The Benefits of Social Media Networking in the Workplace

There are employers who believe that social networking at work is a time-waster and slows productivity. In reality, utilizing social media platforms and internal social media can be hugely beneficial in reducing employee turnover and increasing collaboration.

Bernhard Warner for Bloomberg BusinessWeek writes, "Workers who are encouraged to tweet, chat, like, and Skype on the job are among the most productive, new academic research says, shooting yet another hole in the managerial argument that social media usage in the workplace leads to goofing off and slacking on company time."

Most productive, eh? Want to know more?

The use of social media in the workplace or the implementation of internal platforms can provide a variety of benefits. Here are 4:

1. Productivity Increase

Research by the McKinsey Global Institute revealed that while 72% of companies are using social media, they are not using it to the fullest potential, which includes the implementation of internal platforms or employee engagement platform. If companies were to fully implement the use of social media tools and company social media platforms, they could improve organizational productivity by 20% to 25%.

Research has shown that employees who are social are more comfortable communicating with others and researching customer solutions, and are more likely to collaborate with those they are unfamiliar with in real life. This integration of internal social media into the organizational culture can lead to significant improvements in overall efficiency.

2. Collaboration

Internal platforms encourage employees to reach out to colleagues across your organization and pose questions or start a conversation around a particular topic.

For example, let's say you operate a call center with hundreds of customer inquiries per day. Most of the work is routine, and you've got a script to answer the basic questions. However, there will be a time when the question is not basic and requires more thought, more research. Well, you can't take days to find an answer or solution. Your customer is waiting and wants it now. If you've got in-house social networks, your employee can jump on the platform and post the question and receive timely responses from fellow colleagues. With mobile HR software, or a mobile app version of your internal social networking, you may decrease response time even further.

These platforms also encourage employees to work together. Sure, they may never meet in person, but they can definitely build a relationship that fosters creativity and team collaboration.

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3. Retention

Trying to keep employees motivated and engaged? Promote employee recognition and good performance through internal social media announcements. Employees can congratulate each other, building an environment of teamwork and encouraging peer-to-peer feedback. The more engaged your employees, the more likely they are to stay.

The use of social media tools can reduce turnover as well. Big data firm, Evolv, tracked employee performance alongside social media usage and found that digital connectivity increased employee retention and satisfaction. The study, focused on hourly workers in the U.S. and from a sample size of about 39,000, found, "The employees who used 1 to 4 social networking sites on a weekly basis stayed at their jobs longer than their peers." And more interesting, the "ultra-social" employees who used more than 5 social networks had higher sales than their colleagues.

4. Intelligence

Social media just makes you smarter. Employees who are researching, communicating, and building online networks are some of the most involved, innovative, and progressive-minded people you'll find. They're engaging in thoughtful conversations and trending as experts in their industries. You need this knowledge in your call centers, advertising floors, and yes, even in your accounting department.

The learning opportunities you can offer with internal platforms are endless. New perspectives and loads of good information exist on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and even your own company social media platforms. You're looking for that competitive edge, and social media can provide that in 140 characters or fewer.

That's definitely something to consider when hiring new employees as well. How many social networks are they currently on? What are they most comfortable using in a business environment? You may even think about including social media as a part of your onboarding program to enhance team collaboration and employee feedback from the start.

Smart companies are quickly recognizing that social media usage has become an important aspect of doing business. It has become a requirement for everyone to be social—not just the Millennials you’ve hired. It is everyone's responsibility to find the competitive edge and drive the business forward by leveraging internal social media and other social media tools to boost organizational productivity and employee satisfaction.

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