Social media tools, such as blogs, forums and wikis are becoming the newest trend in employee communication. According to Watson Wyatt, these tools have started to allow companies to communicate with employees in more effective ways—mass emails just aren’t cutting it anymore.
“When properly rolled out, social media tools can help companies meet their number one internal communication goal—engaging employees,” says Michael Rudnick, global intranet and portal leader at Watson Wyatt. “Social media tools help employees actively participate in creating and sharing information. This shift to employee-generated content has resulted in employees becoming more engaged online.”
However, a lot of companies are hesitant to start using these tools, saying that they’re worried it will have a negative effect on productivity.
Rudnick says these same concerns surfaced when the internet was introduced into the workplace in the mid-1990s. Employers simply have to do what they did back then—set clear guidelines for acceptable use.
“Companies need a plan to introduce these new technologies into the workforce. Simply deploying the technology is not enough and can even be counterproductive,” Rudnick adds. “However, employers that avoid social media altogether are missing an important opportunity and running the risk of alienating Generation X-ers and Millennials. Embracing the technology with proper planning, guidelines and change management for its use are effective approaches to ensuring success.”
Watson Wyatt says a good example of adopting social media tools, and an easy place to start, is by adding a blog or a blog feedback, a wiki or even a podcast to the company’s static intranet.
To comment on this story, email april.scottclarke@rci.rogers.com.