The Virtual Water Cooler:

Engaging Employees with an Internal Corporate Blog

miami providence estonia

2009 (add)ventures

page 1

strategy + creative

The Virtual Water Cooler

Literal or figurative, the water cooler is a gathering point for conversation, a place where company news is shared and opinions are debated. Have you ever wished you could harness the diversity of voices and perspectives and the authenticity and spontaneity of that dialogue to truly engage your employees? As technology advances, employee communication has the opportunity to evolve with it. Many of us couldnt imagine doing our jobs without e-mail, which began for many of us as a form of personal communication and has only been used as an essential business tool for a little more than a decade. The buzz today is about blogs, social networks, and other new media tools whose value can best be assessed not on their trendiness but on their ability to accomplish business objectives. When a new technology helps us do something we couldnt do as well, as efficiently, or at all before, it is time to consider adding it to our toolkit of communications tactics. Blogs have emerged as a communications medium with the potential to create new ways of engaging employees. They are used by millions of experts, organizations, and ordinary people as a way to spark conversation and create communities around every topic imaginable. They have revolutionized publishing because now anyone with a keyboard and an internet connection can express ideas, share them with others, and get a dialogue going. They allow for unique points of view and real-time response, gaining credibility by the authenticity, immediacy, and relevance of their content. So, how can companies harness the power of blogs within their organizations to create virtual water coolers? And how can they make sure the content and conversations on those blogs enhance their reputations and dont harm them?

When a new technology helps us do something we couldnt do as well, as efficiently, or at all before, it is time to consider adding it to our toolkit of communications tactics.

Read on to find out more.

miami providence estonia

2009 (add)ventures

page 2

strategy + creative

Why it Works
Connect in a more human tone. The primary reason a corporate blog can be more effective at engaging employees is its ability to connect with them in a more human tone. The same company news discussed at the break room water cooler or delivered via a mass e-mail can have dramatically different levels of understanding, interest, and impact. Why is that? At the water cooler, people converse openly and casually with their peers, without the apprehension of being mandated or persuaded to listen or respond. People enter and leave the conversation when they are interested in whats being talked about. They hear ideas and suggestions from people they know and colleagues they feel share their values and perspectives. Youll rarely find corporate speak at the water cooler, but you will find the true expression of an organizations culture. Whether focused or friendly, the way employees really interact with each other and their organization is best observed and best evolved in the water cooler forum.

Youll rarely find corporate speak at the water cooler, but you will find the true expression of an organizations culture.

The conversation is going on. Bring it here and be part of it. Anything mentioned by one employee is bound to be echoed by countless others in and out of the break room. A corporate blog provides a forum for those voices to be heard and answered in a much more inclusive manner. You can increase engagement by allowing commenting on blog posts. The dialogue is going on at the water cooler bring it to your internal blog so you can hear it and participate in it. Answering a question or concern by e-mail serves one; answer in a medium viewed by the entire organization and you impact thousands.

miami providence estonia

2009 (add)ventures

page 3

strategy + creative

Faster, better, more personalized communication. An internal-facing corporate blog allows for real-time response to pressing issues, and provides a forum to push communication with employees beyond disseminating information. Instead, you - your communications team, your leadership, and your bloggers - can share values and ideas in a way that expresses the personality and culture of the company and keeps the interests and concerns of employees at the center.

Thought leaders and influencers within your organization often have strong opinions and great stories to tell and are only lacking the opportunity and guidance to share them.

Diverse employees, diverse perspectives. Your employees are as unique as the communities and customers you serve. That uniqueness leads to a multitude of varying opinions and perspectives on issues that matter to your organization. Diversity in geography, business unit, nationality, culture and so many other factors contributes to the success of your business. Shouldnt it also contribute to the success of your communications with the employees who make that business happen? By recruiting and training a corps of bloggers that reflects the diverse perspectives of your leadership and employees, you can create an internal communications channel that literally gives voice to your diversity. Your employees will connect with the experiences and ideas of people like them - and of people they might never meet and whose worlds are quite distinct from their own. New sources of innovative content. Corporate communications teams are limited by resources such as staffing and budget, but by tapping into the conversation at the water cooler, they can expand their capabilities rather than constrict them. Thought leaders and influencers within your organization often have strong opinions and great stories to tell and are only lacking the opportunity and guidance to share them. Often the content that bloggers - whether subject matter experts, CEOs or average Joes - generate might never have been available otherwise.

miami providence estonia

2009 (add)ventures

page 4

strategy + creative

Alleviating Concerns
Once you are convinced of the opportunities associated with creating an internal corporate blog, you may still have some concerns. Many of these are probably related to managing the content and monitoring the open forum associated with allowing commenting by employees on blog posts. The technical stuff to keep the virtual water cooler safe and enjoyable for everybody. By setting the ground rules clearly and giving employees a sense of accountability and inclusion, communities most often police themselves fairly well. A little nudge here and there will likely be all that is necessary to keep discussions on track. For further insurance, you can implement a few key features to ensure that many concerns often raised by corporate management can easily be mitigated. Know whos talking (Authentication): By requiring a login that ensures a valid e-mail address, a certain amount of accountability can be enforced. There is no reason to allow anonymous communication. This simple fact can go a long way to eliminating gross negativity and inappropriate behavior, and if that takes place, the perpetrators can simply be blocked. Play nice with others (Appropriate use policies and Word filters): State up front that inappropriate content will be removed. No editing - just removal if it is offensive, inappropriate or of an unacceptably off-topic nature. State the rules up front so the ground rules are clearly set. Create lists of terms that can be automatically removed. This list can be easily updated to reflect new or newly created terms or spellings with simple administrative tools. Keeping Tabs (Post moderation and Flag this post as inappropriate): We do not recommend attempting to approve every post, but administrators will always have quick and easy access to remove posts that fall outside the use policies. Give all users the ability to flag a post as inappropriate. This places it in a queue that can be reviewed by administrators, where an appropriate determination can be made about allowing or removing the post in question. page 5

By setting the ground rules clearly and giving employees a sense of accountability and inclusion, communities most often police themselves fairly well.

miami providence estonia

2009 (add)ventures

strategy + creative

Ready to get started?

Five (non-technical) things you need to launch and manage a successful virtual water cooler: 1. Open company culture An internal corporate blog is only as successful as the culture of the company that hosts it. Extremely conservative and risk-averse corporate cultures may not be the best fit for blogs, even internal ones. Nimble organizations that respond quickly and encourage employee participation are the best candidates for this type of channel. 2. Strong Organizational Commitment Theres nothing worse than starting a conversation and walking away midsentence. You and your organization must determine your commitment to an internal blog prior to launching it. Piloting a blog for a defined, limited time or specific unit or group within the company can be a good way to experiment before making a long-term commitment. 3. Well-defined blog mission You need to know and communicate the purpose and theme of your blog or blogs. When you have more than one blogger, each author may have his or her own style or set of topics and interests, but they should always point back to the overarching goal of the medium. 4. Clear Editorial Guidelines Just as you would with any other communications channel, clearly establish the types of content that will be included as well as the tone, length, structure, and frequency of posts. These parameters will guide you and your team of content creators, so make sure to balance the amount of communication your audience expects and desires with what your team can reasonably deliver. 5. Great Content The final and most important element of a successful internal blog is great content. Your blog cant just be another place to push out official company news and updates . Find employees with something to say and empower them to create fun, useful, engaging, authentic, real content that employees would want to enjoy regardless of its source.
miami providence estonia
2009 (add)ventures

The final and most important element of a successful internal blog is great content.

page 6

(add)ventures aligned dynamic disciplines

Brand
Inform Marketing Public Relations Corporate Comm Content Inspire Branding Advertising Cause/Social Impact Design

(add)ventures is a multicultural, multidisciplinary communications consultancy based in Providence, Rhode Island, with offices in Miami and Estonia producing work globally. We work with Fortune 500 companies, industry and innovation leaders.

(add)mission:
(+) Inform, Inspire, Recruit, Retain
We combine strategic intelligence and creative genius to inform and inspire brand loyalty among your key audiences and stakeholders.

HR/Recruiting Multicultural Direct Interactive Recruit

Employee Engagement Diversity Social Media Production Retain

(add)vision:
(+) Humanity, Responsibility, Loyalty, Opportunity
We serve leading organizations that share our passion to improve the life, work and play of humanity, promote social responsibility, empower through education, and create opportunity through innovation. Our vision employs the art of communication, the science of innovation, and the power of education to simplify complexity for humanity. We help organizations achieve human potential and promote social responsibility.

Alignment

primary contact: Angie Henderson Moncada managing director, strategy/pr (add)ventures miami 420 lincoln road, suite 380 miami beach,fl 33139 amoncada@addventures.com p: 305.535.2576 (office) p: 305.951.0546 (cell) (add)ventures corporate headquarters: 117 chapman street providence, ri 02905 p: 401.453.4748
miami providence estonia
2009 (add)ventures

page 7