NEW COMMUNITY POST: McDonald’s Station M

Launch Date: March 2008

Corporate blogging has been a hot topic in the business world; but how many global corporations are actually using internal blogs as a way to foster connection and engagement among employees across all levels of its organization?

McDonald’s, one the worlds largest franchised corporations, has launched a private, internal blog and is encouraging all employees to participate.  As Brandweek reports, Station M was launched to encourage regular two-way interaction between McDonalds’s crews, managers and executives across the U.S. and Canada. Employees are able to post content and comment on a variety of topics ranging from products, promotions and operations to non-business related issues.

Ben Stringfellow, senior director of U.S. communications at McDonald’s says that Station M “provides [McDonald’s with] the opportunity to get information to the people who are interacting with [their] customers day to day…And [it] provides [them] with a channel back to hear what's on the minds of [their] crew people, what they're excited about and what questions they have. [McDonald’s] can use that information to better handle [their] future communications.”

Internal blogging is a great way for employees to feel connected, not just to one another, but also to top management and ultimately the brand itself.  It is a positive way for a company to build creditability among its employees by acknowledging and addresses what is happening at any given moment within the corporate community. Southwest is a good example of a company that is leveraging digital communications to improve internal as well as external connection with its stakeholders.

If Station M is successful,having satisfied, engaged employees could have a powerful external effect. Customers will certainly benefit from employees’ that feel a deep sense of connection to the brand and their coworkers. McDonald’s has also used this launch to reach out to traditional and online media with news the brand is evolving its corporate practices and staying on the cusp of digital communications.

Has your company set up a similar platform to encourage employee-to-employee communication?