|
| | –engaging employees,"
said Michael Rudnick,
global intranet and
portal leader at Watson
Wyatt. "Instead of
simply mass e-mailing
information or posting
to an intranet in hopes
employees will see it,
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, at the
moment, many companies
are focused on the risks
of social media.
Executives often express
concern about giving
employees the ability to
create content, and many
information technology
departments are blocking
employee access to the | |
|
| | most popular external
social media tools.
Rudnick says these
concerns are reminiscent
of the productivity
fears raised, and
subsequently disproved,
when the internet was
introduced into the
workplace in the
mid-1990s. The way for
employers to address
these concerns is to do
just as they did 10
years ago – set clear
guidelines for
acceptable use while
adopting social media
for a productive,
internal purpose.
"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 said. "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."
A good example of how
employers can adopt
social media internally
is to enhance their
static intranet with
more dynamic Web 2.0
technology. On most
intranets, news is
posted primarily by a
limited number of
communicators. A social
media-driven intranet
allows most, if not all,
employees to create
information and
participate in a | |
|
| | companywide dialogue.
Content can be
contributed in a variety
of ways, including
blogs, blog feedback,
wikis, vlogs, podcasts
and other Web 2.0 tools.
This more collaborative
approach provides for
relevant and up-to-date
content on intranets
without dramatically
increasing the burden on
a company's
communications function.
However, guidelines,
training and change
management about
appropriate use, along
with strong firewalls
(to keep prying eyes
out), are needed to
ensure that social media
is used productively and
sensitive information is
not inappropriately or
inadvertently
disseminated, said
Rudnick.
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