Stupid Flash-based web interface or not, the Australian Financial Review produces some interesting material in the IT space. With the industry and market focus of its writing, there’s often a slant on it that doesn’t appear in the other IT media. Today’s AFR is no different. In fact, if you work in social media, I’m suggesting now that you should get yourself to the nearest newsagent and grab a copy. There are two stories of particular note that I think you should be reading - one to reassure yourself that the iPhone is a viable business tool, and the other to fling onto the desk of your manager, HR department and IT security folks as you say, “See! Social media tools are good for business!”
Let’s start with the iPhone story on page 32, entitled iPhone interface a marvel of intuition. Written by Peter Moon, a partner of Logie-Smith Lanyon lawyers, it’s a serious business person’s look at the innovation and usability of the iPhone interface. Touching on several factors - touchscreen, physical buttons, usability, intuitiveness - Peter draws the conclusion that the iPhone is so intuitive that it has reset the bounds of what a mobile phone is. He goes so far as to say:
… the iPhone is sure to have far-reaching effects on the direction of computing generally.
As a happy iPhone user, I have to agree. When you can hand a device to your 61-year-old mother and your 10-year-old daughter and have them both figure out how to use a device within 10 minutes without instruction, you’re onto something.
Now, on to the more interesting article on page 33 entitled St George banks on happy surfers. Apparently, St George Bank (who I bank with, coincidentally) have decided to open social media access to staff. The article opens with the following statement:
Companies that adopt hardline measures to prevent employees from wasting time by banning new media services including Facebook and instant messaging are likely to see any short-term productivity gains wiped out by the spiralling cost of staff turnover in a tight labour market.
The article goes on to detail the progressive and well-considered measures St George are taking, including the introduction of company wide IM, use of social media sites as attraction platforms for new, motivated staff.
Finally! An Australian company not working in the technology or consulting space that gets it. Give people access to the tools and technology that both helps their professional and personal lives and accompany it with (what I can only assume is) an appropriate and well-managed acceptable use policy and you can make inroads into significant business issues such as attraction and retention - particularly of Gen-Y (and like-minded) workers, morale, knowledge distribution and sharing, professional connection and the like.
I’ll certainly be making multiple copies of this article and distributing it around the desks of management at my client sites.
Amen to that.
Who wants to show up to work and find a Commodore 64 on their desk?
You would think that organizations would recognize that, in order to attract & retain engaged staff, they need to ensure their working environments are more in synch with employees personal/professional networking needs…
> Who wants to show up to work and find a Commodore 64 on their desk?
I do!