Ensuring authenticity on internal social media platforms
After our discussion on social media in the workplace, I really do recognize its benefits if done properly. It creates an easy way for employees to engage across offices, time zones, departments etc. Internal social media also offers executives a way to easily and (sometimes) effectively seek feedback from employees. These platforms can work if they are used in the right way and most importantly, get widespread acceptance and buy-in from the entire organization.
That said, I’m a bit skeptical when it comes to the ability for a large company to properly implement these platforms because of my own personal experience. The last time I was at a company with such a platform, the virtual conversations often felt very contrived and fake. There were a few times when the platform properly served its purpose. For example, a Division President congratulated his Division on superb quarterly performance and the entire office got a quick, easy-to-find update on Division performance. At the same time, those of us in the Division felt good about the recognition of our hard work.
On the other hand, there were other times when I felt the conversation on the platform really fell flat. It felt like we were constantly being told to post certain types of things on the platform and employees got some sort of nominal “reward points” for doing so. This was particularly true when it came to company (non-work) events and other social activities. It felt like the company was trying hard to get employees to share with others how “fun” the culture was.
In theory, I would think this sort of incentive system would encourage participation, and it did. But, I felt like a lot of the participation was forced and therefore inauthentic. It also seemed to create competition among employees, like this was just another way employees were comparing themselves to their colleagues, instead of just focusing on collaboration.
Now perhaps my experience says more about the company culture or even my own personal preferences regarding communication, than the actual platform. Nevertheless, I think there are certain topics (company culture) that are really tough to discuss and share on social media. There tends to be a fine line between successfully encouraging engagement and positive change, and trying too hard and appearing disingenuous.
