Social Media in the Office
Social Media in the Office
We all know someone who is always on Facebook, you may even be someone who is always on Facebook, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, even if you’re at work! That’s right, this article is going to advocate using social media in the workplace, but don’t get too excited, we are going to list a few negatives in there as well. The trending world lives and breathes two words, Mobile and Social. If we can’t watch it, share it, or take a selfie with it, we get bored of it rather quickly. Social Media, noticeably Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have all evolved in the recent years from a friendly platform to keep in contact with friends, to a full blown business venture, to the point it could be argued that a company may live or die depending on their Social media presence.
So knowing how prominent social media is in the modern business world, the question comes up about how to better regulate and implement Social Media usage in the office. Of course employees can’t be taking selfies when there are customers waiting to talk to them, but what about between customers or duties. If an employee has no customers present or is not in the middle of an important project, should you tell them to put the phone away, or turn a blind eye? The best answer here is to do both.
Recent studies performed have shown that limited social media privileges can actually boost both productivity and morale in a work environment, but only to a limit. You know how a workday can affect the mind, working eight hours focusing on a single project, sometimes we need a distraction. A quick scroll through our friend’s Instagram photos is a easy way for our mind to catch a break. We can change our focus for a few moments and clear our mind so we can return to the job with new energy and perspective, but what if we take more than a few moments?
Studies also show that too much freedom with social media and smartphone usage can begin to deter a person from completing their job, and this is when it comes time for you as a business owner to step in, or have a manager do so for you. While this may mean a little more work on your end, there are more benefits to allowing social media into the office to consider that we will talk about.
Benefits of Social Media in the Office
- Productivity: We spoke earlier about how social media can increase productivity by giving us a small distraction, lifting morale as well.
Helpful Articles: Having a company Facebook account that your employees can see is a great way to share articles and news stories that are relevant to the job. - Reviews: Along with having a company Facebook for articles, social media accounts are also great ways for employees to have access to reviews and comments made by customers, presenting grounds to see how they can improve.
- Unify the Office: With Facebook, employees can be more connected to each other, creating a more familiar work environment, along with open new channels for communication between employees.
Of course, each company would have different standards and regulations for social media usage at work. A store or restaurant would have more limits on it’s usage than an office due to the amount of customer interaction, whereas someone working in an office environment with a PC would have more opportunities to take a quick media break, as long as they don’t abuse the privileges. While these things must be regularized, it is important to note there are some practices that should be avoided.
Things to Avoid
- Blocking Pages: If your company uses a wifi that your employees can use, don’t block pages that are popular such as social media sites or media entertainment sites such as YouTube or Vine. This can cause an employee to have a claustrophobic feeling with their job. (Blocking websites with explicit or adult content is however, perfectly fine).
- Taking Devices: Demanding an employee hands over their device can make an employee feel discontent, and make an manager or business owner look controlling or dominating, creating an unwelcoming feeling work environment.
If you are ready to open your company to the social media generation, it may be time to teach your managers a few new things to go with it, this is where a company such as Vision H.R. can help. Along with offering payroll and human resource management services, Vision H.R. also specializes in management training, including how to interact with employees well keeping current with new trends. Visit the Vision H.R. website for a free quote, and check their news page for more articles with helpful information and ideas for running your business.
