Employers have turned to social media to keep their workforces engaged as they search for alternative methods to deal with slashed communication budgets, according to a recent survey from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The IABC's Employment Engagement Survey shows that 79 percent of respondents said they use social media frequently to engage employees and foster productivity. That's even ahead of e-mail (75 percent).
The survey polled nearly 1,500 participants over a broad industry and geographic base. Here are some more findings of the survey:
- 47 percent of respondents said they use company blogs, ranking blogs as the most popular social media tool currently in use;
- 33 percent said they plan to use discussion boards in the future, ranking discussion boards as the highest for future planned use;
- 52 percent of respondents said their communication budgets have been reduced over the past 12 months;
- 35 percent said their communication staffs have been reduced over the past year;
- 46 percent said the economic downturn was the biggest reason for communication budget and staff cuts, followed by organizational mandates (42 percent);
- 62 percent of respondents said they regularly engage in employee listening activities, such as surveys and focus groups, while 30 percent said they rarely or never engage in these methods;
- 56 percent of top executives aren't using social media at this time;
- 46 percent of organizations aren't measuring social media’s effectiveness; and
- 59 percent of respondents believe their companies have well-established internal or employer brands.
For more information, go to www.iabc.com.
