World Values Day: Why values must be lived, not laminated

Emma Bridger 

Minutes
13th October 2025
Internal Communication
Human centred
Employee experience
Event
World Values Day on October 16th is a timely reminder that values are only meaningful when they guide behaviour and shape the everyday experience of employees.

Yet too often, organisational values are launched through campaigns that rely on posters, lanyards, or internal campaigns. While these efforts raise awareness, they rarely change the way employees actually feel about work.

The gap between what is said and what is experienced can create cynicism. If an organisation declares “collaboration” as a value but rewards competitive behaviour, employees see the disconnect. If leadership promotes “respect” but dismisses feedback, the values statement quickly loses credibility.

In reality, values live in experiences, not in campaigns. They are visible in how decisions are made, how teams work together, and how recognition is given. They show up in the “moments that matter” — often small, everyday interactions that shape trust and culture.

The role of internal communication

This is where People-First Internal Communication (PFIC) comes in. The PFIC framework positions communication not as broadcasting information, but as designing experiences that reflect and reinforce organisational values.

For example:
  • Instead of a poster that says “innovation,” create employee experiences where experimentation and new ideas are supported.
  • Instead of a lanyard listing “customer focus,” design onboarding journeys where employees see customer stories brought to life.
  • Instead of a campaign about “integrity,” equip leaders to demonstrate consistent and transparent decision-making.

This approach recognises that communication is not just about what is said, but about what is felt.

The PFIC Labs: Practical training for communicators

To help communicators put this thinking into practice, we’ve developed the People-First IC Labs — a series of interactive in-person training courses:

  • PFIC Strategy Lab: Create a strategy that connects values to business outcomes and demonstrates impact through measurable objectives.
  • PFIC Leader Lab: Strengthen the human skills — empathy, influence, and sense-making — that help leaders live values authentically.
  • PFIC Design Lab: Use the PFIC Design Loop and tools such as journey mapping, empathy mapping, and prototyping to design employee experiences that make values real.

Participants leave with recognition, practical toolkits, and the capability to re-imagine their role for the Human + AI era.

Why now?

AI is rapidly transforming communication tasks such as drafting and distributing messages. But AI cannot build trust, shape values, or create meaningful experiences. Communicators who focus on designing the human side of work will be best placed to add strategic value.

Join us...

This World Values Day, let’s move beyond laminated posters and values campaigns.

Let’s commit to designing experiences that bring values to life.

📅
Nov 12 (Strategy Lab)
Nov 19 (Leader Lab)
Jan 21 (Design Lab)

📍 Central London
💸 £595 early bird / £695 standard

Values cannot be imposed through slogans. They must be experienced in the daily reality of work. PFIC provides the framework and accredited training to make that possible.