Engagement ‘improved with web communities’

Engagement with employees can be improved with the use of hosted social networks, it has been suggested.

Internal communication will benefit from a web community because it can facilitate interaction and the potential for internal horizontal influence, said Reality Digital.

This could allow for engagement at all levels of an enterprise, which could make staff members feel part of an organisation and that their ideas are being listened to, therefore boosting motivation.

Robert Proctor, head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Reality Digital, said social networking platforms should be seen by companies as not only a method of internal communication, but as a way to engage with customers.

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"Enhanced internal communications greatly improves productivity, meaning that the company will benefit from the network directly as well as profiting indirectly through commercial results such as sales," he added.

Writing on publicservice.co.uk, Martin Tiplady, director of human resources at the Metropolitan Police, said technology had "revolutionised" internal communications, although he stressed it cannot replace face-to-face contact.