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6 Reasons to Use Social Media for Employee Communications

October 6, 2017Lori Rohrbach

Chances are you already know the importance of an active social media presence for engaging your end-customers. But if your internal communications are only focused on emails, newsletters and an intranet, you’re missing a major channel that really allows you to engage and connect with employees. In fact, a recent study by email marketer Poppulo found that 80% of employees said email overload is a problem in their organization, and many would like to reduce its constant flow. Internal social media is not just a way for your communications team to share updates and news, but can also bring employees closer to their employer, enable collaboration and help them to become brand ambassadors.

Here are six reasons to use social media for employee communications:

  1. Communicate quickly and effectively – Social channels allow employers to communicate more immediate, shorter bursts of information, whether publicly or privately. Links or directions can tell employees where to learn more. Real-time communications are also ideal for sharing facts needed to halt rumors and for responding to urgent employee needs or concerns.
  2. Promote your brand and products – We all want our employees to be brand advocates, and social media provides a great opportunity for them to do just that. It’s so easy for employees to share or respond to a company post, providing you with expanded reach into their individual networks. Each share, like or comment gives your company a wider audience, which can ultimately generate leads and turn leads into customers.
  3. Reinforce corporate culture – The majority of employees are no longer working in a corporate office five days a week, which makes it challenging to share and influence corporate culture. Using a clear, consistent voice on social media (both internally and externally) allows your employees to absorb the corporate culture without even realizing it.
    RELATED: Four ways to ensure your internal brand communications are heard in today’s work environment
  4. Discover and share internal expertise – You probably wouldn’t allow anyone in your company to send out companywide email blasts on any topic of their choosing. But on social networks, blogs and forums, employees can freely share questions and answers and showcase their own knowledge. Such idea sharing fosters creativity and innovation and allows you to identify employees who have special areas of expertise.
  5. Recognize employees – In the era of the personal brand, people want to be publicly admired and praised. Social media provides an opportunity to recognize your employees in a manner that they can instantly use to build their personal brand. Maybe it’s time to bring back “employee of the month” or another way to share your employees’ accomplishment and encourage high performance.
  6. Communicate on their terms – According to a Governance Studies at Brookings report, millennials will comprise more than one of three adult Americans by 2020 and 75% percent of the workforce by 2025. Most have spent the majority of their lives with a social media presence and expect communications to be engaging and two-way. And engaged employees are always a competitive advantage, regardless of their generation.

From Facebook and Twitter to YouTube and blogs, social media can be a very effective corporate communications tool. Employers can deliver their messages in ways that are easy for employees to understand and retain, ultimately maximizing communications goals and truly engaging employees.

Author: Estera Hayes

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

 

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

 

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources.  Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

 

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

 

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

 

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

 

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

 

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

 

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

 

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

 

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

 

 

Author: Erin Alderfer

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