Engaging employees in (at least partly) disengaged companies. Results of an interview survey within about 500 German corporations on the growing importance of digital engagement via internal social media

In an increasingly disengaged world, companies need to engage their employees, at the very least in order to boost employee loyalty and productivity. In line with the trend of digitalization, more and more companies are also establishing social tools in their internal communication. When such platforms are established internally in companies, they can, in a best case scenario, change employee engagement, knowledge management, leadership structure and ultimately even the business models of companies fundamentally. However, there is an important interdependence: the use of internal social media fosters stronger employee engagement, while a minimum of existing trust based employee engagement is necessary in order to successfully establish these tools. Therefore, "digital employee engagement" can only function as at least partly "blended employee engagement".