Improving employee engagement with social media

Another provocative post today from Shel Holtz, who claims he is ready focus less on companies that block employee access to social media sites and more on those interested in capturing value from employee social media usage:

I intend to continue the campaign to end the conterproductive practice of blocking employees from their online communities. But the time has come to shift the focus from those companies that can’t see the opportunities inherent in a workforce that is connected to thousands of other people. Let them flounder and fail as their competitors tease new business opportunities from these networks, identify and recruit top talent, spot problems and address them before they become crises, and build a larger, more loyal customer base.

To me, the question of whether to block employee access to social sites isn’t only the wrong question – it’s nearly irrelevant. Mobile usage of Facebook and Twitter is exploding. You can lock the corporate network down as tight as you like; that gating matters less and less every day. It’s now a question of whether to stick your head in the sand or work to capture value.

That value comes in numerous forms. Beyond improving levels of customer trust and engagement, social media can improve employee engagement with the business, too. Improving employee engagement can increase retention, strengthen the sense of company mission and create better customer experiences, among other benefits.

Employeefactor.com offers this on social media and employee engagement from a Watson Wyatt study:

"When properly rolled out, social media and Enterprise 2.0 tools can help companies meet their No. 1 internal communication goal – 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," he added.

In other words, companies shouldn’t use social media as just another way to message 401K deadlines or smoking policies. To thrive, corporate social networks need to create value, need to offer everyone a voice and must allow employees to connect and share with each other, not just the corporate office. Without value, voice and interconnectedness (did I make that word up?) employee engagement initiatives will die on the vine. Just like social media initiatives that are customer-facing.

I think that as with any social initiative, it’s important to:

1. Start small
2. Avoid heavy-handed control
3. Emphasize listening to feedback and making it actionable.

An opening strategy is critical, but engaged employees are likely to take internal social initiatives into different and more valuable places. And isn't that the real point in getting connected in the first place -- to draw out the collective wisdom and enthusiasm of your team so customers, employees and the business all benefit?