As social media savvy millennials continue to enter the workforce, it’s safe to assume that a large portion of their communication skills will be centered around social media. In 2025, millennials will make up the majority of workers, and with platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook expanding their reach everyday, social media may seem like an increasingly disruptive distraction in the workplace.
However, despite the negative views of social media in the workforce, the kind of communication it encourages is incredibly powerful in increasing company efficiency, improving employee happiness, and encouraging your team to take a vested interested in the business. Every day, new strategies are implemented to accommodate emerging generations’ communication styles. Having an established social communication policy can lead to a more engaged workforce, and it is reported that engaged employees have four times greater job satisfaction. By implementing social communication tools into your internal processes, you can empower your workforce and maximize profitability.
Office Chat Tools
Office chat tools remove the limitations of traditional internal communications. A company email restricts information to a few people, and group emails can seem bothersome and impersonal, leading to less engagement. Office chat tools are organized and accessible, and allow employees to share ideas in real time. With 79% of adults using at least one form of social media, it’s unlikely that you will have to teach employees how to use helpful tools like Slack and Skype. Slack can transform office communication by promoting transparency, creative collaboration, and solidifying culture – all in real time. According to a survey of its users, offices communicating via Slack had 25 fewer meetings, 32 percent more productivity, and almost 50 percent fewer emails.
Employers who encourage their employees to share ideas in an online platforms shows them their ideas are valued, and is far less intimidating than sharing ideas in a Monday morning work meeting. Chat tools not only promote digital brainstorming and collaboration between employees, but they can also provide clarity on large projects and company policies as well.
Company Intranets and Resources
Creating an employee exclusive webpage can recreate external social media on a professional platform. Companies that have intranet pages allow their employees to stay informed and take an interest in events, clients, and upcoming meetings. Pages like these also consolidate and showcase employee resources such as insurance information, discount gym membership access for employees, and other perks.
LinkedIn and Facebook
Leading with clear communication is a great way to solidify company culture. With social media platforms, a workplace can eliminate departmental barriers that inhibit communication. Slack enables employees to instantly chat with coworkers, whether for clarity on a project, brainstorming, or for quick questions that shouldn’t require walking across the office or traveling to another floor. Workplace by Facebook, an internal communications platform powered by Facebook, can connect employees on the go with its mobile app. Workplace has a similar design to Facebook, and employees can readily communicate with each other via group messaging, posts, or video and voice calls.
Strengthen Your Open Door Policy
A strong company culture stems from a united group of individuals, and developing a strong culture is something that must be constantly cultivated and refined. When employees know that coworkers and managers are just a click away, faith in company culture and working relationships are strengthened.
Too often, a divide exists between the executive board and it’s employees, and the feeling of going unheard can lead to apathy. Social media eliminates barriers of communication and encourages socialization between employees and their executives. Actively seeking employees’ opinions can encourage them to speak up when ideas occur, which provides them with a sense of visibility and promotes loyalty to their company’s mission. An established social media policy also strengthens your open door policy, allowing employees to discuss their concerns in any capacity.
If you are looking to uphold company culture, promote socialization between employees, and strengthen your open door policy, accessible communication strategies might be the right tools for your company to adopt.
