often the interviewee who returns with feedback to Hillary regarding the overwhelming response they received. It is this personal feedback and the connections created, more than numbers, that have shown the success of the podcast.What value does a podcast bring that other mediums don't?Hillary loves conversation and listening to other people's stories and is a firm believer in the connection that the medium of speech gives both the interviewee and interviewer.Based on the response to the podcast that Hillary receives, she can see how it is building community by creating reach at a human level.What are your future goals for the podcast?Hillary is considering adding a format to allow employee communications to go beyond the focus on personnel profiling to discuss policies and practices that affect staff. Hillary considers this will require a shorter form podcast. Meanwhile, she remains committed to retaining the original, longer-form interviews as well. There are still a plethora of fascinating stories to uncover amongst Lehigh employees.Do you have any take-home advice?Lehigh University's brand promotes that "you bring the passion we bring the possibility". Hillary's experience has taught her that this resonates well via podcast. So, Hillary’s number one piece of advice is that podcasting is an excellent medium for passionate individuals to unleash great possibilities.More pragmatically, Hillary also emphasizes that it is okay to not aim for perfection, and that most people won't even notice what you consider to be flaws. Pick your battles and determine how much you want to invest in each.
