Meet the winners of Simpplr’s 2025 Employee Experience Excellence Awards

Our panel of judges included Lisa Colella, Managing Director, Strategic Communications and Leadership, at CRA | Admired Leadership, Andrea Greenhous, CEO and Chief Internal Communications Strategist at Vision2Voice, Julie Humphries, Founder of JH Insights, and Simpplr’s own Regan Zuege, Internal Communications Manager. 

These employee experience experts reviewed entries from organizations spanning government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and manufacturing firms. Companies of all sizes — from regional credit unions to multinational consumer product corporations — demonstrated how digital workplaces can solve genuine problems, facilitate authentic conversation, and help employees feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

Now for the exciting part. Meet the organizations that impressed our judges with their innovative approaches to digital employee experience. Each winner found unique ways to turn technology into a catalyst for workplace culture, proving that a modern intranet can be far more than a repository for company announcements.

Digital engagement excellence

Best employee engagement

What makes an intranet truly successful? Active participation. These winners created digital communities where employees don’t just consume content — they contribute to it, shaping workplace culture through impressive participation metrics and genuine involvement.

Winners:

• Manatee County Tax Collector
• Stockman Bank
• Sunrun

Best intranet usage

Behind every well-used intranet are dedicated people managers with strategies that drive both adoption and ongoing engagement. These winners excel at creating valuable content that keeps employees coming back day after day.

Winners:

• California Department of Motor Vehicles
• HealthEdge Software
• WECU

Best improvement metric

The proof is in the numbers. These organizations demonstrated remarkable improvements after transitioning to a modern intranet platform, showing significant gains in adoption rates, employee sentiment, and content readership compared to their legacy systems.

Winners:

• Capital City Bank Group
• Genesys
• Westwood Professional Services

“What struck me most about this year’s awards was the depth of passion and intentionality that teams are investing in their employee communications. The standout entries were those that went beyond simply broadcasting information to facilitating genuine dialogue. These leaders understand that exceptional employee experience isn’t about better messaging but better conversations.”

— Lisa Colella, Managing Director, Strategic Communications and Leadership, CRA | Admired Leadership

Content and design excellence

Best video content

When it comes to employee communication, nothing beats the power of video. These winners created compelling visual content that boosted engagement, strengthened culture, and deepened strategic alignment across their organizations.

Winners:

• Lantheus
• Nutrition Warehouse
• Sunrun

Best branding

Successful intranets reflect the organizations they serve. These winning platforms showcase thoughtful design through color palettes, typography, and visual elements that reinforce company identity and strengthen employees’ connection to the company mission.

Winners:

• Atwell LLC
• Credit Acceptance
• Liliuokalani Trust

Best intranet name

Beyond clever wordplay, meaningful names create lasting digital identities. These winners developed intranet names that authentically reflect company culture and create a sense of place in the digital workplace.

Winners:

• Bozzuto
• Domtar
• Sargent & Lundy

“As the owner of an agency that helps communications professionals build intranets employees will love, it was a joy and a privilege to serve as a judge for this year’s Simpplr awards. I was inspired by the care, creativity, and commitment behind each submission, especially the thoughtful attention to interaction and the overall employee experience.”

— Andrea Greenhous, CEO and Chief Internal Communications Strategist, Vision2Voice

Innovation and recognition excellence

Most creative use of an intranet

Standard features only scratch the surface of what intranets can do. These winners reimagined their digital workplaces with unexpected elements — from curated playlists to live metric dashboards — creating engaging spaces that employees genuinely want to visit.

Winners:

• JM Wilson Corporation
• Pagaya
• Tata Consumer Products

Most effective for recognizing employees

Employee recognition flourishes on the right platform. These organizations created digital spaces where appreciation becomes visible, achievements are celebrated openly, and a culture of recognition becomes embedded in daily work life.

Winners:

• Forge Biologics
• Kitsap Mental Health Services
• Workiva

“It was exciting to see many innovative solutions to enhance employee engagement, streamline workflows, and foster a unified company culture. From integrating business applications to improving cross-functional efficiency to enabling many of the HR processes through Simpplr, the entries showed the power of the platform to engage a thriving workforce.”

— Julie Humphries, Founder, JH Insights

Leadership and technical excellence

Most visionary executive

Executive sponsorship plays a significant role in advancing digital initiatives. These organizations feature senior leaders who don’t just support their intranets — they champion them, driving adoption through consistent engagement and aligning digital strategy with company vision.

Winners:

• Agero
• Bernards
• Lozier Corporation

Best IT champions

Behind every successful intranet stands a dedicated IT team. These organizations showcase technical experts who went beyond implementation to create seamless integrations, innovative solutions, and stable platforms that enhance daily work.

Winners:

• BNSF
• Option Care Health
• TriNet

Best HR and comms partnership

Breaking down silos yields powerful results. These winners demonstrate what happens when HR and Internal Communication teams collaborate strategically on initiatives from onboarding to engagement, creating cohesive employee experiences.

Winners:

• Autovista Group
• Moffitt Cancer Center
• Texas Mutual Insurance Company

“As a former customer and past award winner, I know how meaningful it is to be recognized for the work we do as IC professionals — so it was incredibly rewarding to be on the other side of the table this time. Seeing all the creativity and impact happening within the Simpplr platform has inspired me big time. I’m already thinking about how we can bring some of these smart, thoughtful use cases into our own intranet!”

— Regan Zuege, Internal Communications Manager, Simpplr

Congratulations to the winners

The true measure of a successful intranet isn’t just the technology itself but how that technology creates meaningful connections and amplifies company culture. We’re grateful to everyone who submitted entries — not just for participating but for your ongoing dedication to creating exceptional employee experiences that make a difference every day.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming blog series, where we’ll dive deeper into why these organizations won and highlight the best practices that demonstrate excellence in each category. We’ll use these award-winning organizations to illustrate how everyone in the EX community can learn from their success and apply these insights to their own digital workplace initiatives.

Ready to find out how Simpplr can help you achieve employee experience excellence? Request a demo today.