Build Workforce Management’s Social Network
Social media and social networking are nothing new; in fact our society is swamped with various forms of social media that we use in our personal and professional lives. All are geared to allow us to collaborate and create a higher level of context with those that we wish to collaborate and share with. Within an organization, however, businesses struggle with how to make successful use of social tools that allow employees to share and collaborate.
In Workforce Management, it is important to collaborate, share, and gain feedback about what you’re doing or what information you have to disseminate. This can get lost in the weeds by the size of an organization, complexity of teams, and the simple fact that WFM is usually communicated with through processes and interfaces which can be impersonal and inflexible.
You can help get around this and engage with agents and leaders by using various collaborative tools. Some businesses have their own social networking sites and tools that can be beneficial in creating discussion groups and forums. You can create a WFM blog that allows frontline staff to get a sense of what’s going on in Workforce Management and to communicate your message in short, easy to understand formats.
For organizations using Microsoft SharePoint or similar technology, try creating a Wiki or discussion board on your SharePoint site, allowing employees to post and discuss relevant topics related to workforce management such as self-trades and schedule bidding. Every month, create a discussion post where the Workforce Manager shares the performance of the organization and then discuss ways the organization can improve.
This can help make your Workforce Management a more down-to-earth and accessible group, ultimately increasing the level of collaboration and acceptance. These can be fairly self-policing and self-managing pieces of content or can be driven and led by Workforce Management. Either way, they add a great way for the Workforce Management team to engage, collaborate, and gain feedback from those it serves.
Note: This tip provided SWPP Member Micah Schrom of Optum Health. He may be reached at micah.schrom@optumhealth.com.