Landmark Group, the Middle East-based retail and hospitality conglomerate, has become the first company in the region to launch Facebook at Work to connect 10,000 employees across 11 countries.

The move aims to encourage collaboration and greater cohesiveness at the work place through helping employees communicate in real-time via the social media platform.

Facebook at Work allows Landmark employees to connect easily with each other across departments and geographies, both from their desktop computers and from mobile devices using best-in-class Android and iPhone apps.

Julien Codorniou, director of Facebook at Work, said: “Facebook at Work is a simple way for colleagues to communicate and share across time zones and global offices. We’re excited for Landmark to realize the benefits of Facebook at Work - with increased productivity and collaboration across 10,000 employees in 11 countries.”

Vipen Sethi, CEO of Landmark Group, said: “Landmark Group is pleased to select Facebook at Work to connect Landmarkers across the Middle East and India during work hours and beyond. Social media is certainly the way forward in the corporate environment of tomorrow. For a large and diverse company like ours, Facebook at Work is an ideal tool to encourage employees to collaborate with one another more efficiently and lead to faster and more decisive resolutions to daily operational challenges. We are confident this solution will significantly improve our cohesiveness as a company and enhance productivity.”

The decision to select Facebook at Work as the Group’s official internal collaboration platform and team communication and collaboration tool was influenced by several factors. An important consideration was that employees were already familiar with Facebook, and used the platform in their everyday lives. This meant that adopting the enterprise version would require little or no training.

Key features of Facebook at Work include Instant Messaging, Groups, News Feed, free HD video and audio calling, Search, Events and Polls – all of which can be used by Landmarkers to improve the quality and speed of their day-to-day interactions and team efforts with colleagues.

Employees’ personal and professional profiles on Facebook at Work are kept completely separate, with dedicated mobile apps for Work and Work Chat. The data shared on Facebook at Work is accessible only by eligible members of the Landmark community. HR management systems have also been integrated to ensure that the on-boarding of new joiners is a seamless process. –TradeArabia News Service