Serena Software Adopts Facebook as Corporate Intranet

Serena Software is breaking out of the corporate mould by announcing today that its 800 employees around the globe will participate each week in a company-wide program called “Facebook Fridays,” which encourages employees to find fun and personal connections in the workplace.

Each Friday, employees are granted one hour of personal time to spend on their Facebook profiles and connect with co-workers, customers, family and friends.

This initiative will start on Friday November 2nd and will be rolled out in 18 countries where the company has offices.

As Web 2.0 technologies such as instant messaging (IM), wikis, and texting make communication faster and more efficient, the “human” element of communication can feel increasingly removed. How can people bring that sense of personal interaction and community back into the workplace? Surprisingly, through one of the hottest technologies around — Facebook, a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them.

Fanatic for Facebook

Serena President and CEO Jeremy Burton is an avid user of Facebook, using it to keep in touch with employees, friends, and business partners from wherever he is in the world — in Japan visiting customers or racing cars at Laguna Seca.

He wants to bring the benefits he gains from using Facebook to his company, and allow employees to have more fun combining their personal and professional lives.