The conversation led by companies on LinkedIn has shifted dramatically in recent months: from business-as-usual in January, to COVID-19 and remote work in March, to calls for diversity and inclusion in June.

With a pandemic, recession, and anti-racist movement reshaping our world, companies aren’t staying quiet. They’re posting more than usual, according to LinkedIn data - and getting more engagement, too.

With so much attention on what businesses are saying, the way your company responds to today’s crises could shape your employer brand for years to come.

Read on to see how companies are speaking to the moment, how your employees can amplify your message, and where conversations by employees are moving towards.

Companies have been communicating more, not less

Brands are taking stands, as more people expect them to. In the past, many companies might have thought the safest thing was staying silent; today, the danger may lie in not speaking out.

From sharing how the pandemic impacts their organizations, to signalling support for diversity and inclusion, companies haven’t been shy about conveying their values to employees and candidates.

LinkedIn data shows the rate of company posting has been steadily rising since the beginning of the year.

And people are listening to what companies have to say. In May 2020, engagements with company posts globally were almost 30% higher than the previous year, with Asia-Pacific (APAC) showing the highest growth at 39%.

With topics like remote work and burnout, racial inequality and social injustice taking centre stage globally, members in APAC have been actively engaging and sharing their own experiences as well. In June alone, 4 trending topics - #BlackLivesMatter, #COVID, #Wellness, and #MentalHealth received millions of engagements by LinkedIn users in APAC.

It’s a powerful reminder that employer branding is equal parts messaging and action. Messaging without action rings hollow, and action without messaging can go unnoticed.

Employees speak louder than companies

Naturally, your own employees can play a critical role in getting your message out there. Employees speak louder than companies on LinkedIn: when employees post something, it tends to reach over 3x more people than when a company posts.

And in recent months, employees have helped drive the conversation by sharing content more than usual. Globally in March, April, and May 2020, the number of employees sharing monthly updates increased by 15%-20% from the previous year. In APAC, postings in countries like India, Philippines, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia have grown faster than the global average.

Companies are shifting conversations to reflect global realities, and so are employees. Tracking conversations led by employees on LinkedIn in APAC, we looked at some of the top topics discussed.

Conversations by employees in APAC are shifting away from COVID-19 & remote work - and back to business-as usual

Early in the pandemic, conversations by employees were largely focused on COVID-19 and remote work (e.g. #COVID19, workfromhome, #staysafe). Conversations range from employees searching and sharing tips on remote work, to discussions on how industries are pivoting into this new world of work.

In June, conversations saw a shift back to business-as-usual topics. As people get increasingly used to remote work (and discovering some of its additional perks!) and offices opening up in some countries, conversations are shifting away from it. The hashtag #workfromhome dropped from 2nd place in May to 52nd in June. Conversations are now moving back to business topics (e.g. #technology, #business, #marketing), with people taking to LinkedIn to share their tips on how to thrive in this new world of business.

Final thoughts

The world is changing before our eyes, and the conversation on LinkedIn reflects that. While businesses may have once preferred to stay out of current events, today’s moment calls for more.

Employees, candidates, and consumers expect companies to say where they stand on these issues and how they’re addressing them - from the health precautions they’re taking to protect employees to the ways they’re building a more diverse, welcoming workplace.

What is important to members and employees is changing monthly so companies should keep their posting strategies flexible. Brands should be empathetic and speak about important topics to remain relevant in these fast changing times. ​Get tips on how brands can communicate authentic empathy to cultivate connections that last.

This post is adapted from the global edition: Companies continue to speak up as the conversation on LinkedIn  shifts to injustice.

Methodology

Analysis based on global LinkedIn data from April 1, 2019, to June 15, 2020. Company posts include all organic (not sponsored) updates made to LinkedIn company pages. Increase in weekly volume of company posts are benchmarked against April 2019.

COVID-19–related hashtags include company posts that mention one of the hashtags #covid19, #coronavirus, #covid, #corona, #covid_19, or #pandemic. Hiring and Careers–related hashtags include #jobs, #hiring, #recruitment, #training, #job, #recruiting, #jobsearch, or #careers. Work from Home–related hashtags include #workfromhome, #remotework, #homeoffice, #wfh, or #workingfromhome. The Black Lives Matters hashtag is #blacklivesmatter.

Engagement with company posts is measured as a combination of likes, comments, clicks, and shares. Employees included are those who have a current position on their LinkedIn profile in companies that have at least 500 full-time equivalent employees.

The reach of employees per company is measured as the number of LinkedIn members who received an impression from one of its employees in the past 12 months. This is compared to the reach of that company which is measured as the number of LinkedIn members who received an impression from one of the company’s organic posts over the past 12 months.