How to Build Employee Engagement Using Social Media

Social Media has become an integral part of the way we live and work. It is hard to imagine that it is only twenty years since the Internet was created. According to Nielsen research, social network traffic grew by 43% from June 2009 to June 2010. Social network activity now dwarfs online games, email and search as the number one activity. Every single day more people are also now turning to their social networks, as the preferred way to find jobs.

Managers need to realise that social media is much more than Facebook or LinkedIn. There is also a level of skepticism and confusion about the value of social media. A communications manager recently told me that she was one of the first people to get a Twitter account, after attending a conference in New York. Currently she still has no active account, and perhaps due to her confusing initial experience, is now a social media skeptic.

The astronomical growth of social media has created new ways for companies and candidates to connect online. In the late seventies, the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie used Hynek's scale of three types of encounters: sightings; observations of UFO's; and human observation of animate beings. Similarly, the involvement of Human Resources with the phenomena of Social Media can best be described and summarized at three distinct levels or types of encounters: compliance; sourcing; and engagement.

Level 1 - Compliance

Legal firms are frequently running workshops, as a number of employers are still working on an effective social media policy. Companies are struggling with dealing with how social networking sites may impact on their workplace, as well as trying to understand the laws and other factors that may impact their approach to social networking. From a compliance perspective, companies may be concerned about the distractions at work, and the consequences of privacy, bullying, and harassment issues that can follow. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia recently released their Social Media Policy, only to experience a massive backswing from employees and unions reacting angrily. Companies need to design a policy framework, which also require education of employees on how to use it in a meaningful way.

Level 2 - Sourcing

A recent survey (The Jobvite Survey: Job Seeker Nation 2010) highlighted that proactive career managers (defined as currently employed and open to a new job but are not actively seeking one) have a very social profile: Facebook (67%), Twitter (28%) and LinkedIn (28%). They are well connected with 52% having more than 50 contacts on Facebook. Younger professionals are using the benefits of technology to build their networks faster, by generating more referrals online, as compared to previous generations that are still preferring more traditional methods.

Companies, such as Microsoft, have developed effective recruitment strategies to ensure they manage their online and offline presence to remain an employer of choice. This includes creating a supporting environment for recruits and utilising employee networks to reach those candidates that are not active job seekers.

Increasingly, Australian companies, such as Fosters (@FostersCareers), are building strong talent management teams, adept at using LinkedIn and other social media tools to attract top talent, inviting potential employees to learn more about a career with their business. Recruiters are often online for a period, with "Ask and Expert" segment, to answer any questions that applicants may have.

Level 3 - Engagement

Social networking sites can be great tools for attraction, recruitment, communication, connection and engagement. Social media has also created new business opportunities - a recent internet survey confirmed that 68% of users found LinkedIn the most valuable tool.

Internal social groups can be connected and engaged through the effective use of social media. Social media is a critical part of communication and collaboration technologies that can help to make people more productive. Clearly there is an opportunity for employees to share ideas, replacing the old style suggestion boxes with a more interactive process, which is being used by many forums to collect views from users.

An example is Salesforce.com which is using a Twitter-like product and calling the employees that are using it the "Chatterati". These employees are getting their jobs done by using these tools, which creates value for the organization.

VicRoads are using Yammer, an internal "twitter" bringing together all of a company's employees inside a private and secure enterprise social network. According to Judith Pettitt, Executive Director People Services and Internal Communications, more than 20% of their 3,000 employees are engaged in providing valuable shared knowledge on various business topics. It has been especially helpful in organisational problem solving and in 'seeding' ideas.

VicRoads has also supported a recent blog project where all staff were able to make improvement suggestions on line, comment on others suggestions and get feedback from the Corporate Leadership Team on implementing the proposals.Using contemporary communication tools makes such a difference to the immediate needs of staff to share their knowledge and effectively engage with each other.

Embracing the future

Companies need to embrace social media with the same vigour that the internet and websites are today an intrinsic part of the communication within a company. Often it is about making a start. The HR department is the custodian of employee communication. By developing a strategic approach, the HR department can apply social media tools in an integrated way where they have real meaning.

Managers often feel a lack of control, particularly when a major change process is taking place. Rather than trying to control the process with zealous compliance, leaders need to embrace change and encourage employees to use it meaningfully to improve engagement.

Companies are responding to the growing interest and investment in social media applications, to support the attraction and retention of talent. A few companies are taking a leadership position as visionaries by embedding social media as an integral part of their employee engagement strategy.

Charles van Heerden is the founder of WaveBox, a specialist Strategic HR and Social Media consulting firm in Melbourne, Australia. Charles is an HR expert with a strategic focus on Social Media. Most recently he was Social Media and Marketing Director for a HR Consulting firm. Visit WaveBox for more information, as he enjoys blogging about innovative HR practices.

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Employee Communication Via Social Media - Overcoming Internal Resistance

'Digital natives' and 'digital immigrants'

What differentiates the 'digital native' generation, who grew up with the Internet from those who didn't?

Typically, many older workers, or 'digital immigrants', talk about their comfort zone. They find comfort in a hierarchical, command and control management structure. They are good communicators, who like to think, plan and do - in that order. They favour a top-down approach and generally like to play safe. Many of our senior managers fit into the digital immigrant generation.

Digital natives, on the other hand, prefer a guiding and nurturing environment. They do not want instructions handed down from on-high. They are great communicators and great networkers. But they do it differently. Digital tools and social media are like extensions of themselves. This emerging generation thinks acts and communicates quickly. They like engagement and like to try things out. They harness their team's collective experience and skills in order to find solutions. It's all about communicating. Many of the people now joining the workforce are digital natives.

The old way and the new?

The old way uses intranets or websites as static sites. Staff can search and find, but have limited ability to contribute. The new way is interactive and collaborative and uses social media such as Social networks (e.g. Facebook), Blogs, Discussion Forums and Wikis. Social media tools definitely add value to employee communications. They can help build relationships, increase collaboration, improve productivity, reduce silos, and build engagement. They also offer an excellent means to share ideas and gather qualitative feedback. So why is social media sometimes so hard to implement as an internal communications tool? Communicators understand the power of social media but their senior managers, who are often digital immigrants, remain wary and unconvinced. Are these the arguments that you are hearing?

'It's not a priority"

A CIO magazine's study,Top Technology Priorities found that even IT professionals don't consider Web 2.0 a priority. They're focused on network consolidation, outsourcing, CRM, and security. This would seem to back up management's assertion that Intranet 2.0 needs to take a back seat.

The response

Point out that Web 2.0 tools are already commonplace. Innovative companies are already leveraging the power of these tools. Many social media tools are easy and relatively cheap to implement. They don't need to compete with major IT plans.

Don't make sweeping claims when you are proposing social media tools. Managers don't want to hear about social media democratizing the organization. They want to know how business goals will be supported. So use language the CEO will understand and focus on concrete goals where possible.

Spot opportunities and start with small simple projects. Provide evidence of success before proposing a wider implementation.

Do your homework. Support your proposal for a wider implementation with case studies. IBM, Sun Microsystems and the hundreds of other Fortune 500 companies are already successfully wielding these tools.

Tips

Choose web 2.0 channels that have been specifically designed for employee communication. Use low cost communications channels that are quick and easy to implement and manage. Use a platform that is easy for IT to implement and has little need for ongoing IT support. Choose a platform that allows access rights to be targeted to specific staff groups. Ensure centralised reporting allows you to easily quantify the value of the web 2.0 channels and demonstrate their strategic communications value to senior managers.

Try a free trial or low cost pilot to test concepts out prior to a more comprehensive commitment to social media as an internal communications channel.

"We don't have the time, money or resources"

Management quite rightly recognizes that communicators are already overworked. They might also voice concerns about the cost of the tools and the lack of support resources.

The response

Explain tools that assist internal communications assist you. As for the tools being hungry on money and resources, explain that generally these tools are relatively inexpensive and require little time to set up. Rather then worrying about the return on investment in financial terms the focus should be on what can be gained from making them available. To keep costs down, lease a Web 2.0 solution. This allows you to leverage developments based on learning from other organisations. Study less and do more:

Start the dialogue and keep listening to the comments
Spot opportunities in the business where social media could provide a good fit
Start small and simple and use an iterative process
Predict concerns and solve problems early
Create an army of evangelists

Tips

Choose web 2.0 channels that have been built only for employee communications purposes, they are not a 'one size fits all' solution with a confusing array of set-up options.

Use a solution that is authenticated back to employees computers which means it is very secure but staff also do not need to remember a user name and password. Just one click and staff are able to participate.

Select a user friendly, intuitive solution that allows staff to participate with little or no training. Use a low cost solution that can fit within existing employee communications budgets. Utilise free trials to test out small deployments and evolve the use of staff social media channels based on staff feedback and learning. Increases in productivity facilitated by improved information flow can easily cost justify the use of social media for employee communications. For example, an interactive Helpdesk channel provides effective real time support channels for staff by allowing them to ask questions in interactive online helpdesks. This means that answers can be made available almost immediately and become part of an evolving searchable repository of knowledge. It doesn't suit our culture

"These tools aren't a fit with our culture. It's not the way we do business..."

The response

Do you have a young, tech-savvy workforce in an organisation with a flat structure, or is the structure hierarchical with predominantly older workers who may feel uncomfortable with new technology.

It is important to recognise your culture, and to work out what will work and what won't. It is true social media fits better where the culture is democratic and open, rather than hierarchical and paternal. However, even conservative companies are finding increasing numbers of digital natives joining their ranks. Collaboration and team work are here to stay. Knowledge-sharing enables the whole company to benefit from an individual's expertise, and ensures that this knowledge doesn't exit the organisation when the individual leaves.

Explain that providing additional channels for sharing information does not equate to loss of control or a decline in standards. It should lead to increased productivity and innovation. It may be helpful to encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration by assisting executives to lead by example. You could also workout a system of rewards for champion bloggers and networkers.

Tips

Select a platform with a range of moderation options. Simply select the setting required for a specific employee blog, staff discussion forum or online helpdesk. Even the most risk adverse managers should feel comfortable with a communications channel that requires every post and comment moderated.

If possible set up moderators to receive desktop alerts notifying them of the need to approve content so that approval (or not) can be fast and seamless.

In time, as managers become more comfortable with the social media as an employee communications tool, it may be appropriate to reset the moderation level to only anonymous posts and comments or even to switch moderation off altogether.

For organizations that are really adverse to social media, why not consider an electronic magazine fomat that permits 'user generated' content.

This will enable you to distribute 'safe discussion' directly to the employee's computer screen.

"It will open a can of worms"

"Employees will say inappropriate things. People will complain, or insult management. Bad language will appear on comments..."

Management may express concerns that the 'rumour mill' will take over, or that staff will spend all day complaining. Management may also be concerned that knowledge-sharing via staff forums or blogs sets a dangerous precedent. This informant is 'unofficial' as no-one has authorised it.

The response

Gossip and staff complaints were around long before Web 2.0 came on the scene. If social media channels do throw up unpleasant surprises, you have at least identified that there are issues which you can address, rather than having a seething undercurrent. Where engagement is low and/or guidelines and policy are not stated, staff may not know how else to communicate worries or causes of dissatisfaction.

Define what social media tools can be used for as part of your strategy and communicate the policy. For example, some companies allow comments to go live without being filtered, whereas others insist that comments go through the editor. Some organizations allow anonymous posts while others don't. Some even have a forum entitled 'Rumour Mill' to flush concerns and gossip out into the open to be addressed.

Not all information needs to be official. Tacit knowledge is still shared around the water cooler, or sent via a memo or email. It may never be captured in a form that can be shared. Management agree that this is a huge disadvantage when knowledgeable staff leave, taking their 'unofficial' knowledge with them. Online tools, on the other hand, capture this know-how. Your staff will easily recognize the distinction between opinion and authoritative content.

Tips

Specify a 'Code of Conduct' clearly at the top of each page view. Implement a range of moderation levels which allow you to monitor and approve posts if required. For example, moderators could be set to receive a desktop alert when an anonymous post or comment is made.

Use multiple interactive channels. Setting up a specific, moderated helpdesk, for example, around an organisational change, can help keep inappropriate content out of other staff discussion forums. 'Risky' discussions, where sentiment might be negative, can be targeted securely to only those affected. This means that negativity does not need to 'infect' the rest of the organisation.

"It's too risky, too uncontrolled"

Management may equate loss of formality with a decline in standards. The idea that staff can write what they want runs counter to the command-and-control structure of many organisations. Considerable time, effort, and money go into crafting a strong brand image. CEOs may fear that the company's image will suffer if they make it easy for staff to say anything they want about the organization or their colleagues and managers. They may also worry about leaks to outside world.

The response

Just because communication is taking place online doesn't mean that professionalism and respect will be forgotten. Most staff already know that inappropriate use of email is not acceptable, and will transfer this knowledge automatically to social media tools.

Don't forget that Management have legitimate concerns about the need to keep some information confidential. You can offset Management's fear of losing control by implementing appropriate security measures and guidelines for these channels, just as you do with email and Internet use. There is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to setting the policy. You know your organisation and whatever works best for your organisation is the best way to go. IBM's solution was to create a wiki and to get its staff to create the policy themselves.

The fact that blogs and online discussion are visible is more likely to deter inappropriate comments.

Tips

Choose social media channels that have been built specifically for secure employee communication. Use a solution with a Client applet that resides on staff computers. Only staff who have the applet and have been targeted with access rights can view these channels. This means that the risk of leaks to the outside world is dramatically reduced.

Code of conduct and moderation options mean that if it possible to keep a close eye on conversations that are considered high risk.

Desktop alerts can inform moderators when new content is added to blogs, forums, Q&A spots and staff helpdesks. This can allow moderators to check that information is correct and amend posts if necessary.

Article by Sarah Perry. Questions and comments to info@snapcomms.com. Visit http://www.SnapComms.com for innovative internal communications channels, tips and tools.

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