Corporate employees doubling as social media influencers could be the next big thing. Companies need to use them strategically.

Originally published in print and online by The Straits Times on 14th May 2025.

The rise of workplace content on TikTok is hard to ignore.

Affectionately dubbed “WorkTok”, hashtags like #WorkLife, #WorkTok and #CorporateTikTok have amassed billions of views, and turned the platform into a kind of digital water cooler – a place where creators chronicle everything from petty office politics to career tips.

With all this content so easily accessible, carefully worded mission statements, human resources jargon and curated highlight reels may no longer cut it for the job seekers of tomorrow. 

What they’re really looking for is authenticity and relatability: behind-the-scenes stories that show what it’s really like to work at a company.

Enter: The office influencer. These are not influencers in the usual sense – there are no sponsored skincare hauls here but a full-time corporate employee who shares on social media what work looks and feels like from the inside. 

Think a Gen Z or millennial worker casually filming “day in the life” TikToks or Instagram Stories at their desk, sharing snippets of their team lunches, project milestones and coffee runs. 

They’re not setting out to be brand ambassadors promoting the organisation. They’re just sharing their work life on their personal accounts the same way they would a weekend brunch or a trip abroad. And their content ends up going viral.

In most companies, these voices already exist. But very few are harnessing them strategically.

From highlight reels to human stories 

For years, employer branding has leaned heavily on high-level messaging: “We empower our people.” “We value diversity.” “We’re like a family.”

But in reality, people want to know: What does that actually look like when life gets messy? What happens when I have a family emergency, or need time to care for my mental health? Can I be myself, and still succeed here?

The office influencer helps answer those questions. It could be through a post about how their team rallied to cover for them during a tough week, or a candid reflection on setting boundaries while navigating burnout. 

These personal stories give texture to otherwise vague company values, offering a peek into how culture shows up when it really matters. 

With Gen Z and younger millennials increasingly using social media as their primary lens on employers, office influencers become culture-carriers, shaping an employer’s brand from the inside out. They can be a powerful force for attracting new talent and engaging existing employees.

The trend is already on the rise overseas, and can be expected to accelerate fast, as Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – enters the workforce in greater numbers. 

Take US-based TikToker and Mayo Clinic medical student Destiny Green, who documents the quiet intensity of training in neurosurgery.

Her videos, often filmed in between rotations, offer a rare glimpse into the human side of medicine: long shifts, quiet corridors and small triumphs. 

There’s also Ms Lillian Chiu, a business strategy manager at Spotify, whose YouTube videos and Instagram Reels walk the line between career advice and digital diary. Through office tours, strategy deck walkthroughs, and tips on leadership and networking, she’s built a following by making the world of tech less intimidating, more navigable.

Neither of them was hired to be a spokesperson. But in sharing their lives at work, they’ve become something close to it.

Tapping into the trend

So how can companies use such voices strategically? One way is to recognise and nurture them into more formal roles with proper recognition. 

This might mean appearing in recruitment campaigns, hosting Q&As for new hires, or co-creating short-form videos for LinkedIn. They could even co-create content like TikToks and Instagram Reels in collaboration with the company’s social team.

When these influencers are formally tapped by their employers, they can benefit from better tools, clearer guidelines, and even incentives to share their experiences – ensuring consistency without killing authenticity. 

Southwest Airlines flight attendant Jill Donnelly, for example, is a YouTuber who has been chronicling her life in the skies on social media ever since she joined the airline in 2023. 

While she posts behind-the-scenes reels and videos of life as a flight attendant, her travel experiences and even her training, there are clear guidelines of what she can and cannot share – for instance, filming of other people without their permission or disparaging the company is off-limits, it was reported. 

Otherwise, she has the full support of her employer, which even has an official employee influencer programme to help amplify the voices of employees. In fact, the airline describes itself in its TikTok bio as “the one with the funny flight attendants”.

Closer to home, AirAsia has also leaned into the model of “employee-as-influencer”. The airline’s cabin crew regularly double as on-camera talent, event emcees and even DJs, blending entertainment and brand storytelling into a seamless experience. 

On an individual level, such “accidental influencers” can benefit from the visibility they gain across their professional and personal networks. 

As they become a public face of the company, influencers can also tap into new avenues for networking, connecting with thought leaders, and other professionals in their field.

This can translate into new career opportunities, collaborations, and even speaking engagements. 

Supporting voices from the inside out

But there is a delicate balance that companies need to tread.

In terms of workload, when what started out as casual sharing turns into key performance indicators, it raises the question of how to manage employee expectations, particularly in the area of compensation, career pathways or support. Some employees may thrive in the spotlight of being a designated “face” of the brand. 

But for others, the reality might not hit until after they’ve agreed. The continuous pressure to keep producing polished, on-brand content can lead to burnout, especially when employees feel like they’re carrying the weight of representing the brand without the right resources or support.

And in terms of content, too much scripting or control can backfire, turning what felt genuine into just another corporate broadcast. Employees and audiences are also quick to sense when content feels forced – so authenticity and trust need to be maintained in the creation of content. The appeal of office influencers lies in their independence – the sense that they’re speaking from personal experience, not reading off a brief. If their content starts to feel overly polished or PR-driven, audiences may begin to tune out. 

The challenge is this: To remain close enough to the company to offer genuine insight, but far enough removed to maintain independence. 

Creating space for trust 

So how can companies create the right conditions for office influencers to thrive? 

As a start, make it safe to share. Employees won’t speak publicly if they fear backlash or censorship. Create clear but flexible guidelines that encourage openness while protecting sensitive information.

Second, celebrate internal creators. If someone is consistently creating meaningful content about your organisation’s work on LinkedIn, spotlight them. Or if you spot an employee’s TikTok going viral on social media, invite them to contribute to your official channels. 

Give them the tools to improve their posts, whether that’s a quick content workshop or permission to post during work hours. 

Ultimately, the goal isn’t to control the narrative, but to create the right conditions, where employees feel safe, supported, and inspired to share their content.

No one wants to amplify a culture they can’t stand behind. If employees are sharing their experiences freely – the good, the difficult, the in-between – it often signals something hard to fake: psychological safety.

As generative artificial intelligence blurs the lines between real and artificial, human stories will only grow in value.