There's no doubt employee welfare and engagement is inextricably linked to the HR function. However, the outcome of poor engagement is something the whole business should be concerned about. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. Untapped resource: we all know that marketing budgets are the first hit at the sign of any downturn. With the economy in the UK still acting somewhat sloth-like, there's a huge free social selling resource if employees are engaged. Your people will already be online, it's therefore a small step to encouraging them to speak about their brand experiences;

2. Power to the people: ok, so employee comms is often a part of the HR directorate but, regardless of their reporting line, their job becomes a whole lot more difficult if people are disgruntled. In the digital age, their role is morphing from broadcaster to curator and, as well as having a responsibility to address the real issues, their credibility and effectiveness will be considerably improved by harnessing both the internal and external dialogue;

3. With GDPR now breathing down everyone's neck, your sales team might be more than a little concerned about the potential for their customer database to shrink under the consent element of the legislation. Social selling is an obvious way around this, with social media acting as the conduit to continue being 'font-of-mind'. It's well documented that employees' posts have a wider reach and are considered more likely to be genuine. But only if they are positive and from engaged, happy employees.