Workplace is an online collaborative software tool developed by Meta Platforms. It facilitates online group work, instant messaging, video conferencing, and news sharing.
History
Workplace was first announced on January 14, 2015.[1] It launched in beta as Facebook at Work before officially launching in October 2016.[2][better source needed] In 2018, Safety Check for Workplace was launched. Free accounts were discontinued in February 2021.[citation needed]
While Workplace accounts are set up and run separately[3] from Facebook accounts, Workplace uses much of the underlying technology that powers Facebook.
Data Centers
Workplace data is stored across 12 Facebook-owned and operated data centers.[4]
AI
Workplace benefits from Facebook's AI research.[5][6] Workplace uses machine learning to sort the most relevant information in the news feed and make intelligent recommendations while 'downranking' less valuable information.[7]
Safety Check for Workplace
In October 2018, Workplace announced the launch[8] of Safety Check. Originally developed by Facebook engineers after the 2011 Japanese tsunami, Safety Check for Workplace allows organizations to identify employees who may be affected by a crisis and send and monitor responses. Safety Check has been used by Delta Air Lines (during Hurricane Florence and the Hokkaido earthquake).[citation needed]
Reception
Workplace has an aggregated rating of 4 stars from 1,379 reviews on G2,[9] and an aggregated rating of 4 stars from 103 reviews on Gartner PeerInsights.[10]
User's have praised Workplace a tool for internal communication[11] and collaboration, but critics have noted that it lacks some project management functionality.[12]
Customers and Features
Workplace is used by over 30,000 organizations. As of May 2021, there are 7 million paying users,[13] but the total number of users, both paid and unpaid, hasn't been disclosed.
