Fifty four percent of US companies have banned the use of social media at work, according to an interesting article by Sharon Gaudin in Computerworld.
Gaudin also reports that only10% of the companies in the survey allow employees to use social media while at work. Last July, Nucleus Research reported that productivity dropped 1.5% at companies that allow full access to social media. This is probably because they also found that 87% of use was not work-related. The headlines are a little alarmist, however, because they also note that only one in 33 employees accessed Facebook at work. (That's about 3%, so what they're saying was that 87% of the time that the 3% were using social media, it wasn't work related.) Nevertheless, it's important to actually do your work when you're at work. It is why they pay you.
The key in all this is how the social media is being used. Humans like to connect; in fact, they're biologically wired to do so and, when exercised appropriately, this is a healthy behavior. Thus, it's not surprising that these new tools are being embraced enthusiastically. Facebook alone has over 250 million people, up 700% from April 2008 to April 2009.
Before we go demonizing social media, let's ask whether or not the social media tools are being used to support an employee's work or enriching his or her personal life. To keep people focused on their jobs, and not where to meet for a drink after work, most businesses limit the amount of personal phone calls, not to mention instant messaging. Social media raises new issues, of course. I admit that enforcement is a conundrum since much of social networking happens from mobile devices for those who are fleet of finger.
Nevertheless, if social media is being used to get around corporate communications policy, let's not blame the tools. There are lots of people who will adamantly insist that social media is to blame because it is a complete waste of time. They will be content to dump this whole thing on the evils of Facebook or Twitter. Those same people also feel pretty comfortable using the telephone and driving their car. As a teenager, I excelled at wasting time on the telephone until I got a car and could waste time in person. The problem is the behavior, not social media. You don't have to be a psychologist (or a parent) to know that motivating positive behavior can be challenge or that people like to share stuff with each other. Businesses need to address new communication tools as just that--tools--and set up appropriate usage guidelines. The problem and the solution lie in the employee's motivation and behavior. From a positive psychology perspective, if employees have appropriately challenging and defined goals and targets to meet at work, then they will either self-regulate or self-terminate. The ability to text message or post a Tweet should not be viewed as an indication of deviant behavior. There are, after all, lots of ways to waste time.
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