Step 3: Formalise your social networking
Goal: normalise and build policy around use of social networking
Although many social networking tools are still in relative infancy, rapid adoption is certain to see corporate versions emerge, just as happened with instant messaging several years ago. Companies in many industries — for example, Asia/Pacific banking institutions — are already formalising policies for using social media for customer outreach, and inward-facing initiatives hold equal promise. For its part, analyst house IDC believes enterprise social networking has passed its inflection point and will be a $1.3 billion market by 2012.
Once the opportunity is defined, it's up to each manager to decide how to utilise social media for good — and as a way to provide employees with alternatives to the ranting and character assassination that many sites encourage. The key is to set an example from the get-go. "Bringing these technologies inside the firewall means you can introduce them to staff in the context of acceptable business use," says James Dellow, senior consultant with social media consultancy Headshift.
"This doesn't mean there are no fun conversations going on. The barriers to entry are so very low that it's mainly an issue of how you manage them. You've got to introduce them now just in a controlled way, but in a managed way — encouraging people to adopt these work practices and adding on the social, conversational layer."
As with all new technologies, it's critical to clarify employees' rights and responsibilities. Are they expected to restrict access to such services during work hours? Will they be actively monitored for potential disciplinary action? Are there clear rules about employees sharing company-sensitive information online? What recourse is available for handling complaints?
Updating your corporate handbook to include policies on social media is essential to address liability concerns and normalise the use of social media tools within the company. Resources like this, this and this offer guidance for the exposure and best-practice policies you may want to consider.
Clarifying expectations from the beginning will go a long way towards more productive employee relationships; many may not even be aware of the existing channels they have for complaints. Work with senior management, line-of-business managers, and Human Resources advisors to frame social networking services within other existing policies — or to formulate totally new ones, with an eye on harnessing their benefits as well as setting limits on employees.
After all, no one wants to end up like the CEO of US interactive agency Tocquigny, who was rudely awakened to the dangers when a visiting client asked about the CEO's dealings with a competitor (dealings that an employee had mentioned in a Twitter post).
One issue to be particularly aware of is privacy. Since today's social media tools are freely available and published online, it's incumbent to use their privacy features, where applicable, to restrict access to content. In any case, start small and work up from there: you might, for example, set up private Facebook groups or closed Twitter feeds (which are only open to approved members) to promote social activities, or as a medium for disseminating company announcements. To avoid aimless, libellous ranting in public forums, you might set up a confidential complaints channel or encourage people to send issues directly to you.
None of this means your employees will suddenly become better sharers and love their jobs. However, by normalising use of social media tools within the business, you can create an opportunity to identify and act upon issues early. If more casual feedback mechanisms can help one person speak up earlier, you may be able to avert a painful workplace situation — and find a way to keep a valuable employee who might otherwise walk.
"There are some real business issues that, if they weren't exposed through these social networks, managers might not know about them," says Dellow. "You might get people who are happy about things and will say so in a survey, but people who are disgruntled and about to move to another job won't say anything."
Context
Why not turn the social media information stream to your
advantage? Setting up an internal company idea farm on Facebook,
for example, will not only help you keep in touch with what's on
employees' minds, but it can also be an important way to involve
staffers and ensure that their voices are heard. Here's how to get one started:
- In the menu bar, choose "Settings" and drop down to "Application Settings".
- Choose "Groups"
- Click the button at the top of the screen "Create a New Group"
- Enter the name of the group, the network and the other required information (the description might be "A place to exchange ideas on how to do things better at Acme"). Click "Create Group".
- Information on the next page is self-explanatory, but make special note of the "Access" choices toward the bottom of the page — these allow you to set who sees and can join the group.
- Click "Save"
- The next screen allows you to select those you'd like to invite to the group from your list of friends (if others in the organisation hear about the group, they can still ask you for permission to join).
- After that, it's simply a matter of adding news to the group, and perhaps stimulating response from members by asking for ideas on where to hold the company Christmas party, for example.
