What Is An Employee Social Network?

April Thomas
Management Matters
Published in
3 min readMar 21, 2020

From the Gutenberg Press to the cloud, technology, when used correctly, has always had a way of advancing and improving the working world. And with the advent of employee social networks, technology has made its mark once again. While personal social network platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been dominating the internet for over a decade, the move for a private, employee-centered social network is still a relatively new experience. But just like personal social networks have reshaped traditional forms of friendship, sharing, and overall communication, employee social networks are positively improving information sharing, employee relationships, and even work opportunities.

Increased Knowledge Management

Undocumented knowledge management has always been a bit of a struggle. As people transfer to new positions, leave the company for other opportunities, or simply forget to record or share information, knowledge is naturally lost. As a result, future employees either struggle to access existing information or have to relearn or redo previous projects. With employee social networks, knowledge management is no longer forgotten or lost in an unknown void of information. Social networks naturally document employee experiences from friendly collaboration conversations to straightforward document sharing. Everything is stored in one accessible, searchable, and achievable area, available anywhere employees have intranet access.

More Connected Employees

Connecting with coworkers and creating positive work relationships is a fundamental factor in employee happiness. But flexible schedules, remote work, multiple offices, and telecommuting teams, while incredibly beneficial in other ways, can make authentic employee connections feel more difficult than ever. At least, if you have to work without a successful employee social network. Just like personal social networks help friends, acquaintances, and family members keep in touch regardless of personal schedules or physical locations, employee social networks make interacting and engaging with coworkers incredibly easy. When peers can communicate, collaborate, and build friendships together work is more engaging, enjoyable, and productive all around. .

An Open and Inviting Culture

Workplace hierarchy can be a difficult balance in a traditional environment. Employees need to know their supervisors trust them, support their work, and appreciate their efforts, while still maintaining a respectful leadership style. Employee social networks help managers find this balance by creating an open and inviting communication environment. With an employee social network, it’s easy for leaders to follow ideas, see progress report, facilitate discussions, and assign tasks without micromanaging or intimidating employees. Employee social networks also allow supervisors to participate openly with employees in a friendly, transparent, and approachable environment, improving relationships across the entire team.

Better On-boarding Experiences

Joining a new organization is always a bit of an intimidating experience. A new environment, company culture, work responsibilities, and so much more can make even the most prepared employee feel a little overwhelmed. While every job will always have its individual learning curve, employee social networks can greatly improve and shorten the overall onboarding experience. In an employee social network, new employees can easily connect with coworkers to ask questions, make friends, and successful integrate into the organization. Employee social networks also store important files, documents, and data in easily accessible areas, helping new workers learn work processes and manage information quickly and completely.

Like other technology throughout the ages, employee social networks have come to improve and enhance the everyday work environment. At MangoApps, we take pride in helping companies craft innovative, inviting, and intuitive enterprise social networks designed around their unique strategies and styles. From collaborative workspaces to dedicated news feeds, you’ll find everything employees need within MangoApps. To learn more about employee social networks or to see how an employee social network can improve your own organization, contact us or schedule a personalized demo today.

--

--