Face it: Employees Use Web 2.0
March 12th, 2009 by Dave DuscheneI heard the other day how the Philadelphia Eagles football franchise fired an employee for a brief comment he posted on his Facebook page. The guy was a gate attendant at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play their home games. Apparently, he was unhappy that the team had let one of his favorite players defect to another team as a free agency.
So he posted his displeasure on his Facebook page. Days later, his bosses at the stadium told him his services were no longer needed.
This example provides even more ammunition with my belief that companies need to be more proactive in addressing the realities of Web 2.0. People love Facebook precisely because it provides them with an opportunity to be heard.
So what might the Eagles have done differently? They had a few choices.
They could have simply ignored the post (and probably should have). If they had, I wouldn’t have heard the story on the radio, nor would I be writing this now.
They could have met with the ticket agent and suggested he be more careful what he says about his employers online, reminding him that his comments as “an agent of the team” could be misconstrued by others.
Or, if they wanted to be really progressive, they could have established their own internal social media site – for employees only – and started a real dialog between management and the front lines.
While a lot of companies are talking about adopting Web 2.0 platforms as an employee communications tool, very few are doing it. Often, there is concern about what employees might write and post – that a blog or a social networking site might become little more than a “bitch board” where disgruntled employees vent endlessly and nothing productive is accomplished.
In my experience, these concerns are unfounded. I’ve worked with a handful of companies that have successfully used Web 2.0 tools to open real dialog among employees.
If you’re considering doing the same, there are a few ground rules to consider:
- You should establish rules about what’s acceptable and what’s not. This gives you the right to remove any posts or content that goes outside the lines.
- The tool should not be anonymous. If people have to post their names along with their comments, they are more likely to follow the rules.
- The leaders at your company have to be committed and involved. They have to be willing to visit the sites that are created and to get engaged in the conversation.
As the case of the Philadelphia Eagles employee proves, your people are going to speak their minds. Why shouldn’t they have the opportunity to do that inside the company? Give them the chance, and they will take it. And you will be surprised by all the valuable information you hear.
Tags: facebook, social media, web 2.0