Despite the explosion of social media in the personal lives of many people, just over half of employers are using social media tools to communicate and build communities with their employees.
According to the 2013 Towers Watson Change and Communication ROI Survey, among those employers that have embraced social media technology, there is little consensus as to which channels are most effective.
The Towers Watson research found that 56% of employers used various social media tools as part of their internal communication initiatives. However, when asked how they would rate the effectiveness of social media tools, only 30% to 40% of respondents rated most of the tools as “highly effective”. And only four in 10 rated the use of social media technology as cost effective.

“We believe that social media can be a great tool for communicating with employees in the workplace,” said Jeffrey Tang, Hong Kong director of Talent and Rewards at Towers Watson. “By its nature, social media is designed to build community and can help engage employees on key topics such as performance, collaboration, culture and values. As the need for global collaboration increases, we expect more companies will join those already leveraging social media to creatively communicate those messages.”

The Towers Watson survey also found that while four in 10 employers (41%) say they are effective at building a shared experience with their employees as a whole, the percentage drops by roughly half (to 23%) when it comes to building community with remote workers.

“As today’s workforce evolves, we know from our research that the growing number of remote workers are looking for clear communication, to be treated with integrity, and want coaching and support from afar,” said Tang. For employers to effectively engage and retain remote workers, they will need to connect them with their leaders, managers and colleagues. We think social media tools can be a real help in making this connection.”

                                                               % that use                                % that find it effective

Instant messaging                                    73%                                          48%
Streaming audio or video                        61%                                          48%
HR or other function journal or blog    55%                                           35%
Enhanced online employee profiles      54%                                           37%
Social networks                                       53%                                           29%
Employee journals or blogs                   52%                                           37%
SMS messaging                                       51%                                           39%
Leadership journal or blog                     48%                                           36%
Collaboration sites                                  45%                                          33%
Video-sharing site                                   44%                                           36%
Apps or other mobile approaches          44%                                          39%