Remember secretaries? Those talented individuals who could type 105 words a minute and take dictation at 90 words a minute? They kept pesky salespeople at bay, watched your schedule like a hawk and pretty much allowed you to get real work done.
But computers, e-mail and Microsoft Word pretty much but the onus of the tasks once performed by secretaries onto all of us. Now pretty much everyone from managers and supervisors (sometimes even company presidents) on down the chain command must now type their own memos, write their own reports, answer their own e-mail, and reply to their own text messages.
This takes up a lot of one’s “work” day. So a question could be asked: Did these “labor saving” devices really save us anything?
Which brings us to this segue: Now that social communications tools are the new be-all and end-all when it comes to communicating with customers and our employees, what can we do to insure these “improvements” really do improve the workplace, and not become just another busy-work time-suck?
Your company’s leaders are going to have to create a culture from the top down (with processes in place to back it up) that embraces the benefits of social communication tools while ignoring the their disadvantages.
This means you’re going to have to take a look at the tools that support what you believe to be your company’s values. Does your firm value face-to-face collaboration? Then meetings an online meeting tool in-house may not be a good idea. However, if your folks are on the road a lot or otherwise off-site, or if you’re a culture that just thrives on electronic meetings, such a communication tool could be great for your firm.
Take a poll to determine how much your employees embrace these communication tools. You’ll also find out where they may be resistant. This also can help you put together your company’s policies and procedures regarding how you’ll use these social connection tools in your workplace and your expectations regarding employee use.
Arrow Staffing has been helping Inland Empire employers navigate recruitment and staffing for more than 40 years. If you’d like an experienced staffing firm as your recruiting partner, contact us today!