Facebook's Workplace unveils new features to help business navigate COVID-19

Facebook has unveiled a series of new features on the Workplace from Facebook platform, in a bid to help organisations manage the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

The new tools focus on helping organisations share important information and support employee wellbeing. Workplace from Facebook says these areas were identified and prioritised after speaking with customers and listening to the industry.

"With many countries currently experiencing at least some form of lockdown, businesses are waist-deep in uncharted waters. Companies large and small have had to transform rapidly as they attempt to continue operating, while keeping their employees safe. Yet many organisations are encountering a host of new challenges," the organisation says.

Part of the new tools released include a Knowledge Library, a searchable and shareable space on Workplace to centralise company knowledge and documents including company policies, employee handbooks and benefit information.

Features including Draft for and Campaigns to help organisations easily share executive communications and track engagement to groups of posts – for example to help track sentiment towards overall COVID-19 response and ensure effective communication.
 
Features that help organisations better support and listen to employees:

• Safety Alerts: Expanding the power of Safety Check by allowing organisations to send standalone alerts updating on incidents to help keep employees safe
• Q-A Posts: A new type of post that enables everyone to add and vote up questions to ensure everyone has a voice and companies know what's important
• Features including a new Care Reaction and work from home themed Profile Frames to help employees express solidarity and support for their colleagues

"COVID-19 has drastically changed the way Australian businesses operate as they try to navigate through remote working journeys," says Vicky Skipp, head of growth Australia and New Zealand, Workplace from Facebook.

"Our customers are constantly looking for new ways to keep their workforce connected and to ensure their employees feel supported while working remotely," she says.

" Businesses can support their employees during the pandemic by ensuring remote work policies are easily accessible, regularly checking in on employee morale, or finding ways to help colleagues show solidarity while apart," says Skipp.

"The features we are launching today are aimed at helping workers connect with each other, receive the information they need and most importantly keeping them safe during this time of remote working.

Workplace from Facebook says it will continue to focus on these areas over the coming months, as well as invest heavily in enabling better team collaboration and video calling experiences. It will share more on its strategy over the coming weeks.