Top 10 Tips to Launch a Successful Flu Vaccination Campaign
You have booked your flu campaign and appointments are filling up quickly. Your campaign is off to a great start! Now you just need to get the vaccinations done. Our flu campaign director would like to share some tips based on her 10 years of experience, to help you make your campaign a success. Here are her 10 last-minute tips:
Julie Boutin, Director, onsite services and external pre-employment, Medisys Corporate Health
1- Ensure that Your Vaccination Campaign is Booked for Your Required Date
It may seem like a small point, but it is essential to make sure that your vaccination campaign has indeed been booked for the date that you require. If there is any doubt, be sure to clear it up with your service provider.
2- Confirm the Final Number of Doses to Your Supplier One Week before the Start of Your Campaign
This is especially important if your final number is higher than the number expected when you signed your contract. As a general rule, your supplier will always bring 10% more doses than ordered—but it is best to order enough doses to be sure that all employees wishing to be vaccinated will be accommodated.
3- Ensure that Your Employees are Aware of the Consent Form and Other Documents Related to the Vaccination
Medisys asks its clients to ensure that employees complete the vaccination consent form beforehand. Employees should also read the information provided about the flu and possible side effects of the vaccination.
Medisys’ medical personnel is always available to answer questions. However, making employees aware ahead of time is the best way to facilitate the vaccination process on the day.
4- Forward the Link to the On-Line Booking Site
For companies that have chosen to include on-line booking, the vaccination campaign coordinator should make sure that they receive the link for the booking site at least one week before the campaign starts. The link should be forwarded to the employees as soon as possible so that they can book their preferred times.
Medisys makes an on-line booking tool available to its clients. Employees can make their own appointments over the Internet and updates are made virtually in real time. This process greatly simplifies the logistics of managing bookings!
5- Remind Employees of the Vaccination Clinic Schedule
To ensure a high participation rate, it is essential to remind employees of the dates and times of the vaccination clinic, whether by email, displaying posters, or putting the information on your intranet. The final reminder can be given the week before the campaign.
6- Review the Logistics for Day 1 of Your Campaign
The campaign coordinator must ensure that the medical personnel will have access to the following elements that are required for the vaccination clinic: vaccination room (provide screens to divide the waiting area and vaccination area if they are in the same room), enough chairs, tables and pens, a telephone in the vaccination room to call emergency services if required, and a copy of the timetable for the day.
7- Obtain the Nurse’s Confirmation
The nurse must contact the coordinator in the days before the vaccination campaign. If no contact is made, get in touch with your supplier to make sure that a nurse will be present for your campaign.
8- Greet the Medical Personnel on Vaccination Day
Day one of your campaign, it is recommended to greet the medical personnel at least 30 minutes before the start of vaccination sessions to give them time to familiarize themselves with the facilities.
9- Be Available During the Vaccination Campaign
Throughout the vaccination clinic, the coordinator is the point of contact for the medical personnel. It must be possible to reach the coordinator at any time, whether by cell phone or in person.
10- Keep in Touch with Your Supplier
If anything unexpected comes up during your vaccination campaign, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your supplier, who can help to identify solutions.
Medisys regards the campaign coordinator as working hand-in-hand with our medical and administrative staff.
After your campaign, the campaign coordinator may receive a satisfaction survey. For Medisys, the objective of the survey is of course to improve the performance of the tools offered to our clients. In particular, we developed a guide for campaign coordinators as a result of comments received in our last survey.
To all our Medisys Blog members, we wish you a successful vaccination campaign. And don’t forget the importance of being vaccinated every year.
Find out more about Medisys’ flu vaccination campaigns.
Medisys Health Seminar on Genetic Testing
Medisys is pleased to announce our third health seminar of 2011 for executive and human resources professionals on the topic of genetic testing.
In events held earlier this year, attendees had the opportunity to learn more about mental health issues facing Canadian employers, as well as women’s cancers.
In October, Dr. Clarissa Desjardins, CEO of the Centre of Excellence in Personalized Medicine, will introduce Personalized Medicine, a rapidly evolving branch of medicine and present the benefits and implications of genetic testing. She will also explain how your genetic profile can help to identify health conditions that you may be at a higher risk of developing, predict how you will respond to certain medications and determine your likelihood of passing along genetic markers to your children.
Dr. Desjardins will be sharing her insights into Personalized Medicine at seminars in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on the following dates:
- October 24 –Calgary
- October 25 –Vancouver
- October 26 –Toronto
- October 27 –Ottawa
- October 28 –Montreal
The sessions are free of charge but by invitation only. If you haven’t received an invitation and wish to attend, please contact us at events@medisys.ca and we will be happy to add you to the attendee list if room is available.
Medisys a top fundraiser for the Ride to Conquer Cancer for the third year in a row
Congratulations to the Medisys team for their participation in the 2011 Ride to Conquer Cancer® held on July 7 and 8, and for their fundraising efforts benefiting the Segal Cancer Centre at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital.
The goals of this annual event, which involves a 290-km bike ride from Montreal to Quebec City, are to raise cancer awareness, collect funds for research and treatment, and contribute to the ultimate conquest of cancer. This year, the Medisys team joined forces with the Mansfield Club and together raised $345,016, making our team the second highest fundraiser of the event for the third year in a row! Among 1,887 riders, our very own Medisys CEO, Dr. Sheldon Elman also took second place for funds raised by an individual participant. Congratulations!
In total, the Ride to Conquer Cancer raised more than $6.7 million in donations for cancer research.
To the donors who supported our team—thank you for your outstanding generosity. Together, in our support for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, we are helping to make the dream of conquering cancer a reality.
Medisys Women’s Health Seminars – June 2011
Back by popular demand to build on the successes of prior years, Medisys’ free health seminars for executives and HR professionals got underway in March in major centres across Canada. The first of the three national seminars in 2011 addressed stress and mental health issues and we were gratified by the positive comments that we received from attendees.
The second seminar is being presented in June and it forms part of the women’s health series that is intended for a female audience.
This year’s women’s health topic is cancer prevention. The speaker is Dr. Vivien Brown, Medisys’ National Director for Women’s Health. In addition to her responsibilities at Medisys, Dr. Brown is a family physician with a community-based practice in Toronto and she is also on staff at Mount Sinai Hospital, The University Health Network and North York General Hospital. She maintains her commitment to continuing education for family physicians by lecturing frequently on preventive medicine and she is in great demand as a speaker at national and international conferences.
Dr. Brown is sharing her insights into women’s cancer prevention at seminars in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver on the following dates:
- June 14 – Toronto
- June 16 – Montreal
- June 17 – Ottawa
- June 23 - Calgary
- June 24 - Vancouver
The sessions are free of charge but by invitation only. If you haven’t received an invitation and wish to attend, contact us and we’ll be happy to add you to the guest list if a place is available.
Request your spot at events@medisys.ca.
Medisys 123: New Pediatric Concierge Service in Montreal
When a child is sick, it can cause sleepless nights for the parents followed by presenteeism in the workplace. Medisys is offering a new solution in Montreal based on education and prevention.
The anxiety caused by a child’s illness affects the whole family, and indeed even the workplace, especially if the parents don’t know where to turn for information about appropriate care for their child other than to the hospital emergency room.
To meet this need for education and prevention, Medisys has launched Medisys 123, a medical concierge service in Montreal for parents who want appropriate pediatric assistance for their children. This service is also sure to interest employers who want to help employees maintain a fair balance between family life and productivity at work.
Consultations over the Phone or in the Clinic
Medisys 123 provides parents with telephone assistance until 11:00 p.m., 7 days a week, for any health-related problem that their children are experiencing.
If necessary, the multidisciplinary pediatric team can offer an appointment at the Medisys 123 clinic located in downtown Montreal, which is open 6 days a week by appointment only.
If the child’s situation requires further medical intervention or a specialist referral, the Medisys 123 medical team will coordinate the different stages from providing care to coordinating appointments and obtaining reports.
Workplace Seminars
Employers who offer Medisys 123 program to their employees can also promote children’s health by taking advantage of the on-site education service available from Medisys 123’s health professionals, who go to the workplace to give seminars on various topics related to children’s health.
Service Offered as a Complement to Government-funded Healthcare
The annual fee paid by parents or the employer covers services that complement government-funded healthcare. To give just a few examples:
- Telephone assistance 7 days a week, including from a pediatrician or a nurse
- Education by nurses on general children’s health issues
- Coordination of care by nurses
- Availability of a pediatrician to take calls after clinic opening hours up to 11:00 p.m. and on weekends
The annual fee does not cover government-funded services such as routine or urgent in-clinic consultations with a pediatrician. These services are performed by the Medisys 123 clinic in Montreal and billed to the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.
The service is provided as an integrated health solution and cannot be purchased as individual services.
For more information about Medisys 123, contact Marie-France Courtemanche at 514‑499‑2777 ext. 3331.
Medisys’ Free Mental Health Seminars Coming Your Way in March 2011
Medisys is once again getting ready to present a series of free health seminars for executives and HR professionals in major centres across Canada. This year, our health seminars will target both men and women.
The first of the three national seminars will address mental health issues that relate to stress and depression. The Medisys seminars, back by popular demand, are hugely successful events you won’t want to miss.
The speaker for the mental health seminar is Dr. Vivien Brown, Medisys’ National Director for Women’s Health. Dr. Brown, a family physician with a community-based practice in Toronto, is also on staff at Mount Sinai Hospital, The University Health Network and North York General Hospital. She maintains her commitment to continuing education for family physicians by lecturing frequently on preventive medicine nationally and internationally.
Medisys’ clients can benefit from Dr. Brown’s expertise in preventive healthcare by attending seminars in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal on the following dates:
- March 17 Vancouver
- March 18 Calgary
- March 22 Toronto
- March 24 Ottawa
- March 25 Montreal
This year’s mental health seminar is a must for anyone who wants to know more about stress and depression and their effects on mental health, and anyone concerned with stress in the workplace and its effects on productivity and employee health.
The sessions are free of charge but by invitation only. If you haven’t received an invitation and wish to attend, contact us and we’ll be happy to add you to the guest list if a place is available.
Request your spot at events@medisys.ca.
Top Free (and Almost Free) Wellness Initiatives
By Randy McCaig
Director, Product Management
Medisys Health Group
Twitter: @medisysclinic
LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/randymccaig
Investing in targeted wellness initiatives need not break the bank. There are many free or low-cost initiatives that can be driven by internal employees or your wellness committee.
Many of these initiatives are not only cost-effective, but also very simple to implement.
Free Employee Wellness Initiatives
- Launch a needs questionnaire (this should always be the first step—as it is in our Fresh Start wellness program)
- Launch health challenges (i.e. steps walked, kilometres run, weight lost, etc.)
- Create a walking group
- Send health tips by email
- Provide flexible work schedules so that workers can take part in programs
- Instead of sitting in a conference room, have walking meetings (this is my favourite)
- Encourage employees to take the stairs instead of elevators
- Encourage employees to park farther away from work, or get off public transport a few stops before and walk the rest of the way
- Encourage employees to blog their achievements for others to follow (on your corporate Intranet, WordPress, Blogger, etc.)
*Almost* Free Initiatives
- Ask your wellness supplier to present on various health topics of interest (based on survey responses and medical results of aggregate reports)
- Incentivize for wellness networking (many companies provide incentives for program participation… take this one step further and incentivize employees for bringing someone who has not yet participated)
- Vending machine/cafeteria food audit
- Provide healthy snacks for free
- Set up education centres or distribute brochures and info available from organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Association of Canada, etc.
- Encourage use of your EAP
- Make your wellness programs visible in high-traffic areas
- Organize lunch-time group activities, i.e. volleyball, tai-chi, yoga, etc…
Just implementing a few of these suggestions can have a significant impact on your workforce and allow you to keep your program visible throughout the year.
View our Employee Wellness Viral Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPGoWAaw-X8
Have other suggestions for free initiatives?
Share yours by leaving a comment at the top of this article.
Special Interview: Dr. Mario Messier, Scientific Director, GP2S
The Group for Promotion of Prevention Strategies (GP2S) is a non-profit organization based in Quebec whose mission is to promote health and wellness in the workplace.
GP2S has created the first-ever “Healthy Workplace” corporate certification process—similar to an ISO certification—to acknowledge the efforts by Canadian employers to make their workplace truly healthy.
GP2S is making strides in Canada and internationally in the promotion of health and wellness in the workplace.
We sat down with Dr. Mario Messier, an occupational health physician and Scientific Director of GP2S, to find out more about the organization and what lies in store for the future.
Q: How would you describe GP2S and its mission?
A: GP2S is the abbreviation of Groupe de Promotion pour la Prévention en Santé, or Group for the Promotion of Prevention Strategies. Its mission is to promote health, wellness and productivity in the workplace. To do that, GP2S operates on several levels. On the corporate side, it helps businesses to understand that the health of their employees is a major strategic concern. We remind companies that they need well trained, motivated and healthy employees in order to prosper and grow, and that it is therefore in their best interests to factor employees’ health and wellness into their business plan. In other areas, GP2S interacts with different partners and stakeholders in business (public authorities, media, service providers, insurers, educational and research bodies, and others) to facilitate knowledge transfer and concerted action. The aim is to create an environment that favours health, wellness and productivity in the workplace.
Q: What spurred your involvement in GP2S?
A: I started my career as a family physician before branching out into occupational health. As much in family medicine as in occupational medicine, I came to realize over time that my true passion in life was not in treating illness, but rather in helping people to live healthier lives.
Since our health depends mainly on our behaviour and the environment in which we develop, it seemed logical and natural to me to seek to promote health in an area that I was already very familiar with, the corporate world.
The workplace is the main environment in which most of us lead our lives, which makes it a perfect place in which to carry out prevention and health promotion. It is a place that we go back to day after day and employers have every interest in paying attention to health and wellness because their actions in that direction will pay plenty of dividends in decreased absenteeism, increased productivity, greater employee engagement, a more positive work environment, easier recruitment, etc.
Q: What would you say is GP2S’s greatest achievement to date?
A: Although GP2S is still relatively new, it has already succeeded in bringing together businesses, service providers and public health agencies to address a common concern: how best to improve the health of workers in Quebec and to help to increase business productivity. Since its creation, GP2S has contributed to the growing awareness in the workplace of the importance of investing in promoting health and wellness.
Of course, the “Entreprise en santé” (“Healthy Business”) standard is our best known achievement. This ISO-type standard is a world first with regard to promoting health in the workplace. It is a structured process based on best practices in the field that allows businesses to take action on prevention, promotion, and organizational practices that favour health. At present, twelve companies have received their certification and more than a hundred are working towards it.
Q: What factors would you say are crucial to the success of a wellness program?
A: The most important factor is the engagement of the company’s different stakeholders. Senior Management’s engagement is essential because management allocates the budget and authorizes (or not) employees to participate. Senior Management is also best situated to overcome obstacles and exercise leadership. The engagement of managers at all levels is also necessary because they act as the point of contact between Senior Management and employees. They have daily contact with the employees and can have a significant influence on employees’ participation. Finally, it goes without saying that the engagement of the employees is essential because they are the ones who will decide whether or not to take part in a wellness initiative. Whether the program works or not comes down to them. To get employees to participate, you have to consult them, take their needs and ideas into account, and, above all, win their confidence.
Q: What would you say is the main component that employers should include in a wellness program?
A: To succeed, a wellness program must enhance employees’ job satisfaction. It is therefore important to gather data so as to understand thoroughly the main irritants for employees, and to design a well structured program that takes employees’ needs and opinions into account and that is carried over into appropriate management practices.
Q: What lies ahead for GP2S?
A: We often hear in the media that Quebec lags behind in productivity compared to its main business partners. Lots of explanations and suggestions to improve the situation are made, but I note that promoting health and wellness in the workplace hardly ever is put forward by our opinion leaders as a solution to improve business productivity.
However, we now know that employees who have a healthy lifestyle, feel good about themselves, and have little stress at work, are much more engaged and productive than others.
With the help of its partners, GP2S must continue to promote awareness and educate the corporate world so that there is a greater understanding, firstly, of how and why investments in health and wellness are good business decisions and, secondly, that this is a major strategic issue because promoting employees’ health is a significant source of productivity that remains largely under-utilized.
Of course, an employer who is aware and ready to act needs support, tools and effective programs. GP2S and its partners must ensure that a relevant, well structured service offering is available in the marketplace.
Q: Finally, what does “wellness” mean to you?
A: The concept of wellness generally refers to the social and psychological aspects of people’s health. However, for me, it is difficult to separate the notion of wellness from the notion of overall health. I see wellness as the modern incarnation of the classical notion of a healthy mind in a healthy body and of the more recent concept of resilience.
The World Health Organization defines health as “…a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Health is viewed as a resource in our daily lives, a positive notion that optimizes our individual and group resources and our physical abilities. It is a resource that allows us to realize our goals, objectives and dreams.
For me, wellness is intimately connected with the concepts of health, serenity and balance.
Mario Messier, MD
Occupational Health/Health Promotion
Scientific Director, GP2S
www.gp2s.net
Corporate Travel Health Policies
Mitigate your Legal and Financial Risk by Adding a Health Component to your Travel Policy
By Jay Keystone MD MSc (CTM) FRCPC
Medical Director
Medisys Travel Health Clinic – Toronto
Many companies have established comprehensive corporate travel policies outlining the requirements and processes for domestic and international travel. In some cases, a corporate travel manager is responsible for setting up all travel arrangements, flights, accommodations and managing the annual travel budget, but in too many cases, there is one coordination omission – travel medical advice and vaccinations.
Whether sending an executive for a 3-day meeting in Beijing, a worker on a 6-month contract to work in a mine in Peru or rewarding a top performer with a week’s vacation in the Caribbean, there are certain precautions that should be taken in order to mitigate the company’s legal and financial risk with regard to illness, injuries and even death while travelling abroad.
In a study done on 226 Coca Cola employees who travelled Internationally, 35% experienced travellers’ diarrhoea, 29% developed respiratory tract infections, 12% sought medical attention and a scary 43% of all employees were non-adherent to prevention advice (in malaria areas). Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1708-8305.1998.tb00504.x/pdf
A sick corporate traveller can translate into:
- Lost business opportunities while abroad
- Disruption to major projects
- Potential repatriation costs
- STD/LTD claims upon return
- Risk of other staff being infected
- Staff replacement costs
- Reduced productivity
- Lower quality of output
- Reduced staff morale
- Potential long-term health conditions upon return
- Potential employee lawsuits (if no action was taken by the company to help inform and protect the employee)
Even when provided with counselling on food and water-borne illnesses, 97% of travellers make a food and water ‘faux pas’ within 72 hours of arrival. Source: Kozicki M., Int J Epidemiol 1985; 14:169–72.
What about last-minute travellers?
It is almost as sure as death and taxes . . . every day, we receive emails and phone calls from frantic leisure and corporate travellers who are leaving to exotic destinations within the week and have only just realized that they need vaccinations. Because some vaccines require multiple doses before reaching maximum effectiveness, it is always recommended that travellers visit a travel health clinic 6 to 8 weeks prior to departure. In situations where this timeline can not be respected, our medical staff will discuss the risks associated with the traveller’s destination and provide other means of protection that can help to significantly mitigate their risk. In some situations, an accelerated vaccine dosing schedule can be given to maximize protection. It is never too late to visit a travel health clinic.
Top 3 Tips for Business Travellers
- Keep your vaccines up to date (even if you are not travelling). Most vaccines are effective for many years; ensuring that routine and basic vaccinations are up to date at all times makes good business sense.
- Always keep your fist aid kit replenished including self-treatment for travellers’ diarrhoea, malaria prevention and medication to reduce jet lag.
- Be aware of the risks concerning travel safety, personal security and sexually transmitted infections.
What about my employees’ personal travel?
Although an employer is not ethically or legally responsible for an employee’s vacation travel, it is in the employer’s best interest that their employees and their families have all of their vaccinations up to date beforehand and that preventive measures are taken prior to international vacations. If an employee came back to work with hepatitis or malaria, the employee could fall into STD or LTD for weeks or even months.
As part of our extensive employee wellness offerings, Medisys provides our clients with educational documentation and co-branded discount coupons for travel health consultations to be distributed to their employees or posted on their Intranet free of charge.
For more information about our travel health clinics, please visit us at www.medisys.ca/travel.
Feedback or Comments
What do you think? Do you have a corporate travel health policy?
We would like to hear from you. Please post your comment or question at the top of this article.
Social Media and Employee Wellness Program Promotion
Ban social media from your workplace? Here are 7 reasons why you should embrace it.
By Randy McCaig
Director, Product Management
Employee Wellness Programs
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/randymccaig
Social media is defined as any form of online publication or presence that allows end users to engage in multi-directional conversations in or around the content on the website. Examples of social media tools include blogs, social news sites, wikis and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.
Whether it is used for sharing information and photos, watching videos, or keeping in touch with family and friends, social media is playing an increasing role in many of our lives.
In a 2009 study done by Pew Research, 59% of individuals who use the Internet for medical reference have consulted blog comments, hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and health-related podcasts to obtain the information that they were looking for.
In 2006, these were the top health-related searches:
- 64% specific disease or problem
- 49% diet and nutrition
- 44% exercise or fitness
- 22% stress/mental health issues
- 16% vaccinations
There is no denying the popularity of the Internet for health reference; the issue lies with the quality of the resources being used by these e-patients. But that is another topic altogether.
The Impact of Social Media (Fast Facts)
According to a June 2010 article in the Globe and Mail, 16 million Canadians (approximately 48%) have a Facebook account.
Canadian Facebook Use by Age Group (as a percentage of total population)
| Age Group | % of CDN Users |
| 25 to 34 | 84% |
| 35 to 44 | 50% |
| 45 to 54 | 30% |
| 55+ | 16% |
- 96% of Millennials have joined at least one social network
- The fastest growing segment on Facebook consists of 55- to 65-year-old women
- As of August 2010, half (47%) of Internet users aged 50 to 64 and 1 in 4 (26%) users aged 65 and older now use social networking sites.
- That’s up from just 25% of online adults aged 50 to 64 and 13% of those aged 65 and older who reported social networking use one year ago in a survey conducted in April 2009.
So, let’s put this reach into perspective:
- To reach 50 million users, it would take radio 38 years to do so, TV would take 13 years, and the Internet only four years.
- Facebook added 200 million users in less than one year.
- If Facebook were its own country, it would be the world’s third largest behind only China and India.
- If you were paid $1 for every article posted on Wikipedia (an online encyclopedia created by users), you would earn $1,712… per hour.
- The blog you are reading now is one of 200 million that exist online.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQZAmr_-WVI&feature=player_embedded
Social Media in the Workplace
Many companies have banned the use of social networking sites for many obvious reasons, the most important being lost productivity. Sure, there is a very strong case to be made for this, but given the fact that social media strongly affects their life outside of work, there is another case to be made.
The Top 7 Reasons to use Social Media in Employee Wellness Program Promotion
Reason #1
It is a great way to reach employees outside of the office. Given the amount of time spent on social media outside the office, this is a great way to extend your program’s reach from outside the walls of your company and to keep employees engaged. Also, with the use of smart phones having reached mainstream, employees are able to access company information when it is convenient for them.
Reason #2
In addition to email notification, it is a great way to *almost* instantly inform your employees about upcoming events, changes to the programs, new incentives, etc., and to reinforce the value of the program. Frequency is key in wellness program promotion.
Reason #3
It is a great way to get feedback from your employees about the initiatives put forward. Getting timely feedback with regard to the success/perception of the initiatives is critical to understanding employees’ likes and dislikes and to keep the program relevant. Just think of it as a free and continuous focus group.
Reason #4
It can help to manage your events. By creating events in Facebook, you can manage attendance for events and see who will be attending prior to the event.
Reason #5
It is a great way to increase word of mouth. How often have you forwarded company emails to other employees to coordinate attendance or participation in an event? Um, probably never. As an employee, knowing who will be participating in each initiative can also be a motivator to join the initiative and will likely increase the likelihood of word-of-mouth promotion.
Reason #6
It enhances your corporate image and helps to retain/attract talent. Remember that if you don’t restrict access to your group, your Facebook page can be seen by any other Facebook member. You are not the only one researching candidates… job-seekers are actively researching your company. Having a well-maintained wellness group can not only help to promote programs to your employees, it is also a great way to demonstrate your healthy corporate culture.
Reason #7
It’s free.
Still a Largely Untapped Resource
Despite these benefits, there is still only a small minority of companies using social media as a part of their program promotion. In a 2010 survey conducted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and Buck Consultants, only 12% of respondents reported using social media in the frequent promotion of their program.
In my opinion, this is due in large part to a massive lack of understanding of the technology, how it works and how it can benefit corporations. I also feel that it may also be due to a perceived lack of control over the medium.
Addressing the Productivity Issue and Other Implications
Given the fact that the issue of lost productivity due to the use of social media in the workplace can be a deal-breaker for many employers, is important to address it head on.
Allowing employees to access social media sites in the workplace pretty much guarantees that your employees will in fact frequent these sites during office hours.
It is imperative to set up and clearly communicate and enforce corporate policies with regard to their use during office hours. Defining when and where these sites can be accessed is critical. Creating policies that allow for access prior to and following regular business hours, during lunch hours and during scheduled breaks will help to ensure that the sites are being accessed at appropriate times. If these policies are broken, it is important for direct managers to immediately address the issue with the employee.
Policies should also clearly define what can and can’t be posted. Inappropriate content on a corporate blog or other social media site can adversely affect your corporate image. Posting pictures of corporate social gatherings can demonstrate a strong corporate culture; posting pictures of the winners of last night’s beer chug… not so much.
Lastly, it is critical to have a moderator regularly monitor the content on the media to ensure it represents the image that you want the rest of the world to see. This is a feature that is common with many popular social media sites.
And for those still opposed to social media in the workplace, odds are your company is probably already using it without even knowing it – around 80% of companies use social media for recruitment (LinkedIn being the most popular).
Feedback or Comments
What do you think? We would like to hear from you. Please post your comment or question at the top of this article.
