New Canadian Research Shows Social Media is a `Game-Changer` for Internal Communications in a Challenging Economy.

According to a new study conducted by NATIONAL Public Relations social media is the most significant trend impacting internal communications in Canada.  Nine-in-ten respondents felt that when it comes to starting dialogue with employees, social media can significantly redefine and re-energize internal communications, making it a `game-changer` for employee engagement.  

Social media refers to online tools and technologies that facilitate collaboration, enhance communication and support knowledge management.  Examples include Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, microblogging, wikis, and podcasts.

Dialogue is a two-way conversation that occurs in a face-to-face setting, but can also happen online through social media tools.  Dialogue can help stimulate participation, exchange ideas, solve problems, and promote action.  

The study sample included people from the energy, manufacturing, financial services, and pharmaceutical industries.  

The purpose of the study was to identify key trends, challenges, and opportunities for internal communications, and how leaders and managers can facilitate dialogue to inspire and engage employees, especially during the current economic recession.  

Many of the respondents from the study felt that there advantages of dialogue, they were able to build relationships and trust with leaders, better able to understand employee concerns, and improve message retention.

Social media has now more than ever become important because it is important to be more transparent with employees.  Employees fear that they may lose their jobs and with social media it allows for a meaningful and personalized dialogue.  

More and more organizations are turning to social media as a form of communication.  Social media is a more immediate, real-time and proactive solution, resulting in more employee engagement.  

Some of the challenges respondents faced was that they had trouble ensuring they had the right tools and platforms to reach multiple audiences, from younger, ‘born digital’ employees to Gen Y, to geographically dispersed employees.    

Many of the respondents from the study were experimenting with podcasts, instant messaging, internal blogs, portals, webcasts, online video and message boards.  The respondents were also looking at other new social media channels to better engage the younger generation and those working remotely, for example, micro blogging and shared online workspaces.  

Another major concern was about the security and control of the information, especially in regulated industries.  

Read more here

Posted by: suhujitha on 2009-06-03 12:04:23

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