Should You Deny Social Media Access to Your Employees?
Social media is an extremely hot trend right now. People all over the world use it to engage with companies and interact with friends. Businesses use social media, individuals use social media, and everyone seems to enjoy it.
Some companies worry that this obsession with social media has a negative effect on their company. These companies worry that their employees are spending too much time on social media sites while at the workplace. For this reason, many companies have banned social media sites from being accessed on work computers. But is this a good idea?
Your employees can advocate your business.
By allowing your employees to have access to social media sites during work hours, they can actually be helping your company. Instead of banning it, allow employees to use it during work hours to help promote the company. Have them tell their friends about the upcoming event or the new position that just opened up. By spreading word about your company to their friends, they are helping your company reach a larger audience.
Denying access doesn’t mean they can’t get on.
Most people today have a smartphone or tablet that has apps for social media accounts. If you ban access at the workplace, your employees can still get to these sites on their tablets or mobile devices. Banning the sites is actually more work for your company, and if your employee really wants to get onto Twitter, they’ll find a way to do it.
If you allow access to these sites, your employees will not have to find alternative routes, and you can tell them that they’re only allowed on for work related issues.
Employ a social media best practices.
The use of social media in the workplace needs to be incorporated into your employee handbook. This way, all of your employees will know the rules on the usage of these sites while at work and outside of work. Let your employees know that if they find any negative information about the company on their social media sites, it is cause for termination. This way, you can ensure that your employees won’t be slandering you behind your back.
Give them a “work” social network.
People are driven to social media sites because they like being in the know. If you are worried about the overuse of Facebook or Twitter while at work, set up a work-related social media site, such as Yammer. This site is a social network specifically for your company. Not only will it create company engagement, but it will also give your employees that fix of need to know information.
Social media does not have to be a productivity risk for your company. If you allow it in the workplace and employ your employees to be advocates, it can actually be beneficial. If you think that an employee is spending too much time on the site for the wrong reasons, you can always have a conversation with them. Sometimes they need that reminder to get back in the working game.
So lift the ban on social media sites in the office. You may be surprised at the results.
Charlie Adams is a tech guru and social media expert who loves to write when time allows. He is a grammar fanatic and always encourages his associates to proof their work with a grammar checker. He uses the software regularly to catch some of the tricky grammar rules he sometimes forgets.
headline should be should you pay for your employees to be on facebook. this isn’t a difficult question is it?
I think social media is something that if it is allowed freely it really hampers with the speed of work. In my office we had daily one hour to access out social media accounts. and it was quite effective!
Social media has now been a bridge between the actual consumers and the companies. It is a great place to reach your target market. Most people probably don’t know how good social media can be for their business, and many don’t realize how effective social media is.
Using social media during work hours has it’s pro’s and con’s. For one, it may be used for personal reasons which can distract their work and neglect their duties. If the purpose of it is promoting the company, it’s better to use a firewall to make sure that using social media at work would really be work related.
allowing your employees to have access in Social media sites like FB will distract them in their work. Employees will become less productive because instead of working, they cannot resist the temptation on checking their FB accounts.
Nice post on SMO and I really appreciate it.
It’s possible to reward employees for some achivements by providing some access to their social media accounts.