An internal social network is an exclusive website for you and your employees to share information and ideas with secure logins and restricted access. Internal social networks can be built with many features, depending on what’s best for your company and its needs. For example, some include: blogs, activity feeds, wikis, videos, profiles, etc.
If you don’t already have an internal social network, you’re probably wondering: Why do I need one? What are the benefits?
Here are some of the big ones:
Increased Collaboration
A great benefit of an internal social network is the ability to collaborate — even outside of work. Employees can reply to ideas or post their own. How many times have you thought of something innovative or amazing at night, and then by the next day, you can’t remember what it was? With an internal social network, you can share and comment on each other’s ideas from anywhere and at anytime.
Easy Connectivity
When it comes to Generation Y employees, they’ve been using social media and e-mail for years and expect this type of connectivity at their jobs. Having a social network for employees easily connects everyone in one place and provides a platform that young professionals are already comfortable using. A social network also allows employees to see everyone’s ideas (and develop them), unlike segmented conversations in e-mail.
Better Productivity
If your internal network is utilized in a way that helps employees communicate and collaborate, it can lead to better and increased productivity in your workplace. This can make a huge different in workplaces that tend to be segmented by department or have some employees who telecommute, as well.
No Privacy Worries
Sure, you can utilize existing social networks and restrict privacy to only your employees, but do you want to risk that someone else might be able to access your company’s ideas? Probably not — which is why investing in an internal social network can really pay off.
Does your company have an internal social network? How do you utilize it? If you don’t have one, do you think you’ll invest in one anytime soon?
