employee engagement

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Access to social media is costing employers billions of dollars. Blocking sites, installing expensive network monitoring software, and micromanaging employees doesn’t work. What is the solution?[read more]

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The annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" report is in and several companies have made the list again. These companies have figured out that creating environments that foster trust and employee engagement can have a positive effect on the bottom line – which creates a win-win for both the employee and the company.[read more]

The truth is that there is no separation. As soon as you or your employees associate yourself or themselves with a brand, that social media branding association has been made.[read more]

This past year I have worked on several projects that have extended my thinking on how we can use social media to promote cooperation and collaboration within and outside the enterprise. I explained some of this in a previous post on enterprise social network dimensions, which is based on the work of several others.Ian McCarthy’s ...[read more]

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Successful sustainable companies use core values to lead strategy and steer not only the culture, but also overall business performance. Social media provides new opportunities to lead and communicate these values. In this article I will explain why companies driven by strong values are particularly well placed to benefit from social media and the increasing demand for transparency in society in general.[read more]

Greg Smith, the former executive director of Goldman, quits his job publicly. The story immediately becomes viral. This leads to two important questions for social business enthusiasts: (1) Why the seemingly ordinary story of Greg Smith can go viral? What's the secret sauce of viral story?; (2) What should be the platform for real conversations between management and rank-and-file staff?[read more]

It’s been a loooonnng day…I've spent 9+ hours working on the computer for my work job and here it is.. nearing 1AM and I'm still on the computer but now writing a blog post. My eyes are going cross-eyed and my finger tips are raw from tap-tap-tapping on the keyboard. I did take a break today, shuttling my kids around and going to dinner...[read more]

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Many organizations are even reluctant to implement internal social networks, although it is today so easy to do. Conventional management thinking needs to be overcome to release the real, tremendous Value of the Collaborative Age. Learn why and how.[read more]

"Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of appearing on Digital 411, an internet technology radio show. During the show, I discussed the impact that social technologies can have on HR transformation and employee engagement. There was so much interest in this topic that I didn't have time to respond to all of the questions asked. Here are the questions that sparked the conversation along with my responses."[read more]

Chances are your employees are already engaging in social platforms, so why not empower them as brand advocates? Here are some quick tips and ideas on how to get your employees involved with your companies social media efforts.[read more]

Social media has generated a flurry of organizational buzzwords and catch phrases — collaboration, enterprise 2.0, knowledge share, cloud computing, community, online reputation, social CRM, crowd sourcing... and the list goes on and on. One of the phrases that you hear more and more frequently is actually one that has been around for quite some time: employee engagement. (And one that is very near and dear to my heart.) With this renewed focus on engagement, organizations are now assessing how they can leverage social technologies to engage their most important audience, employees.[read more]

For business, one of the biggest and most under-realized advantages to integrating social networking tools is its ability to humanize a corporate workforce beyond just the typical four walls of a cubicle or office. Without social networking tools, companies risk problems not being resolved, ideas becoming stagnant and employees feeling underutilized or underappreciated. So, if you're a company wondering how you can unify your global workforce, social technologies are an excellent step to building a more collaborative, productive and HUMAN workforce.[read more]

True social media marketing - not viral marketing - relies on a strategy of relationship building. Sure many marketers use social for viral efforts to build awareness but true social relies on the relationships between a company and its customers. Finding out what drives them, listening to their needs and (as the authors of Trust Agents...[read more]

Not too long ago, we briefly mentioned here about how you can use social media to treat your employees like rock stars. There isn't a whole lot of application to-date of incorporating social media into incentive programs. Some companies have touched on this (including our own) but I would venture to guess that you will see these two...[read more]

I love Tim Sanders, and his style. Recently, he echoed so much of what I'm thinking and chewing on about why companies need to be not just “remarkable” in the generic sense of the word to their external audiences — like customers and the media — but to their employees. Take 90 seconds to look at the video...[read more]

I'm working on an exciting project at work and I'm hoping you will want to help me. If you're reading this post, there is a high probability that you found my blog via social media. If that's the case, then I don't have to explain that social media can be a powerful tool to help us in our day-to-day jobs. The challenge seems to be...[read more]

Do you think ... a)   the terms social media and marketing can be used interchangeably? b)   social media's main (or only) applications are marketing/branding, sales, customer service and/or public relations? c)   social media is primarily for consumer-focused (BtoC) businesses? d)   social...[read more]

 If you're a friend of mine on Facebook or Twitter, you more than likely also know that I am a HUGE fan of Foursquare, a location-based social community where you check in to different venues and receive "badges" based on how your check-ins are tagged or categorized. And while many companies are now realizing the benefits of...[read more]

“If you had to choose social media* or 100% engaged employees for your brand, which would you choose?” I recently asked that on Twitter and the responses were pretty interesting. The question forces a choice, which many of the people who responded had a hard time making. One person even called it down-right 'silly.'...[read more]

There's a lot of attention surrounding company cultures these days and how important it is in creating a thriving, successful business. You can see it in the Zappos and Patagoinas of the world. It's those tight-knit communities that are almost cult-like. It's also one the keys to creating a sustainable word of mouth movement. Some...[read more]