A Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey published last week (4th December 2013) has some interesting finding about the way employees and organisations are using social media.
Main findings:
- Half of employees (50%) have access to social media at their workplace – however only 26% use it for work purposes.
- The survey also confirmed generational differences in the use of social media, with the proportion of UK employees who use social media for work rising to 42% among 18 to 24 year-olds.
- Almost half (47%) of employees who use social media for work on a daily basis already see real benefits for their organisations.
The most interesting conclusion drawn from the survey is a clear wake up call to managers and leaders to embrace social media as an important tool to improve communication within the organisation.
“The survey does not support concerns that social media platforms used within organisations leads to time-wasting and reduced productivity due to non-work chat, but nor has the potential for employee voice and collaboration within organisations been realised. Few employees consider that their organisation uses social media to give employees a voice or for leaders to understand them and, although senior leaders are more likely to use social media than others, mid-ranking managers are the most likely to use it to engage with colleagues. It seems that senior leaders have realised the potential of social media to build networks outside their organisations, but have not yet taken on board the argument that social media is an important leadership tool, helping them be visible to their employees, gain trust and focus employees on strategy.”
Underlining by TheTBC.
The survey was of more than 2,000 employees across the UK. 76% of those surveyed use social media in their personal lives. The research is entitled ‘Social technology, social business?’.
