More and more employers are jumping on the social media bandwagon to savvily communicate with their employees, but are they risking a flat tire when they attempt to convey complex messaging about business strategy and benefits? 

Adam Wootton of Watson Wyatt doesn’t think so, provided employers intelligently consider what material they should be covering in this format and go about conveying messages and dialoguing with employees in a safe, controlled environment.

“If you’re communicating a change that is purely informational, you can use new media to get the message out in a way that people can easily understand,” says Wootton.

Example: employers using short, YouTube-style videos to share information and company changes. Blogs are also popular, as with one Watson Wyatt client that created a CEO Blog written by the company leader as he strove to live a healthier life. Thereby, they engaged and fostered a deep connection between leadership and line employees.

Best Buy increased enrollment in their 401(k) plan by staging a video contest among employees about the subject, a dramatic shift in communication as employees themselves conveyed a message the way they would like to receive it, all the while having fun.

Podcasts are good for employees with long commutes. Wikis (think Wikipedia) are also useful for translating benefits jargon. Employees, most likely in HR, that log into the company intranet can define confusing benefits vocabulary that others have queried.

“A lot of ideas of social media like user-generated content and support groups have been around for a long time. Many companies have had these programs; normally they were physical programs, now with social media we can make them virtual as well. The good thing is the employee doesn’t have to be at the meeting to benefit from it, they can come to the site anytime they like,” explains Wootton.

A scenario that’s very attractive to employers who have a wide geographical spread of employees.

According to a new survey from Watson Wyatt, almost two-thirds of companies plan to increase their use of social media in 2010. Of the 328 companies surveyed from across the globe, 78% have increased their electronic communication in the last 24 months, and 55% have increased face-to-face communication. However, nearly half (48%) have diminished their print communication over the past 24 months.

“Companies continue to explore using social media as the next communication frontier,” says Kathryn Yates, global leader of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. “Today’s workers are looking for authentic, timely messages that address how business changes affect them personally. Social media engages employees in real time and on a variety of topics.”

Nevertheless, many employers have yet to join the social media parade, citing common hurdles. Among employers who did not expand their use of social media, 36% report the lack of information technology support or inadequate technical capability. Forty percent indicate limited knowledge of the topic, and nearly half (45%) of companies mention the lack of staff of resources.

At the moment, the traditional communication channels remain the most popular mode of communication with 73% preferring to discuss changes to business performance via a staff meeting. Employers view financial education as best delivered through their intranet (43%). And employers still prefer communicating changes to pay and job security face-to-face (58% and 48% respectively).

“Social media definitely gives good advantages in some areas, but it won’t completely supplant the other technology techniques we use, but it can supplement [traditional communication modes],” Wootton says.

For example, employers will always need a long PDF posted on their intranet of their summary plan description, but the HR department can break down such a dense document using social media, such as with discussion forums. 

Further, the tone of the message is also something to consider, you wouldn’t tweet, for example, that "employee health insurance contributions are going up." These types of communications would need to be introduced in a number of ways, one of which could include a discussion board or another opportunity for them to give feedback and ask questions in a controlled environment. This means that all discussion would take place behind the company’s firewalls away from the very public internet (unless, of course, the company wished to promote the news to the public and potential applicants). Employees will talk no matter what, using online discussion forums gives leadership a place at the table to correct misconceptions. In practical terms, anonymity should not exist so that the rules of decorum are not lost.

Still, employee engagement is imperative and can be achieved more effectively, at times, with social media than traditional media, says Wootton. He urges employers to trust their employees and open up the ways they communicate business decisions and benefits.

“[With social media] we can tailor messages much more effectively, we can help link people who have common ideas and can help each other. The benefits on the social media side are huge,” concludes Wootton.