Social Sites for the Savvy Employee: Insights & Strategies

You’ve probably heard of Facebook’s platform (Workplace) within your social or professional circles. Are you familiar with the basics of how it works and the ways you can use it?

In this article, we will explain all you need to know about Workplace from Facebook and how to best use it for your company.

What Is Workplace From Facebook?

The Workplace is a Facebook-owned platform that offers companies an internal communication tool. Workplace incorporates the usual Facebook layout into a company’s communication tools. It allows its users to get updated on all their work affairs on the go.

The best part is that Workplace is easily accessible on mobile devices. This way, workers can receive or give updates to their colleagues anytime and anywhere. In the words of Facebook, “Workplace is a dedicated and secure space for companies to connect, communicate and collaborate.”

Why Did Facebook Create Workplace?

Workspace initially served as a communication and project tracking platform for Facebook employees. With time, however, Facebook realized how great an asset it would be to other companies.

Facebook then offered Workplace to various companies who used it as Beta users. Workplace was ultimately made public in this way.

Why Should Your Company Use the Workplace?

The main aim behind the creation and use of the Workplace is to spearhead seamless communication in the Workplace. Simply put, Workplace is a better alternative to communication platforms like Yammer or even Slack. Using Workplace in your company will phase out the use of regular email.

It’s a fast, lively, and exciting platform that will bring back the vibrancy into your company. Workplace allows workers to interact within themselves, without overlooking remote employees.

It further enhances collaboration by bringing together different employees from various departments and fields. This diversity in communication facilitates formidable unity in your company.

Benefits of Using Workplace

Workplace boasts many benefits both for individual workers and the company as a whole. Here are a few benefits of using it:

Digitized Communication

Workplace enhances both digital and mobile facilities for the proper running of communication and other such processes. With Workplace, communication becomes much more accessible and simplified.

Eliminates Collaboration Tools

Workplace decreases the company’s dependence on internal collaboration tools. This means that with Workplace in your company, you will likely spend less on video conferencing apps, intranet charges, and other such infrastructure.

No Training Required

One of the significant threats faced by companies when integrating new systems is the cost of training. Luckily, Workplace does not come with that burden. Since it is a modification of the traditional Facebook, employees do not have to learn how to use the features afresh. The News Feed, Messages, and Groups are just as they are on regular Facebook.

Wide Range of Users

Facebook is already the leading social media company in the world. With so many people already on Facebook, it will be easier to use Workspace as a platform as it will easily link you to the already existing users.

Seamless Transition

Since many teams are already on Facebook, the transition to Workplace is not going to be difficult. Most people already have Facebook as part of their daily life. Transitioning to “Facebook for Work” should not be an issue. Since most companies useFacebook Business tool, using these two side by side will be a bliss.

How Is Workplace Different From Regular Facebook?

You probably think that Facebook and Workplace are the same things, right? Wrong! Although made and managed by the same creator, the two sites operate independently of each other.

First of all, the two are headquartered in entirely separate locations.
Secondly, you do not have to have a personal Facebook account in order to access the Workplace website. All you need to have is a Workplace account that will let you access the relevant Workspace account owned by your company.
As an employer, you may have rights of access to your employee’s workplace page. However, you cannot access their personal Facebook page without having permission granted by the individual employee.
As an employee, you only have access to the company’s account for as long as you are working for them.

Workplace Features

Similar to Facebook, Workplace offers its users a vast array of helpful communication features that often prove invaluable in their companies. Here are some of the most useful features:

Groups: These are an excellent feature that allows members to share communication with more than one individual. Groups in Workspace can either be public, private, or closed. They work exactly as they do on Facebook.
Messenger: Messenger allows you to send or receive messages. These could be both individual messages or messages meant for a group of recipients.
Live Video: This feature allows you to post live video footage to a section of the team or the entire team. With this feature, it becomes much easier to make announcements within the company.
News Feed: companies can use this feature to keep all the workers posted on essential details and announcements such as looming deadlines.

Workplace also has additional features that make communication more accessible, such as: Analytics, Identity Providers, Reactions, Trending Posts, and Single Sign-On.

Is Workplace Free?

Unlike traditional Facebook, Workplace is not a charge-free resource. Even though Workplace is not very expensive, the pricing may vary depending on the number of users per company. It may be slightly higher if you own a big company.

Workplace also offers month-to-month subscription packages for companies that do not want long-term contracts. If you feel unsure about its suitability for your company, you can take a free trial and test its features before adopting it.

How Is Workplace Different From Regular Facebook?

If you have never seen the workplace interface, you are probably wondering what it looks like. When described, the Workplace resembles your traditional Facebook site. It, however, has two categories (apps):

Chat: You can use this feature to chat with other users within Workspace. With this feature, you do not have to rely on tedious communication processes or email (which can be spammy and inefficient). If you are a regular Facebook user, navigating the chat feature should not pose a significant challenge.
Work: This app, on the other hand, is primarily for project matters and sharing of relevant documents with your workmates. Teams that are working together within a project usually find this very helpful. It also comes with a News Feed feature that keeps you in the know by sharing updates or comments relevant to you and your team.

Which Companies Are Using Workplace?

Transitioning to a new platform may be somewhat intimidating for your company. However, plenty of companies today use the Workplace for their internal communication and cooperation. Here are some of the top giants in the corporate world who use Workplace and have found it beneficial:

Oxfam
Starbucks
Campbells
Fox Fabrics
Booking.com
RNIB
Save the Children
ClubMed
Columbia Sportswear

Most Workspace users have had a satisfying experience and increased productivity as a result of using the site. You may want to try it out in your company and reap its immense benefits.

How Can I Get Workplace?

If you are interested in getting a Workplace account for your company, here is what to do:

Visit the Workspace from theFacebook website . Once there, follow the prompts and sign up for the services.
Once your sign-up is complete, you can now set up your profile.

3. As part of the setup process, you will have to select a URL for your account. Your company’s URL should look like this:[Company].facebook.com .

You will then need to invite your team to join.
Your company page will then be accessible to your team both on the web and on the downloadable Workplace mobile application. (Please note that you can get both the Android and iOS apps).

Your team members can then interact with each other using the available tools in Workspace for Facebook.

More Than Mere Communication

When thinking of Workspace and the fact that it is not entirely free, you might want to dismiss it in favor offree communication tools . However, it would pay to remember that Workspace from Facebook is not just your regular, run-of-the-mill communication tool. It packs plenty of innovative features that make your communication much more straightforward and enjoyable.

What’s more, it will save you plenty of time and resources that you might have otherwise used in the training of your employees. It’s time to ditch your unreliable emails and bring Workspace into your offices -you won’t regret it!