A glance at the calendar, checking emails, coordinating appointments, keeping track of time - the phone rings, the messenger flashes and the intranet is there, but it is only really used in leap years, especially as there is no recognisable real benefit. We are surrounded by tools that are individually very useful, but collectively inhibit productivity.
At some point, an insurmountable mountain of tasks prevents people from starting to solve them. Some people procrastinate from tool to tool instead of simply getting started. Quite a few providers of such little helpers have recognised the need and are flooding the market with messenger, collaboration and project management tools to make teamwork even more efficient. We will soon see a similar solution from Facebook. Another tool? Not quite, because Facebook at Work is not one among many, but combines various tools into one. One for everything. Will Facebook at Work replace this "intranet" that hardly anyone uses anyway? No, but internal company processes will not remain unaffected by a change in the way we communicate.
How will Facebook at Work help us?
Friday afternoon: The project's time frame has left the ideal line. The colleague goes on holiday and the remaining tasks pile up to form a threatening skyline of file towers. Communication has always been better. Facebook at Work addresses precisely these issues: Colleagues are your friends and the private network is a virtual corridor radio and meeting room in one. Work also becomes a second home online. In contrast to the private Facebook experience, Facebook at Work makes the familiar functions usable in a professional context. Chat instead of emails, Facebook groups, a standardised knowledge base and transparency herald a new era in work culture. The tool makes it easier to keep colleagues up to date. What is being worked on? What is the status quo? Real project groups can organise themselves in Facebook groups, exchange documents and, most importantly, communicate. Location-independent work is possible.
The ad-free business version is intuitive to use, especially for those who also use the network privately. However, Facebook at Work is completely separate from the public version of the social network, so that internal company information remains internal. The private Facebook profile is not linked to Facebook at Work because a separate account based on the company email address is used for this purpose. As the tool is also available as an app, employees who do not work on a computer but in the warehouse, for example, are also included, where they can use Facebook at Work on their smartphones: An advantage over many conventional intranet variants.
Exciting functions for companies
In addition to groups in which people can work together productively, it is also possible to create events. This means that employees can be invited to meetings, workshops and training courses or organise them themselves. However, this does not mean that every event is public to all employees. The messaging function makes it easy to make arrangements. Even video chat is supported so that decisions can be made face to face. Facebook at Work also facilitates communication across national borders. Thanks to the search function, it's not just a genius who masters productive chaos: as in the private sphere, Facebook can achieve its very own dynamic through user engagement. It's always what you make of it.
Who is Facebook at Work suitable for?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but sometimes less is more. This does not refer to the number of employees in a company, but to the tools that a company uses. Is there already a solution that ideally covers several functions or are countless different programmes and tools being used, so that sooner or later every employee will lose track? Are some tools perhaps only used sporadically or are they used incorrectly? All of these are indications that there is too much. In these companies, it is not enough to simply introduce an all-rounder such as Facebook at Work; superfluous tools must also be banished from everyday working life. Like an oversized mountain of tasks, too many tools can have a paralysing effect. With a simplified working day, tasks are much easier to manage.
With its various functions, Facebook at Work is an exemplary approach to simplifying communication and project work in companies. It is to be expected that the high profile and popularity of the network will also lead to a significantly higher acceptance of Facebook as a tool in private use than with conventional intranets. Put an end to the endless number of tools! Facebook at Work - One for all: We give it a thumbs up.
Leave us feedback