Social Media and Productivity

966 words | 4 page(s)

Social media has become a dominant presence in everyday life, including in the workplace. While some employers see social media as a hurdle to productivity, social media can be a valuable tool. Employers need to learn to manage and encourage employee productivity without taking drastic measures like banning social media access in the workplace. With appropriate measures instituted, employers can benefit from social media use and maintain or increase employee morale.

Social media is becoming a strong influence in people’s careers. According to a recent study, 39% of employers check a job candidate’s social media sites before making an offer and 43% of employers said they turned down a social media candidate based on what was found during a social media page review (Weber, 2014). Recent news have also been flooded with stories about employees being fired over their social media activity, from posting inappropriate tweets to capturing embarrassing photos on Instagram (Weber, 2014).
Social media can also negatively impact a company through the sharing of company confidential news or tactics. Many cases have been cited of employees tweeting a new product before its official announcement, wrecking public relations and marketing campaigns. Trade secrets have also been shared by employees to their friends and family, eventually making their way to competitors (Munene and Nyaribo, 2013).

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Beyond reputational issues, social media’s effect on productivity is also a concern for employers. Online social networking is assumed to cause distractions from work, lessening employee output. From messaging friends on Facebook to tweeting observations on Twitter, there are many outlets for procrastination and time wasting available on social media sites. These can be extremely detrimental to a business’ bottom line as employee productivity declines (Plessis, 2012).

Internet and social misuse can have serious impact on company profits. Social media if used unwisely can become a huge timewaster for employees, causing project delays and deadlines to be missed. Even occasional check-ins for some employees can results in losing track of time, causing missed hours or work that were instead wasted on Facebook or other sites. This is why over 40% of employers in the United States now block social media sites at work (Weber, 2014).

However, millennials demand social media access as part of their work. Used to being constantly connected, millennials expect to be connected as work as well. Limiting social media access can cause a company to lose out on huge section of the talent pool for available jobs. By instituting social media policies, employers can attract different applicant pools while maintaining their reputation and productivity (Plessis, 2012).

Studies by Plessis (2012) and Munene and Nyaribo (2013) have shown the employees use social media during the work day for both social interaction and work collaboration. Social media can have positive impact in the workplace, allowing employees to gain marketplace insights, learn new trends and skills, and increase collaboration between coworkers and vendors.

In these cases, social media can vastly increase productivity, improving creativity and working partnerships to work more efficiently. There are also other legitimate business needs for social media use, such as interacting with customers, attracting new clients, or displaying company expertise and success. Such use can be an effective marketing tool when used appropriately. (Munene and Nyaribo, 2013).

Certain tactics can be instituted to allow social media in the workplace while also maintaining or increasing productivity and minimizing reputational risk to the company. Social media guidelines should be included in the employee handbook or code of conduct. This should outline what is and is not acceptable, such as disallowing posting about company information or personnel, setting restrictions on the time each day on social media sites, and what kind of posts are unacceptable even when done from home (Pozin, 2014).

Setting up training sessions can also be helpful for both employees and employers. By teaching employees about privacy settings, where to go for the newest information, and useful ways to use social media for industry presence, employees can use social media more effectively for the benefit of the business. This can result in more innovative and creative thinking that drives new results (Pozin, 2014).

Allowing short breaks to use social media sites for personal use can also be a useful tool for refreshment and rest. If an employee is spending the majority of their time on Facebook throughout the day, that is clearly an issue. However, allowing employees to take ten minute breaks periodically to check in on friends or follow the news on Twitter can give them a much-needed break from their work, giving them a fresh perspective and renewed motivation to do their work after their break (Pozin, 2014).

Finally, setting up social media groups specific to the company can be a great tool to increase collaboration and engagement between departments and locations. Setting up private Facebook or Yammer groups can be a useful way to share best practices and key learnings. They can also be used to work on documents from various locations, streamlining communications and time schedules. By opening up these sites to employees, social media becomes a powerful tool for employee output (Pozin, 2014).

Outright bans and restrictions on social media limits a company’s visibility in the marketplace and limits its ability to grow and market itself as a business leader. Such restrictions deprive the business of the benefits of responsible social media use. With careful measures put in place, social media can be an effective tool that improves productivity and profitability while minimizing the risk to the business.

    References
  • Munene, A., and Nyaribo, Y. (2013). Effects of social media use in the workplace on employee productivity. International Journal of Advancements in Management and Economics, 2 (2). 141-150.
  • Plessis, T. (2012). Effect of social media networking on employee productivity. Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, 11 (1). 1-16.
  • Pozin, I. (2014). Productivity vs. distraction: Should you block social media at work? The Next Web. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2014/07/12/productivity-vs-distraction-block-social-media-work/

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