Office Buzz: Social Media in the Workplace

 The use of social media in the workplace has become very popular, I've seen it everywhere, but there's one job I'll never forget, which I'll love to talk about today. 

I worked at a special kindergarten. It wasn't just for little kids. It was for kids fromm very low-income families who never got to go to school before. Some were as young as three, and some were early teens. We taught them everything. From colors, shapes, numbers, letters, to things like washing hands, talking nicely, and being polite etc.

It was amazing. Every day, I saw kids learn and do things they never knew or did before. This made them so happy, heir eyes so bright. They loved learning. It made we the teachers so happy and fulfilled too. 

To enable the seamless day to day running of this organization, it was very important that we had a proper means of communication, whether officially or casual communication. Here are a few digital apps we used often and how that were used.  

WhatsApp – For casual communication, we used WhatsApp a lot. We were allowed to communicate with each other individually and directly, while we also had a WhatsApp group in which all members of the team were present. This was used to pass on simple information and daily updates. 

Emails - More officially, we used emails for sharing documents and returning daily reports. This was necessary as the president of the organization traveled a lot and we often needed to send out official documents for approvals and signing. 

Teams – Teams was a very necessary tool for our monthly meetings. 

Facebook and Instagram - These were very useful tools for us, as we used them to create awareness of the great work we were doing within the community and put out information about upcoming events and activities.  

Social Media Rules? 

We didn’t need many strict rules, as every staff member had previously undergone training. We just had to be nice and show good things about the kids, of course with the consent of their parents, and had to be careful not to share private things and to maintain a professional image for the organization. 

Risks? 

We had to be extra careful about what we posted online, ensuring that we protect the children's privacy. We also had to be aware of the risk of wrong or false information spreading in the community. 

How Did Social Media Change Our Communication? 

It helped us communicate easily and faster and share important information and documents easily and safely, especially with the president being away many times.  It also helped us show people what we were doing and get support. It made our work more efficient. 

How Did Social Media Influence Our Culture? 

Social media helped us build and maintain a positive team spirit and connect with one another. It also helped us maintain a public presence and show the world the important work we were doing. 

 

Eight years later, that little kindergarten has helped hundreds of children. Many of these children have learned the basics and have moved into regular schools, and more children have joined too. It's amazing to see how fast they learn and grown. Watching them learn was the best thing ever. It was like seeing their lives change right before our eyes. And thanks to social media, it helped our team connect, communicate and showcase our good work to the world.