Facebook launched new iOS and Android apps called "Work" on Wednesday, along with a version accessible through its main website, which enables businesses to create their own employee social networks.

The employee social networks will look and act like Facebook itself, TechCrunch reports. Employers can create separate employee logins, or users can link their account with other social profiles to access everything in one location.

"We're putting the app into the app stores so that we can begin testing the product," Lars Rasmussen, the Facebook engineering director leading the project, told TechCrunch.

Facebook has already been testing the service with a small number of external businesses worldwide, according to Rasmussen.

How does it work? Rasmussen said when an employer adopts Facebook's Work, they can construct it with a set of new accounts.

"Users can then link their work and personal accounts together so that they are logged into both at the same time," he explained.

Facebook's product places the social network giant in rivalry with Microsoft's Yammer, Socialcast, Convo and a massive number of other companies attempting to make a mark in the "enterprise social network" space. Just on Tuesday LinkedIn announced it is looking to build a product for coworkers to share content and communicate, Re/code reports.

Facebook has been developing Work for the last 10 years through the company's own employees who use it to communicate, plan meetings and share documents.

"When Mark [Zuckerberg, the CEO] makes an announcement he just posts it on Facebook at Work," Rasmussen said.

The company has not decided how to price the app, how third-party apps will work, or whether it will fund the service through advertising. Until decisions are made, no apps or ads are on the Facebook at Work product.

Currently, the Facebook Work apps are usable by a limited pilot.

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