The Light and Dark Sides of Social Media in the Workplace

There is no doubt that social media has begun to penetrate every section of our lives. However, it has started to show signs of limiting efficacy. When a professional person finds it permissible to tweet, outside of company tweeting, while appearing to be engaged in his/her work, he/she has deceived his/her employer and coworkers. It is a blatant and public declaration that the individual is not paying attention to his/her work. Rather, he/she is entertaining himself/herself at the expense of his/her employer. I find it commonsensical to not tweet or even browse, outside of social media work for the company, during paid work hours.

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, the medium doesn't matter. It is the principle that is important. Remaining engaged within the workplace is key to productivity. Several companies have drawn up elaborate social media policies, designed to restrict potentially damaging tweets and also to prevent people from using personal use social media on the job. I think these policies are extremely important, especially from a PR standpoint. It prevents unnecessary image issues both external and internal. Internally, as having a bunch of disengaged employees is terribly inefficient and costly. Externally, as the policies carry legal weight against any possible defamation from current or past employees.

Employers, acting responsibly in today's world, must be proactive in managing the social media use of its employees, especially those in management positions. It is no longer built on a model of crisis management. It is about crisis prevention. Preventing the problem is more efficient in every area; rather than waiting for the outbreak and rushing to provide the cure. These policies can also be positive. It can provide guidance for professionals. It can provide a good foundation for those who may be less experienced in the use of social media. We can see how the transition from Facebook to Twitter can be a rocky one. Some people make mistakes easily in this transition. Social media policies provide companies with a form of insurance. This insurance protects them from the potential negative repercussions that employee's social media habits could bring upon them.

With new sites being introduced, old ones being used by masses, and some we thought we couldn't live without dying abruptly, we find ourselves at the mercy of these giants of virtual communication. That doesn't mean personal use has to penetrate through to the workplace. Developing, enforcing, and monitoring employee usage is key to productivity progress and poor performance prevention. Or else, you face the risk of being the victim of your own hiring. A danger that is easily prevented with a proactive social media policy.