In the past, some companies would ask employees to stay off social media. Allowing them to use it on a daily basis now will ensure that they're social media savvy, without the need for training. It is possible that those who use social media with a discriminatory intent could be removed from the workforce, depriving them of income. When your employees are allowed to use social media at work, they are MUCH more likely to share your company's big news stories, blog posts, and other marketing materials with their networks. Employees may talk about. Boosts employee engagement. Just like that, your employees should feel happier and more appreciated to boot, with a much less restrictive social platform policy behind them. Research has shown that 82% of employees think that social. Explore recently answered questions from the same subject. Social media is a fastest way to reach your customer, business, friends and family. Your employees may be communicating with the outside world, but many of those people on the outside are consumers and possible clients. Reputational damage Employees may become so involved in chatting with friends on social media that they neglect to perform their daily tasks in an efficient manner. But, having done that, they need to take the next step, and educate employees on how to use social media most effectively. Building on data on the . When employees know that you trust them to manage their time effectively and aren't going to micromanage their work, you can build trust and commitment to the organization. Below is an explanation of when to allow social media, and when its use is not acceptable. The company I work for seems fairly lenient on social media as long as it isnt your focus the entire day. Have HR do it. I dare and I do. Are employees allowed to use social media at work? Missing something? Our social media company policy provides a framework for using social media. We asked employers and employees what their companys policy is about using social media during work hours, how they manage it, and why its important to them. Here's our other 50 favorite books: http://medialeaders.com/about/books/ Join our family safety social media program: https://SmartSocial.com Sign up for Mailchimp: http://eepurl.com/4duI1. Disloyalty, as you know, breeds attrition. Most studies indicate that internet usage hurts productivity in the workplace. But if they see a company deliberately squelching the employee voice and hiding behind the walls of security and information blocking, there will be a backlash. Increased reliance on social media can also lead to a sense of disconnection among employees, which could lead to employee theft or other disciplinary issues. All it takes is a message on Slack with a link to a tweet, Facebook or LinkedIn post asking them to like, share or otherwise get the word out, for your company's social media posts to get exponentially more traction organically than they otherwise would. Being able to talk directly to consumers might be fantastic for your profits, but paying employees to browse social media at work isnt exactly going to impress. - Use company-issued phones only for communicating with others at work and for sending out notices and updates about the company. Social media use adds very few positives to a work environment, but it can be used in a responsible way to communicate with coworkers and customers. You can refer to before allowing your employees to use it. In each of these scenarios, social media is a tool that is being used to facilitate a poor behavior. Worryingly though, around 20% of the links on any Facebook feed contain viruses. All rights reserved. Social media can help connect professionals with colleagues in the same industry. This amounted to lost time and productivity and tons of frustration among employees who couldn't do their jobs without permission. Today's consumers and society eat that up. The more time that passes without employees logging onto the dreaded bluebird, after all, the more you may forget what you hated about it in the first place. I would highly recommend allowing social networking in your company -- even if only experimentally. Available soon: Digital agency's social media & community optimizer. Reasons Why Employees Use Social Media. Let's find out more about Teens and Gambling - the Risks Involved. Developers are a very sharing group and post solutions to the problems they encounter on their blog. Yes, they can network with email, but not on as grand a scale. Banning social media use can help mitigate the risk of discrimination or harassment while providing an outlet for lost productivity. When employees' mental health is negatively affected by what they read on social media. As soon as a manager sees a problem arising from an employee's social media use, they need to address it and understand what the root cause of the issue is. 27% to connect with friends and family while at work. Social media can be addicting and time consuming. I am here, however, to suggest that there can be a backlash from that approach. View a sample policy here. Social media could be a great way to connect with employees and keep them informed about company happenings. One of the fastest means of communication today is social networking. Monitor the Developments of Social Media. You want your employees to network. Let's find out more about Technology and Its Impact On Productivity. Over 34 percent of people use social media during work hours to take a mental break. Whether you work within a retail or office setting, allowing mobile and computer access to the best business-specific employee engagement apps and networks comes complete with advantages like workplace recognition, improved inter-business connections, and even widespread morale. Excessive use of social media at work can lead to loss of productivity. Con to allowing social media use during work hours: Using social media during work hours will become a bad thing when employees spend the whole day using social media and dont have any work done by the end of the day. Many experts have conducted studies to learn more about the benefits that can be achieved by using social media during working hours, such as boosting the productivity of workers who take a. What is the Dark Web? Improves employee engagement No employee likes to feel that their employer doesnt trust them, and a total social ban does suggest a certain hesitation on your part. What are the effects of cyberbullying on children and adolescents? - Reduced risk of bias: Banning social media use can help reduce any potential bias that may exist among employees participating in online discussion. According to their research, here's why employees use social media in the workplace: 34% to take a mental break from their job. And when the employees actually enjoyed working for a company, they did their best work. To view or add a comment, sign in the CEO Has charged you with developing a social media policy that employees can reference when using social media in the workplace. How Can Parents Better Manage Their Teenager's Use of Technology and the Internet? If there is an emergency most people provide a company telephone and extension number where you can be reached right? The Process of Tracking Employees' Social Media Activity. While social media has been undeniably invaluable when it comes to specific modern business applications, most business owners still consider it a dirty word. Story by Ritika Puri. Dare I say "free advertising"? Moreover, using social media allows employees to stay updated and catch up on any new trends and opportunities that may come up online. Think before you post I've seen people say negative things about their job on social media during work hours, but that could also happen after work. 1. This, of course, is hard to manage from a policy perspective. I worked for a company that used a tool to block all social media and any other websites, content and information deemed to be non-work related. Social media at work reduces the stress as employees are kept well informed 24 7even about certain important developments at the home front. See how it affects performance and morale and then decide whether it's a perk worth keeping. However, what we learned pretty fast enough is that not everyone is going to have the self-discipline to spend some time away from social media to finish their tasks for the day. For most managers and executives, the bottom line will yank the rug out from under these reasons. Company policy should discourage its use. If you want to keep your employees informed of company policy, you should provide detailed guidelines for what is and is not allowed on social media during work hours. Technology and Its Impact On Productivity, The Benefits of A Bring Your Own Device (Byod) Policy In the Workplace, Mobile Technology and Its Impact On Business Operations. I believe it affects them and the company positively because I do not have to trouble myself with controlling my employees time. Here are nine considerations when deciding if you should monitor employees' social media: Create Comprehensive Policies. Employer has a responsibility to establish and communicate clear policies that prohibit employees from using personal social media (e.g. Low morale among the workers breeds contempt, and contempt breeds disloyalty. If you treat your employees like adults and trust them, there is no reason not to let them be on social media throughout the day, unless you see they are not getting work done. Keep track of employee's online activity. With around 70% of . I have done this countless times. Professional use of social media Social media use at work enhances employee's ability as they gain more knowledge and increase their work-related capabilities. Limit Distractions at Work . If an employer decides to grant social media breaks, Wrigley cautions them not to run afoul of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires them to pay workers . Morale and employee engagement Allowing your staff to use social media at work can boost morale and actually improve employee engagement for a number of reasons It shows that you trust them (boosting morale and happiness). The cons of allowing an employee to use social media is when an employee takes advantage of a company's leniency and then misses out on their work which leads to delay in the entire work process. Employees should be encouraged to be a part of social media activity. Like it or not, then, changing your policy could mean letting more than just social networking sites back into your business. Many of these apps even allow you to celebrate employees successes on a social timeline, making them feel valued. This often would backfire, because team members would want to connect with family and friends. Employers may choose to block social media access in order to limit this. Ultimately, if an employee gets everything done, who really cares if they spend 10 minutes browsing Instagram? Flame wars, whether propagated by the company or by its employees, never result in positive public opinion. The employer has a responsibility to establish and communicate clear expectations for how personal social media should be used. 1. Thats an impressive percentage, and one that any manager dealing with different departments will want to consider. Social media nlrb.gov Social media policy wikipedia.org I was way more productive working in this fashion as opposed to just sitting and grinding things out for a couple of hours at a time. Building on data on the blogging activity of 269 employees working for a Canadian health-care provider, the paper reveals a new problem: The extent to which employees engage in personal blogging with outsiders - individuals who do not work for the organization - is negatively related to intrinsic work motivation and to proactive behavior. If an employee is authorized to use social media as part of their job duties, be sure use meets your supervisor's expectations and is targeted to those duties. You need your finger on the pulse of society. The answer, as many times in life, is: it depends. . Do not allow employees to post content that could easily be viewed as obscene, threatening, intimidating, harassing or bullying. It. Many companies use Internet Usage policies describing what is allowed and not allowed while using the Internet at work. Studies are conflicted over whether using social media in the workplace detracts from productivity. When you create a circle of trust amongst your staff, you're indirectly boosting productivity. 98% will screen their LinkedIn profiles, 68% Facebook, and 26% Twitter. That does not mean you must cater to every whim and folly of your employees. Company policy should discourage its use. (like social media . including when an employee is not at work and not using government equipment; (2) reiterates the relevant attorney rules of professional conduct that apply to . But let's see if you can be swayed. On the other hand, employee complaints are not protected if they are not made in relation to group activity among other employees. As social media comes ever more to the fore though, managers are left with a difficult decision: should employees be allowed to use social media at work after all? Of course, if you have an employee who isn't completing their work due to social media use, you may need to sit down and have an honest conversation about what you've observed. Such a set of rules ensures that the demands of an employer are clear, and workers understand their limitations when it comes to the Internet and social media usage. Lost productivity Personal development Why? I value corporate social responsibility a lot and I try to engage my employees in all kinds of activities. - No posts during work hours unless specifically approved by a supervisor. Furthermore, even if you block social media platforms on your network, they can still use their smartphones to access the websites so there's no point in blocking them. However, since social media wasnt allowed at work, they didnt feel the need to bond too much and failed to acknowledge some of the initiatives we supported. How Can Technology Improve Communication In the Workplace? Answered over 90d ago. This debate is rife with what ifs and maybes, making it difficult to know whether a no-tolerance policy is best. However, there are some cons to using social media at work. Copyright 2022 River Software. :-) I agree with the article's points. Yes, employees are allowed to use personal social media at work. Before you delve into whether social media should be allowed in your workplace, its worth refreshing yourself on why you banned it in the first place. Yes, employees should be ethically allowed to use social media at work. Social media in the workplace: Research roundup journalistsresource.org I think this provides employees a way to distress during work. Q: 1.On 1 July 2021, OZ Ltd grants 20 share options to each of its 100 employees working in the sales department. Its a revolution in today's world even we are reading and commenting on this article because of Social Media. We've seen it from every level of business and government. Keep social media use in perspective. 3. Your reputation is everything in business. I trust my employees to sort themselves out after talking to them about how the usage of social media is affecting their work. Worker morale was horrible. A further study by the Pew Research Centre (2016) found that staff used social media during work hours for many purposes, the top four reasons being: to take a mental break from work (34%), to contact family and friends (27%), to develop their professional network (24%) and to help solve work problems (20%). It's important to have a social media policy that shows the balance needed to use social media throughout the work day. Here are seven reasons social media in the workplace can help employees. For instance, when searching for how to do something in Excel or Word, often the search results point to a page on Quora, Reddit, or Youtube, which is a great resource for up-to-date information. work, this tactic has been effective in getting new clients Another study conducted by Nucleus Research Can IT and publicising the organization. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. I think this discussion runs deeper than just social media. If you want to monitor an employee's online presence, you can use Google Analytics or other software to do so. What are some good things to do when your child falls asleep in screen time? Managing time spent on social media, or how addicting it can be for some employees, is the hardest part. Another benefit to employees' social media use at work is that they may post positive comments about their work experience, help promote the values of the organization, or share meaningful articles which can contribute to a strong employer brand and attract good online exposure for the company. Increased security risks Your company and its employees need to know how to use social networking effectively. What are parents' thoughts on how they manage their teenagers' digital technology use? Often, it can be tricky to distinguish personal opinions from those of the company. Sharing of professionalplacedon social media can result in wasted time, as well as lost profits due to the increased security risks and cyber threats. Let's hope this isn't the case. Secondly, it strengthens employee confidence and happiness which will likely increase employee engagement. The lost profits dont even bear thinking about. To help you decide, were going to break down the whys and what-fors of whether you could benefit from allowing employees to use social media at work. I think it becomes a bad thing when it causes an employee to forego their work, miss deadlines, lower their work-quality. Ensure that the policy contains details about the following: When they are allowed to use it (e.g. WhileBlock Sites may be the best decision initially, it may be overruled if there are any problems or occurrences that are not allowed on company-wide social media sites. Click to reveal A survey from 2012 revealed that widespread social media usage could result in up to 390 wasted working hours a year. The effects of blocking social media will trickle down to the public -- quickly. It is a digital and social media world we are living in with the use of social media, blogging, video tablets and smartphones only growing in popularity. Except where the nature of works requires the use of it to create potential leads for business development and marketing the brand, social media sites should be prohibited to enhance the work productivity not just for the company but for the employee's appraisal as well. For example, companies should specify that they want employees to avoid posting expressions of hate or intolerance on social media, he said. As a result, when using social media, Department employees should use caution and, as in everything they do, exhibit sound judgment and common sense. I like to use a productivity-boosting technique called the Pomodoro technique which is to take small 5-minute breaks after an hour of work. Related: What are the benefits of using mobile technology in service based businesses? Story by Ritika Puri . Resource Corporate social media wikipedia.org Social media policy wikipedia.org I say yes! In fact, you'll have instant access to the court of public opinion even as it evolves in front of you. The NLRB and Social Media nlrb.gov The moral of the story is: don't blame Facebook. But taking five minutes to cool off by looking at social media after receiving another nagging e-mail from Barb is not going to hurt. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Whether employees are moaning to their mates or posting pictures of their packed lunches, social networking sites can eat up untold amounts of work time, and leave your company struggling as a result. When used correctly, social media can: Boost employee engagement Give employees the opportunity for a mental break Build stronger team bonding and work relationships 1. As well as connecting members of different teams, integrations like these allow you to share company updates and more from one secure place. The work that I and some other employees performed required web searching for information on various other companies and employers for clients and sites were constantly being blocked necessitating a trip to the web site manager to get permission granted to look at the sites (for example: Burton Snowboards being blocked as a sports site when we were doing corporate research). - Posts should be descriptive, specific to the situation, and brief. My small company is pretty lax when it comes to using social media during work hours. However, I believe that with moderation, it can be a useful tool that will help us keep our energy throughout the day. Pros to an employee using social media during work hours: It may seem counterintuitive, but taking breaks throughout the day can make employees more productive. However, company policy should allow employees to use social media at work, but a cautious approach should be used to ensure its use does not overshadow the positive aspects of the workplace. Samantha (Hulkower) Paperin, Director of Marketing, KSW Solutions. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has criticized overly broad social media policies that prevent employees from exercising their collective bargaining rights, by, say, talking about wages or working conditions. Social media is like a black hole that sucks you in and spits you back out hours later, with no idea how your precious time just flew by in the blink of an eye. This includes but is not limited to during non-work hours. Instead of giving full access to the employees, which can be rather distractive, you can allow them to use social media at workplace with some restrictions and focus on employer branding and social collaboration. A poorly-worded update, or the use of social media when a client is waiting on a service, is guaranteed to harm your companys reputation in a significant way. When an employee uses social media websites while at work, the employer can face liability concerns because of the access to and use of social media while the person is working for another individual or an entity. By comparison, platforms created with employee recognition and relationships in mind provide open social spaces that everyone can access and enjoy without falling down the social pit youre afraid of. news of new product launches). Social media cons you cant ignore However, there are a few things to keep in mind when creating social media policies: Use of social media by employees at work can be a source of distraction and irritation. What they are not allowed to share (e.g . Abstract There is a dilemma for HR executives concerning social media policies: Should HR managers allow employees to use social media while at work? The action you just performed triggered the security solution. This includes any posts on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. And although you might not think so, this can quickly snowball into a PR nightmare, especially as more and more young employees -- who depend upon social networking -- join the workforce. Case Overview This case discusses the controversy over whether employees should be allowed to use Facebook at work. For more info on this, read the book Traction. And when the employees actually enjoyed working for a company, they did their best work. In fact, it's just about the most immediate form of communication you can find. However, I noticed a rather low enthusiasm for charity events and volunteering opportunities. This is another (free) way to expand your company's reach. What is the relationship between cyberbullying and mental health? Essentially, being able to check social media can make your employees happy (for a variety of reasons). In the end, of course, it's your business and your call. In fact, 82% of employees believe that social websites could improve working relationships. Like most things, there are pros and cons to this. Employees should use social media during work hours if it is directly connected to one or more of their duties. What are some methods you use to build a personal brand? Still, redefining what your ban entails is guaranteed to be useful for helping employees thrive in the modern market. Third is the use of social media where a company needs to set rights and responsibilities for the non-employees it invites to engage in its . Increased morale/engagement What company information they can share (e.g. And in this day of instant gratification and notification, finding yourself with a reputation going down the drain is little more than a disgruntled employee away. You can update your choices at any time in your settings. If your employees see a comment about the company, they should be directed to inform the social media manager at your organization immediately, instead of responding themselves. Corporate social media wikipedia.org Use of social media by employees can have negative effects on the work environment. Consider the 2013 incident when a photo of a young Taco Bell employee licking a stack of taco shells ended up on the company's Facebook page. It can also be a hazardous distraction for employees if they are using it to communicate with others who are not actually working for the company. Employees may be able to access social media when they are not working. Chris Brenchley, Co-Founder and CEO, Surehand. There are many individuals who are addicted to immediately seeing what notification they received on their phone while others find it too distracting and troublesome. Back in the '90s, people wanted to be hired by companies that were cool to work for. Nearly half of them said that they used social media to connect with friends and family, view photos and videos and even to search for a new job. Don't vent online When I approached some employees, they said social media is their primary source of community activities and also a medium for connecting with co-workers. Win-win! Allowing your employees to participate in social networking illustrates to your employees' social circle that you mean business when it comes to employee retention and happiness. 1. Use dedicated social platforms to increase employee engagement Upvote (1) Downvote Reply ( 0) Report On the downside, however, social media might also allow for distractions from work (such as time spent on comparative websites or imitating friends on social media). Active social networkers are those who spend more than 30 percent . Once each person knows what the annual goals, quarterly rocks and weekly tasks are, then you will be better able to allow them to have fun and Thrive Online. Use of social media for work purposes is often recommended by employers as a way to stay connected with their employees and keep them updated on company deals, news, and events. Good employees won't abuse it and may use it for your advantage! 98% of employees have social media for personal use. That's an average of nine working weeks, all because you allowed employees to use social media. 5 Pros of Social Media in the Workplace 1. No ones saying that you should entirely lift workplace bans on certain websites. Only 20 percent use social networks to get information that actually helps them at work. Social media has become an immense medium of contact. However, there are certain risks that need to be considered when using social media at work. Social media also acts as a way for the employee to grow their network and stay connected in the industrywhich could help the organization. In a traditional work environment, we're too attached to the idea of if you are paying someone hourly, you want them working, or at least pretending to work, for that full hour even if the employee is less productive working that way than working in their own fashion. Employees feel comfortable around you and are more likely to bring up new ideas that can boost your business. 2. It's no wonder then that many CEOs are taking note of the . Employers should limit the time and energy they spend on stopping employees from using social media in the workplace. People who are adept at using social media well will ensure that they use strong privacy settings which will not allow companies to dig the information out, other possibilities are that the employer can create a fake account to mislead the companies for the information. Cons to an employee using social media during work hours: When employees excessively use social media during work hours (time theft). What is the dark web and why is it so important? However, the conflicting views can be resolved if we focus on the individuals with whom an employee interacts through social media. Smart Social - Teaching Students How To Shine Online. Be consistent. At some point, your employees may have to use social networking to market and sell your product. Draconian measures to prevent private use of social media in the workplace may have a positive short-term effect on productivity, but they will harm employee retention in the long run. Twitter, too, can lead to business connections and followings that could provide development employees would struggle to harness elsewhere. When I was self employed, I was the most productive I'd ever been, but I would work in 30 minute blocks of time and then take a walk, watch a video, or play a game on my phone. It will make them feel valued (it's like a little perk of the job). All Rights Reserved. Do not include information that could be harmful or disruptive to others working in the office. Potential of a Virus - There's still a technological problem to think about. Bear in mind that, to ensure success with free usage in this area, you will want to consider the different employee engagement options available and the benefits each stands to bring.
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