Business Week reports that San Mateo-based Serena software has launched Facebook Fridays at their company. From today forward, Serena employees will spend an hour of company time each Friday updating their profiles, reaching out to potential new hires and sharing marketing videos and ideas in a special, employees-only Facebook group.
Obviously, this won’t replace the corporate intranet for document sharing or workflow management — at least not yet. But the basic idea of giving employees the opportunity to have fun, play with social media and connect with the outside world as both a treat and a way to expand Serena’s online footprint is a wonderful idea.
Writes Heather Green of BW:
Some older staffers considered the idea frivolous when it was first proposed. But once they start using it, they begin to see why the company is making the switch he says. And he thinks that by using social networking seriously, he says, “we believe we can get people to communicate and collaborate more.”
Building online community can mean building internal community, too. Just seeing someone’s interests, photos and ideas laid out in a profile format can sometimes spark new connections and new ideas between existing employees. Maybe Bob and Ana Maria have had a friendly working relationship for five years, but they don’t know that they share an interest in white water rafting.
During a rafting trip the following weekend, they brainstorm a great idea that adds value to the team and improves the quality of their work life.
Kudos to Serena for having the guts and vision to try something new.
Many thanks to Jeremy Pepper for the heads up!
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