Memes have been part of the internet for a long time now. They are, at base, the most basic expression of an idea and so, often overlooked since they do not communicate a whole lot. But as Einstein said, “Simplicity is the essence of genius.” And so, memes hold a lot of sway if you can use them right.
Now, you may not think that memes have a lot to do with the world today and in fact, would only be distractions in the office. However, the fact of the matter is that studies have shown that low-stakes cultural material like memes has a lot to offer to all kinds of social spaces including business.
At LEAD, we have our own way with memes and often use them to engage in creative ideation and casual banter. We also think it’s great that Microsoft Teams recently added a feature to include memes on their channels. So, if you are new to memes and want to know how to use them, check out how you can do that below:
5 Ways Memes Enhance Employee Engagement
Memes are Free Social Equity
According to Richard Dawkins, a meme, much like a gene, is the smallest quantum of an idea. That is to say, it is a snapshot image of what a culture thinks about a particular idea. As such, it is a chance to create social value that anyone and everyone can afford. In fact, memes are mostly created by entry to mid-level workers to express some kind of frustration or expose work-related idiosyncrasy. Managers stand to learn a lot about how their employees are feeling in their workplace by looking at the memes they are sharing. They also have the option of engaging with their employees at the level of the meme which is a very good way to build trust.
Further, memes are a great way to develop organizational or team culture. Every team can have their own way of expressing themselves and creating their cultural dialogue. The existence of an active meme culture is also a sign that employees want to invest in the company. This acts as social equity and gives them the power to interact on their own terms. This suspension of office norms is a great way to bring out what is underlying the cultural fabric of a team. And when you have a new hire onboarding, they can be upbeat with the team quickly by getting into the meme culture.
Memes Enable Wit and Sarcasm
According to scientists, sarcasm is the highest form of intelligent humor and it enables the development of more intelligence. And memes do this better than anyone else. You wouldn’t think of making sarcastic comments against a supervisor or a colleague. Even a 1 on 1 or a virtual coffee chat is not the place for making snide remarks, even if only to play with them. However, with memes, you can create a cultural benchmark where it is okay to poke fun at others without offending them and inciting action against you.
Witty comments and remarks are also a strong indicator of the adaptability of any team. If there are a lot of witty comments and team-building in, say watercooler sessions, then your employee engagement activities are working. This is a strong way to develop independent work cultures and is in high demand in hybrid environments. Since team members can motivate each other and themselves engaged, the manager should promote their interactions and join in if possible.
TL;DR? Check the video below for quick tips on how to use memes for employee engagement!
Memes Encourage Creative Expression
One of the best things about memes is that they are free-form content. That is to say, you have a single canvas, maybe an audio file or a video with audio and you need to make something of that. So, the format varies from idea to idea but the fundamental quality remains the same – they are mostly funny expressions of creative intent. Now, we understand that humor is not just for levity and fun. It also serves as a biological deterrent for stress and enables social cohesion. This is why creative expression through memes is a very good idea for managers to encourage.
Another benefit creative expression provides is conflict resolution. Often, using humor and memes, in particular, enables people to resolve conflicts that would otherwise lead to difficult conversations. They also enable mediation which may otherwise not be possible. Creating this kind of an environment where meme culture impacts work culture is a very effective employee engagement tactic. Studies show that most employees only work 5 to 6 hours in their 8-hour workday, Since it leverages only a bit of time, giving time to this kind of cohesion-building activity.
Memes are Highly Engaging
Making good on employee engagement programs is one of the biggest challenges managers face today. Many of these programs do not work since they are artificial and contrived and fail to appeal to employees. Instead, people management experts now recommend using simple solutions like virtual coffee chat apps and watercooler sessions to build team rapport. Part of this is the meme culture that can crop up organically. Since most of us are on the internet and exposed to memes, sharing one on a Slack or team channel takes about a few seconds. This follows up with a few minutes of engagement and then everyone is off to work.
Generally speaking, this is the ideal kind of micro engagement all managers should be looking at. Studies tell us that employees working remotely feel better if they connect with in-office team members at least once per remote work day. Memes are the ideal way to do that and keep the work ball rolling as well. At LEAD, we have our dedicated channel for random stuff including memes called #random. It opens up creative opportunities for communication and collaboration and have led to creative ideas coming up every now and then.
Memes are CX Material Too
A lot of companies like McKinsey have recently spoken about how employee engagement and experience translate into customer experience and satisfaction. You will find many companies that succeed in developing strong client bases do so because their work culture directly resonates with that which their clients expect. Since this translation connects people organically using memes to do that is also a wonderfully innovative way. This is not just applicable to hybrid teams in corporate businesses though. You may also find memes printed and used as marketing material at supermarkets.
Similarly, companies can use memes to create a work culture and can use their internal discussions and humor to communicate externally. This leads to genuine interactions and honest reviews that are a shining example of good customer service and authentic UGC content. This is a great way for CX value generation and employee satisfaction to work together. And it also helps create great organic content for marketing and advertising campaigns.
Should You Opt-in for Memeing at the Workplace?
Employee engagement via memes is one of the smartest and most innovative ways of using contemporary culture for growth. There are very few ways to make good on all the factors mentioned above in one place as memes can. You can also opt for a virtual coffee chat app like LEAD.bot to help you make the most of meme channels by combining them with water cooler sessions and participant profiling. Check it out here and get memeing!
