As you know, there are many social networks and that means that each person has several accounts in different ones. But then there is others that are more unknown, as is the case of Workplace. What is it? What is this social network for?
If you have never heard of it but would like to know what it is and how you can use it (if it is what you are looking for), here you will have all the information you need to know.
Workplace: What is it?
The first thing you should know about Workplace is that it is from Facebook. Yes, believe it or not, because it is not a network that has advertised much, the truth is that it belongs to Facebook, or as it is now known, Meta.
This service is totally independent from Facebook and it has been working for a few years. At first it was not called Workplace but Facebook at Work. It kept that name for about a year as tests were carried out at that time to see how well it worked.
Actually, we could say that is a professional social network, in the style of Linkedin, but created by Mark Zuckerberg. Its objective is that company employees can contact and that they always do it through their mobile.
However, we already told you that the main countries that use it are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India and Norway. In Spain it has gone more unnoticed and hardly anyone knows it.
What is Workplace for?
The main use of Workplace is none other than serve as communication between bosses and co-workers, but also creating working groups. In this way, it becomes a tool for day-to-day work.
Being totally independent from Facebook, you do not have to link both accounts, keeping the private and personal part separate from the work part. That does not mean that there is no wall, chat, possibility of live broadcasts, groups...
Beyond the labor issue, it will not be used for anything else. But it can be a meeting place for workers and bosses to get to know each other and to communicate.
Some of the companies that do use it, known in Spain, are Booking, Danone, Save the Children or Oxfam.
Advantages of using Workplace
After what we have seen of Workplace, it is possible that you have in mind some of the advantages that it offers you. We summarize the most important ones we have seen:
- Improve business productivity. Because you provide an internal communication tool that can help keep workers informed of all important issues. Of course, the internal ones (between bosses) too, but always in a more private way (using chats or groups).
- Separation with personal Facebook. This allows workers and bosses to have more privacy in their personal lives and not mix it with work.
- Possibility to create groups to communicate certain information not only to all people, but to some of them.
Workplace's biggest drawback
Despite all the benefits that Workplace has for both companies and employees, there is one negative that may be the reason why it has gone more unnoticed.
And is that This social network "is paid". Depending on the number of employees you have, you have to pay money for each employee you have. The rates are established as follows:
- Companies with up to 1000 employees, $3 for each employee.
- Businesses between 1001 and 10000, $2 per user.
- Those that exceed 10001 workers, one dollar per user.
This makes free applications can beat the idea of Facebook.
6 Workplace Highlights
Before I let you take the deciding whether or not to use Workplace for your business, you should know six details that can help you understand it much better.
It has a very powerful search engine
To the point that you will be able search for names, phrases, groups, etc. It is like the Facebook search engine but it is a little better prepared to find work aspects such as important phrases or publications.
Possibility to create events
Such as Christmas meals, or meetings with clients. In this way, it will be possible to invite the people who must attend the appointment in which they will be informed of the place and time in which they have to be, and thus avoid that there may be other events that overlap and make the company not work well.
News feed prioritization
One of the problems with the Facebook news feed is that it does what it wants. But in this case it would not be so since you just have to prioritize what the news is (from groups, colleagues, tasks, etc.) that you want to come out in the first place and thus know what you should dedicate yourself to first.
an exclusive chat
Called Workchat, that will allow you to create groups of users that will receive the messages you send, as well as share documents or even start video calls to have meetings with all the members of that group.
Creation of groups
These can be created just like on Facebook or through chats, as you saw a moment ago.
They will serve not only to start a conversation in which everyone is aware, but also to order information, documents, etc. and receive feedback from the team.
A Workplace different from Facebook
If you are already thinking that it is going to be a Facebook with your co-workers, think again. It is true that follows the same line as Facebook, but the truth is that you have some differences. On the one hand, to enter Workplace you will have to do it with a link that arrives in your email.
That means that you don't have to have a Facebook account but you will do it through another application. There, just for that you will already have an email of yours finished in .facebook.com.
In addition, you won't have to send friend request, more than anything because it is not available. You will only be able to “follow” companions. But no "friends." That does not mean that you cannot talk privately with that person, that you can through the chats.
Is it now clearer to you what Workplace is?