30 May 2014
Putting social media to work
Explores the potential benefits of using social media within organisations
Our report, Putting social media to work: lessons from employers, presents the main themes from seven in-depth case studies which trace the journeys that the organisations have taken in developing their use of social media with employees, and go into more detail on their operating contexts, their uses of social technology and the benefits they have observed.
Includes case studies from: Bromford, Cape UK, Devon and Cornwall Police, Marks & Spencer, Santa Fe Group and Southeastern.
Download the report and case studies below
Bromford
Bromford is a social enterprise that provides housing and other community services. It has about 1,250 employees based at about 150 different sites. Bromford has focused on being a ‘great place to work’ for over a decade. It is in this context that extensive use of Yammer and other social media has been encouraged, as a
facilitator to create a more engaging and empowering workplace. www.bromford.co.uk
Main focus
Discussion forums, employee engagement, networking and organisational culture
Cape UK
Cape UK supplies services to the energy sector, including scaffolding, thermal insulation and rope access.
Recruitment is a particularly significant factor in Cape’s operations: it more than doubles the size of its
workforce over the summer months and often needs to recruit at very short notice. Using Facebook has
transformed Cape’s hiring process and has been used to help employee relations. www.capeplc.com
Main focus
Recruitment and employee relations
Devon and Cornwall Police
Devon and Cornwall Police has approximately 6,000 staff and 500 volunteers and covers a population of about 1.5 million residents. It is using social media platforms variously to encourage more independent learning, create forums for workplace discussions, make improvements to services and the quality of working life and enable officers to engage with the public. www.devon-cornwall.police.uk
Main focus Discussion forums, engagement with the public and L&D
Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer employs about 70,000 people in the UK, where it has over 700 shops. Over recent years, the organisation’s culture has become more open and collaborative, and its leadership more devolved. Yammer, used alongside a more interactive intranet, is a key tool in this ongoing journey to create a more positive working environment and get the best out of employees. www.marksandspencer.com
Main focus
Employee engagement, L&D and service improvement
Santa Fe Group
Santa Fe Group is a global relocation service provider which formed from a merger of Santa Fe (Asia based), Interdean (Europe) and Wridgways (Australia). It has developed an enterprise social learning network, The Academy Online, to transform learning and development in the organisation and start to build a common corporate culture across the group. www.thesantafegroup.com
Main focus: Learning and development
Southeastern
Southeastern runs train services in London, Kent and East Sussex, employing about 3,800 staff across 179 stations. A central focus of its people strategy has been employee voice and communication. Alongside initiatives such as company councils, focus groups and Q&A phone-ins, a major strand to this has been an enterprise social network, WorkMate. www.southeasternrailway.co.uk
Main focus: Employee engagement, discussion forums, networking and service improvement
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