Facebook, Instant Messaging, and Twitter Are Most Popular Workplace Social Media Tools
SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK: August 3, 2010 – The most common communication vehicles organizations use to engage employees and foster productivity are e-mail (83 percent) and an organization’s intranet (75 percent). Those are a couple of the findings in a new survey released by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation and Buck Consultants, A Xerox Company. The survey also found nearly half of employers currently communicate through Facebook, instant messaging, and Twitter.
This is the second “Employee Engagement Survey” conducted by the IABC Research Foundation and Buck Consultants to determine how organizations are communicating with employees to keep them engaged and productive. Nearly 900 communication professionals participated in this year’s survey, representing a broad industry and geographic base.
“This year's respondents reported slight increases in use of social media tools, and more of them say they have established internal and external policies for appropriate workplace use of social media,” said Robin McCasland, past chair, IABC Research Foundation and president, Brain Biscuits Strategic Communication. “When managed effectively, social media can be a great addition to an existing employee engagement strategy. Employees and job candidates alike can read employer news and anecdotes that reinforce a strong, positive culture.”
The “Employee Engagement Survey” also measured practices for creating and sustaining a culture of engagement in organizations.
Goals for Engaging Employees
Increasing productivity (66 percent) and retaining top talent (65 percent) are the most important goals employers cite to keep employees engaged. Other important goals identified by survey respondents are increasing employee morale (59 percent) and creating a new culture or work en
