Here’s something you may not have known. Millennials make up 60% of LinkedIn’s users. In addition, about 20% of users are between 18 and 24.

Shocked? We’re not! It’s a social media network, after all. As young professionals continue to progress through their careers, there are many reasons they’d want to share what they’ve learned, their life updates and much more with the people they’ve met along the way.

Many businesses, however, assume one thing. If a staff member is using Linkedin – they’re looking for another job. As we head into a new year, we think it’s time that organisations rethought their aversion to their staff using Linkedin.

We’ve laid out a few reasons we believe it’s really useful to have your staff out there representing your brand on THE business social network, and how doing so can make your staff less likely to leave at all.

Promoting a healthy relationship with your company

It’s becoming more common for business owners to encourage their staff to actively use LinkedIn and communicate and connect with others from their industry.

And, let’s be honest, no one likes being told what they can’t do. If you’re a young individual who has just joined a new company, you’re going to want to shout about it. And if that company says you can’t, they’re instantly in the bad books.

Instead of seeing LinkedIn as a threat, it should be an opportunity to show your staff you want them to continue their growth, build a network and be proud of the work they’re doing within your company.

Allowing for freedom of expression and personality

If you’ve hired a young creative, they’re going to want to tell the world about the cool stuff they’re creating. Companies should be proud of this, and not worried about who sees it.

If you’ve hired a young tech professional and they’ve been integral in a new project, they should be allowed to tell their network and get a well-deserved pat on the pack.

Encouraging content creation for your staff is a great opportunity to showcase their work to a wider network of people, bound to deliver great feedback which will in turn create a happier workforce. And a happier workforce? They’re going to get even better and be more productive for your business.

Win-win? We thought so too.

Marketing your new projects on your behalf

Your latest project has just landed. You want as many people to see it as possible. With a company-wide push over social media, including from staff accounts, it’s going to have a lot higher reach than just being pumped out via email or a company Facebook page.

Again, it also allows your staff to take ownership of their successes and recognise the value they have in every project your company undertakes.

Gaining insight into the market and your competition

There’s no need to send out corporate spies, hiding behind newspapers in the park whilst another local company talks about their marketing plan for next year. Social media offers a positive insight into companies within your industry, what they’re doing and how your businesses may align or differ.

This, in turn, can offer insight into potential decisions your company could make, or maybe rather what your company may want to avoid.

Your staff are likely connected with a lot of similar aged, similar skillset people. Not only is this going to help them feel inspired and get a better understanding of their industry, but it’s also going to give you a better idea about your potential competition.

Next time you’re hiring, your staff may even be able to suggest a talented individual from their network that they’ve been following for a while.

Looking for your next superstar?

To stand the best chance of hiring the most desirable talent available – you’ll need a great plan. And an even better recruitment team. That’s where we come in.

We’ve been there, done it and got the t-shirt, leaving our clients happier than ever, saving money and reducing time to hire without any recruitment headaches.

If you think you’re ready to appeal to more candidates and become the employer you’ve aspired to be, our team are ready and waiting to make it happen. Talk to one of our friendly team now.