Employee activism is a new movement that goes beyond customer satisfaction and employee engagement, and is becoming an underlying foundation in successful companies. Many employees are defending their employers from criticism and acting as brand ambassadors for their companies, both online and offline. It all begins with social media. Many companies are intrigued about ways to enhance employee engagement, but highly concerned about an employee’s use of social media, especially during the work day. But rather than limiting an employee’s media usage, companies should be promoting the benefits and encouraging their employees to become activists for the brand they represent. Many companies still remain somewhat skeptical, and not without reason. Reasons for caution include valid concerns about privacy, cybersecurity, productivity, and actions by rogue employees that could go viral. This behavior is the exception to the rule and most companies already take a lot of care in building their culture with people they can trust , so why not trust them to advocate as well? Here are some tips to successfully build employee activism:
Research is showing that those companies that allow access to social media, as opposed to having strict restrictions on usage, are viewed more positively by their employees in social media outlets. Building employee activists when business is good forms a solid foundation of ambassadors ready to defend your company when times get tough. The real risk is not empowering your employees to speak positively on your behalf.
Read Employees Rising: Seizing the Opportunity in Employee Activism from Weber Shandwick here!