Presentation on the evolution of internal communications and the emergence of the social enterprise. Also features tips on how to foster social inside organizations.

1. Using Social Media to
Engage Employees*
*We define engaged employees as workers who are informed, productive, collaborative, loyal and advocates

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3. As digital natives--those who have grown up with the
Internet--flood the workplace, your employees will expect
to be part of the socialWeb and they'll have a lot to
contribute. Does this sound like business as usual? It
shouldn't.
(Joshua-Michelle Ross – A Corporate Guide for Social Media. Forbes.)
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4.  Watson Wyatt report suggests social media can improve internal communication and
employee engagement…but also confirms many companies focus on potential risks
and inhibit access to tools
 Avanade (global IT consulting firm) survey found more than half of the 500 top
executives surveyed resist the adoption of social media out of fear it will sap worker
productivity
 A survey by IABC/Buck found 4/5 of respondents use social media frequently to drive
productivity & engage employees – but 56% of executives are not using social media
 MIT research shows 40% of creative teams’ productivity is directly explained by the
amount of communication they have with others to discover, gather, and internalize
information. Other MIT research shows employees with the most extensive digital
networks are 7% more productive than their colleagues, and those with the most
cohesive face-to-face networks are 30% more productive
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5. Totally Prohibited
Business Purposes Only
Limited Personal Use
Any Personal Use
Don't Know
Company Policies Regarding Use of Social Networks at Work
Robert Half Technology – October 2009
54%
10%
16%
19%

6. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Blogs
Podcasts
Networks
Mash-Ups
Prediction
Tagging
Microblogs
Rating
Videos
Peer-Peer
RSS
Wikis
McKinsey – Business &Web 2.0 (September 09)

7. 1. The best social media strategy is proactively integrated across
programs, audiences and platforms
2. Your internal audience should not be an add-on - your employees are
potentially your biggest fans & advocates…or harshest critics
3. Every company should provide a robust forum for employee
conversation & collaboration
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8.  Web 2.0 technologies can be a powerful lure for an organization; their
interactivity promises to bring more employees into daily contact at lower cost.
When used effectively, they also may encourage participation in projects and
idea sharing, thus deepening a company’s pool of knowledge.They may bring
greater scope and scale to organizations as well, strengthening bonds with
customers and improving communications with suppliers and outside partners.
 This survey turned up strong evidence that these advantages are translating into
measurable business gains.When we asked respondents about the business
benefits their companies have gained as a result of usingWeb 2.0
technologies, they most often report greater ability to share ideas; improved
access to knowledge experts; and reduced costs of communications, travel, and
operations. Many respondents also sayWeb 2.0 tools have decreased the time to
market for products and have had the effect of improving employee satisfaction.
[McKinseyGlobal Survey onWeb 2.0Adoption – 2009]

9. AWorkforce 2.0 organization shares information/content freely – allowing
employees to help create and share content – and provides employees with
platforms/tools to engage in candid conversation, work together, solve
problems and contribute to the evolution and success of the organization.
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AWorkforce 2.0 Culture entails:
Transparency
Empowe
rment
Innovation
Trust

10. What are your
employees doing
online?
Do you have clear
online policies?
Are your
employees
advocates or
critics?
What is the status
of internal
dialogue?
What is the focus
& tone of internal
conversations?
What are your
internal
communities?
What is your
internal social
media strategy?
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AreYou
Social?

11. Enlist in
External Efforts Establish Internal
Platforms
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12. Solve a
Business
Problem
Meet an
Employee
Need
Find a Better
Solution
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Organizations considering social media can increase their chances of
success by focusing on specific goals:

13. Expert outreach (off-site)
Expert bloggers (company websites)
Customer outreach team
Social network friends/managers
Forum moderators & resources
Collaboration tools (intranet)
Internal social networks
Corporate blog/wikis
User-generated content
Idea generation and/or ranking
External
Internal
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14. Employer
•Dynamic info/news delivery channels
•Source of ideas & feedback
•Reduced training costs
•Improved efficiency
•Easier to track & influence dialogue
•Facilitates knowledge management &
teamwork
•Fosters cultural alignment & engagement
•Multi-media promotion platform(s)
Employees
•Platform(s) for conversation
•Access to leaders & experts
•More accessible & searchable info
• Ability to customize access/content
•Forum to contribute content, ideas &
comments
•Supports career development
•Easier collaboration & data sharing
•Networking with peers
•Better resources to serve customers
Delivering on Brand Promise
= More Satisfied Customers
Consumers
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= Improved Earnings ?

15.  Though it’s counter-intuitive…introducing social media platforms
helps employees gain better access to relevant content and avoid
information overload:
 Customization & personal triage of content
 Communities & categories to facilitate targeting
 Participation in creation of content, conversation
 RSS to allow targeted “pull” of data
 Collaboration tools fuel efficiency
 The caveat is that organizations must coordinate – and prioritize –
their communication across all channels to be effective
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16. Introducing a social media
program requires a substantial
commitment and rigorous
planning
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17.  Social Media is not just technology – it’s a strategic and cultural mindset… so it
may take time to get traction
 Forget about concept of “controlling” information or conversation – the best you
can do is contribute
 It usually takes time to get attention and build an audience
 There will be negative comments and a few who strain the boundaries…but
typically the community will self-regulate
 Social media requires sustained commitment and dedicated resources
 You will make mistakes…and learn along the way
 Valuable content wins out in the end
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18. Digital
Content &
Conversations
Micro-blog
Blog
Wiki
Prediction
Market
Discussion
Forum
Online Jam
Bookmarking
Social
Networks
Virtual
Environments
Intranet/CMS
Video Sharing
Crowd-
sourcing
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20. THE USUAL SUSPECTS
 Culture/Engagement Survey
 Event polls (e.g. meetings)
 Intranet quick polls
 Focus groups
 Employee panels or betas
 Leverage informal feedback
(blogs, comments)
 Use generic questions, topics
WHERE ARETHE GAPS?
 Uneven follow-up on broad surveys
 Culture surveys often generic
 Limited focus on business impact
 Don’t always measure what matters
 Qualitative research is not very rigorous
 Lack of data crunching
 Hesitation to invest resources
 Don’t always update employees on
findings, actions
• Internal research should help you evaluate how you did…but also figure out what to do next
•What you measure should be linked to your original objectives…not your output
MyTwo Cents…

21. Participation
• Visitors
• Readership
• Attendance
Perception
• Satisfaction
• Awareness
• Support
Behavior
• Retention
• Effort
• Advocacy
Impact
• Savings
• Reputation
• Revenue
Many
companies
are here
But they
should be
here

22.  New technology introduces new options
 Online networks and channels provide ongoing feedback
 Quick polls are easy & cheap
 CMS & blog platforms have built in metrics
 Still need to do your homework
 Is your sample representative? Relevant?
 Are you using the right format (stats vs. qualitative)
 Can you generate solid data from the information?
 Can you find relevant trends?
 Is the research actionable?

23. 10 Principles ofWorkforce 2.0
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24.  Firewalls can’t stop technology or progress…
 Assume most of your employees are already using social
media platforms and applications
 The best way to reach employees is through technology they
use and understand
 Don’t treat your employees as second-class citizens and use
all your firepower externally
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25.  Don’t think of your employees as an insular, homogenous audience…
 Employees are also
consumers, customers, fans, critics, pundits, etc.
 Employees will have varied interests, expertise and opinions
– distinct communities of interest exist in every company
 Consider all relevant corporate languages and cultures
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26.  There are already employee conversations about your company inside and
outside the firewalls…
 At minimum - you need to be aware of those conversations
 You can influence the dialogue by participating &
contributing information
 Conversation is a two-way street…remember to listen
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27.  Don’t think of your employees as a “captive” audience…
 Organizations have to compete for employees’ attention
within the “noise” – just like they do externally
 Relevance and credibility must be earned
 Don’t be distracted by structure, roles and functional silos -
geography and title are secondary to communities of
interest
 If your company is global, communicate in relevant
languages
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28.  Like consumers, employees want to “network”: access information, share
ideas, ask questions and compare notes with peers…
 Organizations should facilitate collaboration & dialogue
among employees…not just with them
 Peers have a big influence on the assessment and use of
information
 Responding to input and questions is critical
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29.  The community will self-regulate…
 Trust your employees to do the right thing…most will
 The community will often strive to moderate extreme
views, drive consensus and enforce rules of conduct
 Don’t let rules stifle robust discussion
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30.  Employees are a great source of ideas…
 The “wisdom of crowds” exists within organizations
 Smart companies leverage the creativity and talent of their
workforce
 Employees that actively participate in shaping company
programs & products are more likely to be engaged
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31.  The line between internal and external is blurring…
 Communication (and technology) is increasingly straddling
internal and external environments
 Employees see less distinction between
friends, colleagues, professional contacts and customers
 Think of ways to leverage this reality rather than fight it
 Don’t think too much about what is work-related and isn’t
(it’s difficult to tell and may not really matter)
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32.  Social media requires a new mindset where evolution is constant…
 This is no guidebook for social media – though there are best
practices and community norms
 Technology continues to evolve rapidly, and often
unpredictably
 Social media strategy needs to be nimble, responsive - the
best approach is a beta mindset
 It’s a marathon…not a sprint
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33.  Content is king (or queen)…
 Providing valuable, relevant, unique and timely content is
the highest priority
 Setting the agenda is not a one-way proposition…employees
(like customers do) will help dictate what is relevant and
important
 Focus on helping employees to do their work, enjoy their
workplace and achieve their personal objectives
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34.  Your employees are your “brand ambassadors” - for better or worse
 Assess how your employees are representing your company
through their customer interactions and/or comments
 Help ensure employees are positive advocates and deliver on
your brand promise
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