Should You Allow Social Media Use At Work?
It doesn’t matter where you area; social media is always present. As a business, you already know that social media is going to help you to reach more people than any other marketing device. You also know that in your personal life, social media is ever-present and is used for keeping up to date with your family, friends, and colleagues. We spend over 10 hours a day consuming media, whether that’s in a business sense or a personal sense, and this is an incredible amount of time to be spent looking at a screen.
Naturally, most employers would prefer that their staff spend their time looking at their work and not their personal Facebook and Instagram pages in the day. For this reason, social media is mostly not allowed in the workplace due to the distraction that it can offer. The problem is that a lot of people use social media to unwind and connect with their own world, and that’s not a bad thing. The question then comes up as to whether you should allow social media to be used in the workplace, and when it’s appropriate to say yes.
When You Should Allow Social Media At Work
You’re a small business, and you’re just starting out. The one thing that you want is total focus, which is why it’s time to allow social media in. It sounds counter-productive, of course. Social media is known as a distraction, so how do you gain focus with a tool that distracts? Well, firstly, companies like Electric can help you enforce policies on devices so that social media is only used on personal devices and not workplace ones. Secondly, when you tell someone that they cannot do something, they’re more likely to sneak around doing it.
Be open with your staff. Tell them that a five-minute social media check-in is permitted once an hour. This then enables them to concentrate more on their jobs until that given time. Don’t forget that social media can be used as a tool to connect your staff to their own networks, and they can promote your business. That’s a good thing!
When Not To Allow Social Media AtWork
There are specific roles where social media is not okay for use. These include those that deal with construction and heavy machinery as well as those in positions of trust. The last thing that your business needs is an injured employee who was staring at Facebook, instead of concentrating on the construction site! What you need to establish with your staff is whether they are in a position to be distracted. Then, go from there.
Social media has its place in the workplace, but it’s very much a device-dependent thing. You can allow personal use, on personal smartphones and tablets. However, when it comes to your devices and computers, it’s best left alone unless used for business purposes. You know your business best; all you need to do is make the choice that suits your goals.
