The SIIA is delighted to introduce the newest member to SIIA’s Software & Services Division, Emplo, a SaaS platform that helps companies create an engaging work environment by empowering autonomy, social collaboration and employee growth. I had a chance to sit down with Kasia Kowalska, Sr. Marketing Specialist at Emplo, to learn a little more about what makes them unique. Please find my interview below.

Rhianna: Tell us a little about Emplo and what makes you unique.

Kasia: We believe that with engaged employees any company can achieve above-average results; therefore, we’ve created a data-driven tool that delivers measurable improvement in employee engagement. emplo is a SaaS platform that helps businesses create an engaging work environment by empowering autonomy, social collaboration and employee growth. Thanks to emplo employer can drive efficient internal communication, introduce successful idea management, ensure process transparency and eliminate frustration from tedious tasks. We take the best from intranets, Enterprise Social Networks, HR Management Systems and Talent Management Systems – and that’s what makes us unique.

Rhianna: What would you say are the biggest internal communication mistakes?

Kasia: Many firms still try to get their employees involved by using traditional internal communication tools only (company meetings, wall newsletters, paper publications, e-mails, conventional static intranet). Even more companies concentrate their energy on maintaining one-way communication, despite the social revolution that for many years has been taking place in front of our eyes.

Such actions are doomed to fail since employees that today form the generation Y account for an increasing share of companies staff (and in many firms they are in the majority). Within the next ten years, the company’s digital natives who currently are specialists and young managers will become managers. We should start creating an open environment and implementing social networking tools that will attract and keep the best “Y-ers”.

You should also create a space for them where they can talk and share their ideas. Employees can come up with thousands of ideas and improvement suggestions for their employers. Those who have recognized the potential in listening to their employees can derive a real business advantage. Unfortunately, still very few companies are prepared to listen.

Rhianna: What are the key aspects to managing a dispersed team?

Kasia: We would point out three most important aspects of managing a dispersed team. The first one is a clearly defined mission, vision, and objectives. People working remotely should act in accordance with the company culture and values and effectively implement its strategy. Remote working implies a lack of supervisor who can monitor their actions, and the only point of reference will be the company’s mission and vision – every employee must know and understand them correctly.

The second one is communication. A business that takes place in real time, e-mails acquire the status of an unorganized archive and cease to serve as a communication tool. Writing an e-mail takes too long, there’s no guarantee that it will be successfully delivered to the recipient, and finally, the message may not reach all the interested employees.

A growing number of companies can recognize improved communication efficiency due to the implementation of internal social networking tools. Such tools not only allow you to “get back” the time which to date has been used for handling the mailbox, but also to facilitate real-time discussion (chat) and allow for an effective knowledge management within a project.

Last, but not the least, it is about monitoring. Freedom is key, but no ship would ever be able to call at a port if the captain did not control the course. A dispersed team manager should set up regular meetings with remote workers via teleconference or Google Hangout.

Rhianna: I recently read a blog post you had on workplaces of the future. What do you think workplaces will look like in 5 years?

Kasia: Future of work is closer than we think. In 2020 offices will be redundant – most employees will get paid for getting things done, not for sitting behind their desks from 9 AM till 7 PM. Results-focused work environment will be standard, and employees will be allowed to decide on their own when and how they work.

Thanks to corporate social networks available anytime and anywhere, employees will be able to work in dispersed teams, without seeing each other face to face. Thanks to ESN they will stay in real-time contact, share ideas, knowledge and their experiences.

Work environment will become more flexible, and many of its aspects will be changed according to employee’s will. We will have a say in what team to join and what projects they take part in. With the rise of internal crowdsourcing, employees will also co-create their company’s business environment.

Rhianna Collier is VP for the Software Division at SIIA. Follow the Software team on Twitter at @SIIASoftware.