Social media 'on a par with office gossip'
~ workplace communication has not yet embraced new media, research from Parity finds ~
13 May 2009
Just three per cent of UK office-based workers would use social media to communicate important information to their colleagues[1] – a similar proportion as would tell the office gossip the information to share it across the company. That’s according to new research into the way the UK communicates commissioned by Parity , the IT and business solutions company.
Despite the fact that 22 per cent of those questioned said that social media is a viable business tool, the research, conducted by Vanson Bourne, found that it is not yet a trusted or widely used tool in UK workplaces. In fact, a quarter of respondent organisations have no corporate social media or intranet at all.
Company email was cited as the best way of sharing information on a large scale, preferred by over half of all respondents (52 per cent). Blogs and wikis came off even worse than social media tools, as they were selected by less than one per cent of respondents as communication tools. However, many companies are set to increase their use of social media networks in the future, with almost 30 per cent of London respondents stating that their organisation would do so in the near future.
“Social media already seems to have attracted negative associations,” said Adrian Moss, Head of the Web 2.0 team at Parity. “Combined with effective information management, social media tools have been successfully deployed by organisations to help people communicate more effectively both internally and externally. However, there will need to be a paradigm shift in the attitudes of senior management, or UK organisations will lose the race before it even starts.”
“The rapid growth of social networking sites and examples of its successful use, from President Obama’s White House race and the US Food and Drugs Administration’s use for public safety and information updates, to the viral advertising campaigns, for everything from Earth Hour to T-Mobile, show that the public have accepted and use social media in many ways. Organisations need to invest time to understand and plan how to best use this valuable communication tool, embracing its potential and seek ways to professionalise its use – or risk missing out on an incredibly powerful communication tool.”
Parity was pleased to find that 62 per cent of respondents had a corporate intranet, though only 17 per cent had an online discussion forum and just 14 per cent said they have a corporate blog. Parity’s Collaboration and Information Management team is working to advise organisations on how to embrace these tools and make the best use of them for internal and external communication.
About the research
The research was conducted by Vanson Bourne online in April 2009 with 523 business professionals from a variety of company types and sizes.
Vanson Bourne is a specialist IT market research consultancy, whose clients range from global corporations to small, highly specialised start-ups. The company provides research expertise and market insight using analysis and advice based on incisive and rigorous research into their market environment.
About Parity
Parity is a business and IT solutions company with over 40 years' industry experience. Parity delivers a range of recruitment and business and IT solutions to clients across the public and private sector.
Parity works with its customers to bring out the best in their businesses, drawing on vast personal experience to help organisations meet the challenges they face. Strong relationships with customers make Parity a trusted partner for hundreds of clients across the UK and Ireland, including; BT, Ofgem, The Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence, BAT, Northamptonshire County Council and The Charity Commission.
Through specialised IT recruitment for contract, interim and permanent resources, especially in the public sector, Parity provides decision makers with the best candidates to drive strategies forward and focus on results.
Through Collaborative Information Management, coupled with Web 2.0, Parity helps their customers harness the power of information. Helping their clients to increase efficiencies, reduce costs and maximise customer service.
Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Parity recorded a turnover of over £150m in 2007. For more information, please visit: http://www.parity.co.uk/
[1] The research was conducted in April 2009 by Vanson Bourne among 523 UK professionals.