Social Media Usage in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

?Social Media Usage in the Workplace Introduction Technological advancement realized in the past few decades has brought many new things. Social media are one of the new developments of the 21st century brought about by the technological advancement and the introduction of the internet. Many people today use social media to connect to friends and families from different parts of the world (Abate et al. 2011, p. 6). In fact, the introduction of the social media has made communication easier than ever before. It is certain that social media is impacting on almost every aspect of human life today; workplace not an exception. Research indicates that many employees spend a significant part of the day at the workplace on social media, both for professional and personal benefit. However, research indicates that many companies in the modern world have not embraced the use of social media at workplace. A study showed that less than 43% of companies have an open policy for social networking at the workplace (Abate et al. 2011, p. 6). Nevertheless, of those companies that prohibit the use of social network among employees, less than 30% blocks the use of these social networking channels altogether (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.221). Furthermore, findings show that many firms are continuing to embrace social networking at the workplace citing benefits brought by social networking. The study found out that firms restricting the use of social networking at the workplace have been dropping by 10% annually since the introduction of social networking (Abate et al. 2011, p. 6). This has left a lot to be desired of the argument that social media has no place in the modern workplace. This paper seeks to explore the argument for and against this statement. The statement “Social Media has no place in the modern workplace” is a debatable issue that depends on how an individual looks at it. However, it is worth appreciating the fact that social media impacts in almost every aspect of life today including workplace. The world has experienced increased growth in the usage of social media over the past few decades. The growth continues to be witnessed with many firms offering social media sites coming up. The most prominent social media sites in use currently include twitter, facebook, mySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube, just to name but a few (Abate et al. 2011, p. 8). These social media sites give people the opportunity to interact with friends and families all over the world. However, its usage in the workplace has been controversial with some arguing that it has no place in the modern world. Those who argue in this manner put a strong case against social media in the workplace. One of the arguments put forwards against embracing social media in the workplace is that it decreases employee productivity (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.222). Researchers reveal that many managers oppose social media usage in the workplace since it wastes employee’s time, which can be used for productive purposes. In fact, the time wasted on social media by employees equates to about 1.5 % decrease in employee productivity during a working day (Abate et al. 2011, p. 11). A study indicates that employees tend to check their inboxes in the social networking sites quite often, something that constantly interrupts work they are doing. Sometimes they are forced to reply to an inbox or a chat, which also interrupts their work. By estimate, employees allowed the freedom to use social media in an office spend an average of 4 hours attending to inbox and chats (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.223). Those against social networking in the workplace argue that this reduces the productivity of workers. In fact, a study conducted in the U.S. regarding the use of social network reveals that more time is spent on social media for personal reasons that work reasons (Abate et al. 2011, p. 13). This affirms support the argument that social media has no place in the modern workplace. Social media are also said to have no place in the modern workplace because it damages the relationship between employees (Abate et al. 2011, p. 14). Social media networks allow employees to communicate in whatever form they like. However, some employees might use it to send offensive information to their fellow employees thereby hurting the relationship between them. This is bad for a company since the success of a company requires teamwork among employees. This implies that employees must coexist peaceful for teamwork to be built in an organization. In addition, social media gives employees the opportunity t communicate in a secrete manner resulting in an off-task conversation. The other disadvantage associated with social media in the workplace, which has prompted some to argue that it has no place in the modern workplace, is attributed to the fact that its misuse leads to a breach of confidentiality. In addition, those opposed to the use of social media argue that employees might use it inappropriately thereby turning the corporate image of a company (Abate et al. 2011, p. 31). This is because employees can deliberately use social media to leak confidential information thereby turning the image of the company. This is because the information can be shred very fast between social network users. Cyber smearing is another big issue of concern to employers opposed to social networking in the workplace. Cyber smearing is a communication considered defamatory that occur online (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.225). Research indicates that some employees use social media to post defamatory messages against the company (Abate et al. 2011, p. 36). This explains why some managers feel that social media has no place in the modern workplace. Nestle is one of the companies that have opposed the use of social media at the workplace. This follows incidence where an employee charged with the responsibility of managing the company’s facebook content posted a negative comment in response to negative remarks made by fans. Report indicates that Nestle claimed that the actions of the employee violated the principles of integrity of the business (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.225). This is because the comments by the employee tarnished the company’s reputation, as well as triggering a backlash from consumers. This is one of the many cases that support the claim that social media has no place in the modern workplace. Despite the strong argument in support of the argument that social media has no place in the modern workplace, there are managers who believes that social media should be introduced in the workplace. The arguments of the proponents of social media in the workplace are mainly based on the benefits social media brings to an organization and employees. Firstly, social media have been helpful to companies for recruitment purposes. In this regard, social media has made it easy for companies to easily advertise jobs and recruit employees. LinkedIn is one of the social networking sites used by a number of companies for recruitment (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.226). Companies have also benefited from social media since it provides employers with the opportunity to interact with their customers’ real time. This helps in building a strong relationship between companies and stakeholders. In fact, some companies use it a means of advertising for company products, which has been extremely beneficial to companies. Therefore, managers who have embraced social networking strongly oppose the argument that social media has no place in the modern workplace. General Motors is one of the companies that have embraced social media for promoting its products to customers spread all over the world. The company has a social network “fan page” where it engages its fans. General Motors also permit social networking among its employees arguing that it enhances productivity among its workers. This is because it gives employees a chance to relax and reflect on the daily work. This is supported by a study conducted by an Australian scientist at the University of Melbourne that found out that mental relief provided by social media sites at work increases productivity by about 9% (Al-Deen and Hendricks 2011, p.226). This contradicts the argument that social media decreases productivity. Conclusion Social media has indeed had both benefits and drawbacks in the workplace. Nevertheless, since the world is increasingly becoming technology savvy, no manager can ignore the power of social media and remain competitive. Therefore, the over 50% of companies that still reject social media at the workplace need to consider embracing the power of social media for growth and success. References Abate, D., Hofman, D., Robertson, N., Rogers, A., & Zeppenfeld, G. 2011. The use of social media in the work place. Mayer Brown. P. 1-164. Al-Deen, H. S. N., & Hendricks, J. A 2011, Social media: usage and impact. Lexington Books, New York. Read More