And finally…RBS likes Facebook

Facebook At Work, a business version of Facebook will be available to the still 73 per cent state-owned lender’s 100,000 employees.

The Edinburgh-based bank says the new service will be available to back office workers to branch employees to help its people to collaborate with each other faster and more efficiently.

As well using it on their desktop computers, staff will also be to download it on to their phones and tablets to help them keep track of work when on the move.

RBS is the first bank in the world to partner with Facebook on Facebook At Work which the California-based company said will look and feel similar to the Facebook that people use every day, with employees able to use all the same features, allowing them to post photos, create groups and events, update their work profiles, and send private messages to colleagues.

RBS said it has already piloted Facebook At Work with some employees and quickly found that people were able to work much more efficiently together, answer customer questions faster, update other colleagues on their work in a much more engaging way and source a far wider range of ideas for on-going work projects. Given how many people already use Facebook in their every day lives, it was picked up quickly by those on the pilot, with minimal training needed.

Facebook At Work will be completely separate from people’s personal Facebook accounts, meaning information shared between RBS employees is only accessible to other colleagues within the bank. Information shared on the site will be safe, secure and confidential.

RBS began the pilot of Facebook At Work in July this year and it will be rolled out to 30,000 employees by end of March and by the end of 2016, it’s 100,000 employees will be using it as a tool to help with their every day job.

Simon McNamara, RBS’s chief administrative officer said: “I’ve already been using Facebook At Work while we test it and it’s been so useful – allowing me to exchange information and ideas quickly and securely with all my team on a wide range of projects. I’m excited about how bringing people together from all across the bank through Facebook At Work can help our employees do their job better – whether it’s being able to find answers to customer queries much faster or helping us come up with bright new ideas.”

Sean Ryan, VP of Platform Partnerships from Facebook said: “Facebook is a simple way for people to connect, share ideas and organise events. We hope Facebook At Work will help RBS, which employs 100,000 people, bring staff closer together and allow them to collaborate on projects much more effectively.”