The age of banning social media at work may be coming to an end. Many companies are nixing the no-social media policy simply because it’s nearly impossible to enforce – especially with the amount of people who own a smartphone or smartwatch. Others, hoping to stay relevant while fostering success and communication, are encouraging it.
77% of employees said they would find a way to use social media at work even if their employer had policy in place against it. The struggle for companies isn’t banning the platforms all together, but embracing them and learning to wave them into the company culture.
One way particularly savvy companies are taming the social media beast is by using social media for team building. Instagram, the second most popular social media platform around, has been an extremely successful tool for brands looking to boost awareness and reach. Now companies are making the app work for them internally as well. By combining Instagram’s creative core with crucial team building activities, you can boost engagement and communication within your company.
How, exactly, do you team build with Instagram? It’s easy – just use the best aspects and features of the mobile sharing app to your advantage. Here are five ways you can use Instagram for team building!
Praise & Recognition
Praise and recognition are key to having happy and hardworking employees. Instagram is perfect for showing your employees that you appreciate what they do. You can make a separate Instagram account for internal posts and announcements or use the company’s public Instagram. Post weekly or bi-weekly photos recognizing an employee or team for their hard work. Recognition of this ilk not only shows your employees you appreciate them, but shows their co-workers, too.
Seeing co-workers’ achievements helps drive success and teamwork within the office. Be creative with your awards and get everyone involved. Have employees vote on a team or individual they believe should win the award.
Teamwork, Teamwork, Teamwork
Create an Instagram-based scavenger hunt for your employees. This unique twist on the traditional scavenger hunt (using photo-clues and hashtags instead of objects) is great for teamwork and relationship building. Group employees together and then post photo clues to the company Instagram. Teams can then post to their individual accounts once they’ve found a clue. A mini-Instagram scavenger hunt will get your team outside of the office and give them a break from their everyday routine. You’ll also be testing their critical thinking skills and boosting morale. What more can you ask for!
Get Them Laughing
Laughing is good for you, especially after a hard day on the job. Use popular hashtags on Instagram and get your team involved in posting and rating the funny posts. Post a Throwback Thursday photo with a theme to the company’s Instagram. Think – best childhood outfit or worst haircut. Ask your employees to post similar photos on their personal accounts. Rating or voting on each photo can be a fun and creative end to the week. This might not feel like team building, but the laughter that it creates will help keep your employees happy. Plus, they’ll get to know each other better.
A Day in the Life
Instagram takeovers can be cheeky and creative. They show a different perspective not only to your followers but your employees will feel like what they do is being valued. Do you have a group jetting off to an important conference? Is the sales team demoing a product in an interesting place? These are perfect instances to hand the Instagram account over to your employees. Let them post photos of their adventures and activities – whatever they think your audience will enjoy. This not only engages your followers in a unique way but allows your employees to show-off a little. Encouraging them to be proud of the work they do, makes all the difference. It will make them realize how important they are and that always feels good.
Boost Excitement
You can also use Instagram to boost other team building activities. Going on a renegade team building exercise to an amazing museum? Post away! The team building exercise is already encouraging employees to become a tight-knit group, why not let them show it? Giving your employees the chance to post to their personal accounts will boost company pride. Fostering company pride will help you retain awesome employees and drive success.
Summing it Up
Scrap that restrictive social media policy and you’ll find a cornucopia of ways to keep employees engaged and excited. From technical communication skills to building company culture, there are many ways to embrace Instagram for team building. Your employees are going to use social media platforms either way, so why not join them and help build a better team for your business!
