A company’s employees have a direct, major impact on brand reputation, according to a new research summary produced by the business thought leadership organization, The Forum: Business Results through People.

The report, “Why Employee Engagement Should Be Part of the Marketing Mix,” is the latest in a new series of research packages designed for marketing executives. The authors, Dr. Frank Mulhern of Northwestern University, and Jimmy Peltier and Andy Dahl of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, studied the impact of employee engagement on customer satisfaction within service-based organizations, including extensive research at a major New York hospital. Their research showed a direct link between employee satisfaction and patient (customer) satisfaction, and that patients that had higher levels of satisfaction were most likely to recommend the hospital to others.