(Update below)
A few weeks ago, we wrote about the rapid increase of Twitter adoption within the building products industry. Less than a year ago, approximately 26 companies were utilizing Twitter. Now that number has increased exponentially, resulting in real-time involvement within the building products community. Not only does this involvement benefit the company, it benefits the individual employee.
Looking outside in, it is exciting to see the level of engagement building products professionals are taking with their career. The saying always goes that a company’s best advocates are its employees.
To our disappointment we found a piece titled Social Media in the Workplace: How to Deal in 3 Easy Steps from Expert Business Source. For the sake of brevity, here are the steps:
- If it takes social media to “get the job done” then it should be included in a job description.
- If not required within a particular role, block it.
- Equip break room with computers for employees to use on “their time.”
The problem that we see with this approach is that under this umbrella, companies have to generalize their employee’s roles, therefore eliminating any chance of spontaneous, dynamic business efforts. Ideas come from any place, at any time, so why predetermine who is fit to utilize these tools?
In our experience, a smarter, more efficient approach would be to tailor a social media policy that does not exclude any employee, or advocate, of your company. As we all know, technology only moves forward - can you imagine receiving LaserDiscs from Netflix in the mail? Why not take a step back and strategize a plan that enables your employees, furthers their engagement and, best of all, increases the potential ROI for your employees' time?
Update: In our original post, we incorrectly attributed the above post, "Social Media in the Workplace: How to Deal in 3 Easy Steps" to Building Design+Construction; the correct source is Expert Business Source. We apologize, and regret the error.