the Internal Comms Hub

Join the Hub today!

  • Contact Us
  • Editorial Board
  • About
  • Join
  • Free Trial
  • Login
  • Home
  • Jobs
  • News
  • Network
  • AV Guides
  • Ask the Expert
  • Top Tips
  • How-to Guides
  • Case Studies
  • Toolkits
RSS feedHome / News archive / News story
Become a Member Today Start Your Free Trial

Advanced search

  • Start Free Trial
  • Become a Member
Topics
  • Setting Your Strategy and Plan
  • Channels and New Media
  • Measuring Your Impact
  • Professional Development
  • Change Communication
  • Manager and Leader Communication
Guest expert
Strategic Partner

PRIA

events

Member-exclusive lunch briefing
29 January 2009, The Establishment Hotel, Sydney

Delivering Successful Change Communication
18-19 February 2009, The Tower Hotel, London

The Second Annual Global Learning Summit
24-27 February 2009, Singapore

More events

Jobs of the week

Communications Advisor, Insurance Australia Group – Sydney, Australia

Internal Communications Producer, iCrossing – San Francisco, US

Head of Online Communications, Siemens Plc – Surrey, UK

More jobs

Online Surveys & Market Research
Vendor Listing

Get help with your communication programs

10 December 2007

The Facebook Friday revolution

CEO brings Facebook to work to draw employees together.

Jeremy Burton, CEO of IT software developer Serena, believes that building a team spirit counts for a lot in business. This is why he's introduced the concept of "Facebook Friday" to the company.

Battling communication breakdown
Interviewed for the "For Immediate Release" podcast series, Burton says that it was while working for another software company that he introduced "No E-mail Friday" as he'd noticed the increasing number of electronic messages he'd been receiving.

Burton felt many of the e-mails were unnecessary and that the office culture was changing to a world where e-mail dominated. "About 75% of my e-mails were coming from people sitting right next to me! I believe e-mail to be a poor form of communication."

Facebook is the electronic Starbucks. You can sit and watch the world go by, just by looking at someone's status update!

In Burton's opinion, social networking site Facebook will fix the divide that's been driven between people as a result of e-mail. He believes teamwork will benefit as you'll be able to learn about those you're working with.

A call for community
The Facebook Friday initiative aims to allow Serena's 800-strong employee base the opportunity to use facebook for one hour every Friday. This way staff learn more about each other and it restores a sense of community and belonging.

Facebook Friday is a "rallying cry to get everyone together", says Burton. Some 85% of the organization now have a profile or participate on the networking site.

"Facebook is the electronic Starbucks. You can sit and watch the world go by, but in the office online, just by looking at someone's status update!"

Treat employees as adults
The use of this tool is intended for Serena employees to network with other Serena employees and not with those outside of the organization. But is this restriction feasible?

Burton believes you have to treat employees as the responsible adults that they are and it's all part of building an ethos of trust. "The worst thing is to clamp down and ban things, people will only find ways around it," he says.

The cost associated with the extra bandwidth that may be necessary in running the networking site is, in Burton's opinion, minimal compared to the damage that may be caused to the morale of the workforce should a ban be imposed.

Breaking down barriers
As well as finding out more about the people you're working with, Facebook Friday also goes a long way to breaking down hierarchical barriers within the company, enthuses Burton. "It puts a face to the executives and their interests and they are not so unapproachable."

Have your say
What's your organization's Facebook policy? Are you encouraged to network in this way or has it been banned? Discuss this and other issues with your communication peers by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.

Got a news story? Contact the newsdesk

News archive

 
Top of Page
Privacy Policy

© Melcrum Publishing 2008