What You Need to Know About Workplace by Facebook
On Oct. 10, Facebook launched Workplace, an enterprise messaging and social networking solution. 
Formally known as Facebook at Work, Workplace is based on Facebook’s internal version of the platform. Workplace profiles will be separate from users’ personal Facebook accounts, and their network will be comprised solely of colleagues.
Workplace by Facebook has many of the familiar features of Facebook—news feeds with trending topics, groups and Messenger, for example—in addition to unique capabilities such as an analytics dashboard and Multi-Company Groups, which allows employees at different organizations to collaborate.
Why should employers care about this product launch? Here’s why.
A New Paradigm
Workplace (along with software like Slack and Microsoft’s Yammer) represents the push toward breaking down the division between our personal and professional spaces.
At first, this seems counterproductive to employee happiness and retention—after all, a common demand from today’s workforce is the desire for work-life balance. But consider the proliferation of 24/7 connectivity and how flexible workspaces are. Rather than work-life balance, we are shifting to work-life fluidity.
Employers traditionally have been hesitant to encourage employees build friendships with their coworkers, fearing it will be distracting. But in reality this actually damages the workplace. According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace, close work friendships improve employee engagement, which, in turn, improves retention.
Not only that, Workplace allows organizations to consolidate data-sharing and knowledge transfer into one hub. Workplace decreases the need for group correspondence via email, which can be cumbersome and inefficient.
Apps like Workplace promote collaboration, encourage communication and support relationship-building—three crucial aspects of a happy and productive workforce. While the public-facing version of the platform is still in its infancy, it has strong potential. If you’re interested in learning more about the software, check out their site.
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