Why might the people whom you serve see your agency – and government agencies as a whole – as distant, impersonal entities? While your agency must adhere to strict rules, it can help the public’s perception if you feature the people behind the desk in your social media posts. Government agencies humanizing employees puts a face on your agency – and it can help your agency become more popular with the public.Instead of the rigidity of a bureaucratic mindset, your public sector communications teams can put a human face on your agency. Government employee storytelling will build trust, increase the public’s engagement, and portray your agency and its employees as relatable, approachable people – just like themselves.
Discover how 10 exceptional government agencies transformed their reputation by showcasing the human side of their work.
1. Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD)
Serving greater Cleveland and beyond, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District has built a cult following with its timely tips and, yes, a few scatological jokes thrown in for laughs. Many of the agency’s posts feature employees, dishing out humor along with pointers on how their customers can make life easier for both themselves and NEORSD workers.
Here’s one of the agency’s tamer X posts, featuring an employee who provides customers with practical safety tips to use on July 4 and beyond.
our 4th of July safety tips apply to all seasons. pic.twitter.com/WfTUTVpZXK
— NE Ohio Regional Sewer District (@neorsd) July 3, 2025
Instead of posting ominous warnings with giant red letters reading “DO NOT FLUSH” followed by a list of prohibited items, the agency captured its audience’s trust with humor. One can only imagine that Cleveland-area sewer workers had a less stressful summer following that post.
Talk about behind-the-scenes insights. When the employee who has to clean up the mess holds up a sign reading “The toilet is not a trash can,” the audience could imagine themselves in his shoes, flushing out the muck. Not a fun way to return to work after a holiday break.
Using both humor and employee insights can win more than taxpayers’ minds. With a clever blend of both, agencies can reach into their hearts.
2. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
In a previous post, we featured this agency’s “Good News Sunday” campaign for highlighting the bright spots in its challenging mission. Although the agency has continued this feel-good campaign, it also provides its followers with close-up views of the danger its officers face while keeping the community safe.
This heart-stopping video of a domestic violence arrest goes behind the scenes to show the public how an offender’s early release without rehabilitation puts both repeat victims and officers in danger.
Through the positive vibes of the agency’s “Good News Sundays” and its public awareness “Warrant Wednesdays,” this Florida law enforcement agency continues to inform those it serves. Putting the public in the shoes of employees of sometimes unpopular agencies (who doesn’t resent a traffic ticket?) builds a rapport that can transcend emotional barriers.
3. Stafford, Kansas
Sometimes the human face you want to put on your government agency is at the top of the leadership pyramid. Humanizing the leader of an agency can help dispel some of the public’s perception of government agencies’ leadership as detached or impersonal.
That’s certainly the case in this YouTube post featuring Don Hardin, the mayor of Stafford, Kansas, located along US Route 50. Once a bustling stop along a national highway, the town has faced challenges as freeways replaced national highways and corporate truck stops replaced local diners.
However, Hardin’s vision for reviving the town is contagious. With the rise of remote work, people who once lived and worked in large cities have the opportunity to keep their high-paying jobs and live in a peaceful, rural small town.
Hardin and other local leaders have worked hard to entice city dwellers to move to Stafford. One of the perks the town offers is a premier recreation center built from the rubble of the town’s former high school, decimated in a fire.
Offering all the perks of a pricey fitness center at a yearly price half the cost of what members would pay per month in the city, the community-built recreation center is but one of the improvements Hardin wants to highlight in his efforts to repopulate – and revive – the once-thriving town.
4. NASA
Ever wonder about the people behind NASA’s breathtaking launches into the “final frontier?” In this official Instagram post, the agency features many of the engineers and other employees who design, test, and deploy its space exploration vehicles.
View this post on Instagram
Exploring strange new worlds will no longer be the stuff of science fiction, although it will be the engineers, not the astronauts, who will embark virtually on this interstellar journey. Scheduled for launch “no later than May 2027,” the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will search for planets outside our solar system.
Having certified it ready for deployment, the engineers featured in this post hope to achieve liftoff “as early as fall 2026.”
It’s not only NASA’s engineers and astronauts who have the smarts at this agency. Drumming up excitement at the possibility of traveling to new solar systems, the agency’s social media team helps build taxpayers’ confidence that their dollars will achieve something that lasts well beyond their lifetimes.
5. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
One of the main concerns the public has about the electrification of public transit providers is range anxiety – the fear that they might become stranded on their way to their destinations. That’s especially true in areas that face below-freezing temperatures, like the state of Massachusetts. Extreme cold can play havoc with an electric vehicle battery’s range.
To assure the public that its new electric buses will not deploy with actual passengers until the buses’ ranges have passed rigorous range tests, the MBTA took to Instagram with a fact-filled video.
View this post on Instagram
In the video, MBTA engineers demonstrated their rigorous testing process that ensured that the buses would pass their range requirements. They also pointed out the environmental benefits of all-electric vehicles, making the post a win-win for both the agency and the people it serves.
6. Washington Department of Ecology
Rapid responses to catastrophic events are essential for a successful social media strategy for government agencies. When those agencies feature their own employees on the ground working to fix the damage, it assures the public more than flowery speeches from agency leadership.
One outstanding example is the Washington Department of Ecology’s social media posts about an oil spill that occurred when the tugboat Dominion sank while moored at the Port of Bremerton.
Not only did the agency report the spill immediately, but its leadership also featured its hard-working employees in follow-up posts, showcasing the progress made in the clean-up process.
Crises are often unavoidable. However, when an agency responds immediately and follows up as the response progresses, it builds trust and confidence in the agency and its leaders.
7. The City of Tampa
To drive efficiency, organizational structures need a clear chain of command. While collaboration at all levels of the organization is critical, it’s the leadership team that makes the ultimate decisions.
But then there’s that 20% of Americans whose relationship with their bosses isn’t exactly ideal. To demonstrate that the city’s government has both a clear chain of command and an excellent relationship with its employees, the city of Tampa, Florida, used humor to drive that point home via TikTok in this video:
@cityoftampa Always here to answer the call ☎️ 💪 #Tampa #TampaBay #TampaTok #JaneCastor #HurricaneIan #EOC #Ian #Florida #tampaproud ♬ original sound – City of Tampa
In this video, city employees from the mayor on down showcase both the importance of organizational structure and the need to collaborate on all levels. Its lighthearted approach drives the point home.
8. Contra Costa County Elections
Building trust in the validity of elections is key to a healthy government. Unfortunately, as the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index® shows, the United States ranks 43rd in the world in election confidence.
Northern California’s Contra Costa County has taken it upon itself to build, not further erode, its residents’ confidence that officials will conduct the vote-counting process with fairness. To that end, it featured its election workers in Facebook videos demonstrating the testing process that occurs before each election.
Building trust in election integrity can go a long way toward boosting voter turnout, especially in off-year elections. This post not only instilled confidence but also informed voters about an upcoming statewide special election. Achieving two objectives in one single post – genius move.
9. The National Weather Service (NWS)
When two hurricanes threaten to come together and wreak havoc on the East Coast with massive rip currents, it’s time to send the nation’s top hurricane expert out to warn the public. In late September 2025, Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda arrived in the Atlantic almost simultaneously. The NWS sent the director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Dr. Michael Brennan, to post a Facebook video to brief the coastal public on the dangers they could face if they stayed in certain areas.
Such warnings undoubtedly save lives. Whether on a laptop at work or on a mobile device, the NWS provides Americans with real-time weather alerts that help residents of affected areas take immediate action.
10. U.S. Air Force (USAF)
Yenky, an Air Force employee whose paycheck consists of belly rubs and extra treats, boosts the USAF’s cuteness quotient while undergoing water aggression training. Water training helps military working dogs build their confidence in a water environment while keeping sharp in their abilities to “apprehend targets.”
View this post on Instagram
And apprehend he does. Another post featuring Yenky and his decoy, Senior Airman Justus Johnson, demonstrates the dog’s accuracy. No worries – decoys wear bite suits to protect them from actual bites.
These behind-the-scenes insights give taxpayers a close-up look at what these canine heroes and their trainers endure, even in their basic training. Having an adorable German Shepherd dog as an ambassador for this branch of the Armed Services adds even more appeal to the agency.
Stellar Campaigns Share Several Attributes
- Storytelling trumps dull press releases: Humanizing government agencies brings a level of trust that only authentic storytelling can bring to the table. These stories demonstrate how government employees step up to the plate daily.
- Employee stories strengthen agency culture: Not only do these employee stories help taxpayers to trust these agencies more effectively, but they also fortify the agency’s internal culture. Imagine the pride these employees feel when they see themselves as the heroes they are!
- Visual storytelling creates near-instant engagement: As a Canva study revealed, stories that engage audiences with compelling visuals “trigge[r] memory encoding 74% faster than dull alternatives.
- Consistency forges bonds: Keeping employees in the spotlight is a campaign strategy that should never stop. Engagement doesn’t stop with a one-off story. It takes several touchpoints to score a connection.
Key Takeaways for Public Sector Communications Teams
- Authenticity over polish: No matter how structured your agency, there’s always room for authenticity. Letting your employees’ voices (or barks, in Yenky’s case) shine builds an emotional connection that’s hard to break.
- Take advantage of cross-channel communications: Not everyone likes the same platforms you do. Post on multiple platforms in varied formats to expand your reach.
- Balance storytelling with accessibility and inclusivity: Showing that your agency benefits a diverse spectrum of humanity can build loyalty across cultures.
Humanization Is More Than PR
Humanizing your agency goes well beyond featuring your top employees in boilerplate press releases. It’s building lasting relationships with the public you serve through stories of everyday heroes.
Showcase your employees to build trust in the people you serve. Start small by featuring staff stories and grow those stories into full campaigns.
Provide your social media teams with even more actionable insights they need to make your agency employees shine. Check out one of our social media conferences to learn more!
