Enhancing Employee Advocacy and Engagement on social media: A Strategic Approach for the UK Post Office

Abstract

This report focuses on improving employee advocacy and engagement on social media channels within the UK Post Office. The objective is to amplify their reach and community impact by encouraging employees to actively promote the organization's services and social purpose. The report acknowledges the need to adapt to the digital age and leverage technology for enhanced efficiency and customer experiences. However, challenges such as employee resistance and trust issues need to be addressed through effective change management strategies. Moreover, the research also project aims to assess the effectiveness of the 30-day Social Club course and utilize behavioural change models like William's, Hook's, and Fogg's to overcome barriers and foster a supportive environment for change. Moreover, the report also discusses Kotter's change model which provides a structured approach to managing organizational change and can help the Post Office implement social media engagement effectively. The William Behavioral Change Model highlights barriers faced by employees, such as laziness, feeling overwhelmed, and anxiety, and offers strategies to overcome them. The Fogg Behavior Model emphasizes the factors of ability, triggers, and motivation in behavior change, guiding the Post Office in increasing employee engagement with social media advocacy. The report also mentions the Hook Model of Behavioral Design, which focuses on triggering actions, providing clear guidelines and resources, offering variable rewards, and encouraging investment to enhance engagement. These frameworks and models provide insights and strategies to address the challenges and achieve the objective of improving employee advocacy and engagement on social media within the Post Office. The research conducted for this report involved surveying 11 employees of the Post Office who participated in the 30-Day Social Club training course. The survey gathered data on the participants' perceptions of social media engagement and advocacy. Overall, participants viewed engaging with social media as having a positive impact and considered it valuable and important. They also felt a sense of autonomy in their engagement. However, there were perceived barriers, particularly in making time for social media contributions. The frequency of social media participation to promote the Post Office was relatively low, but participants showed a moderate likelihood of engaging in advocacy behaviors such as sharing posts and connecting with colleagues on social media. They also exhibited a positive attitude towards advocating for engagement on social media and recommending the Post Office as an employer. These findings provide insights into the current state of employee engagement and advocacy on social media within the Post Office. The research findings provide valuable insights for the Post Office regarding employee engagement and advocacy on social media. However, the small sample size employees limit the generalizability of the findings, but it offers an in-depth understanding of the participating employees' attitudes and behaviours. Recommendations include making social media advocacy convenient and simple, providing clear instructions and guidelines, alleviating employees' anxiety through education and a supportive environment, and using motivation, ability, and prompt strategies to drive behaviour change. These insights can help the Post Office improve employee engagement with social media and refine their training program accordingly.