In North America, many employees are disconnected and disengaged from their work, making them less productive. When an employee is engaged in their work, they are more focused and motivated, allowing companies to stay ahead of their competition. Internal social media platforms for employees to stay up to speed have become increasingly favoured in organizations and this will only continue to increase.
The retail industry is constantly evolving, making communication crucial. Many retail companies have limited communication between headquarters and stores because newsletters and emails are not keeping the employees sufficiently engaged.
For Macy’s, Tibber was the answer. Tibber is an internal social communication tool for employees, which allows them to access information right away. Macy’s Chief Information Officer Larry Lewark stated that “Tibbr enables us to quickly connect people with the colleagues and information they need. Being able to subscribe to subjects within Tibbr is a powerful way to stay current on the topics you care about most.” It’s like a social network for work. It has a lot of similarities with Facebook, starting with a NewsFeed where employees can see different posts and things that their colleagues have shared. They can add friends, follow people and also subjects, and filter out topics that are not of interest. Through this tool, employees can brainstorm, share ideas and develop valuable insights.
In 2013, Tibber reached an estimated 6.5 million paid users, according to Venture Beat. That was three years ago! Internal social platforms are being increasingly incorporated in organizations to help them reach their goals while keeping employees engaged. Engaging employees through internal social media also allows them to have more autonomy. The integration of social media in organizations enhances the way that these businesses operate. Being able to use a platform similar to Facebook definitely makes the working environment more entertaining and interesting!
Lessons for Others
Organization:
Macy's
Industry:
Online Retail
Name of Organization Contact:
Terry J. Lundgren, CEO
Authored by: Maria Enache
If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.
References
Jspuhler, Brightmove. Social Media Spotlight on Tibbr, Retrieved on May 29th, 2016, from https://www.brightmove.com/social-media-spotlight-on-tibbr/
Slideshare. How Social is Redefining Retail – Both Inside and Out, Retrieved May 29th, 2016, from http://www.slideshare.net/tibbr/redefining-retail
Sylvia Vorhouser-Smith, Forbes. How the Best Places to Work are Nailing Employee Engagement, Retrieved May 29th, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/sylviavorhausersmith/2013/08/14/how-the-best-places-to-work-are-nailing-employee-engagement/#f4427d038aa4
Tibber. Enterprise Social Network, Retrieved May 29th, 2016, from http://www.tibbr.com/index.php