There has been an increase in the use of social media in this organization. In our decision to reduce the average age of our staff, we are employing more and more youth to work in our ranks. The thing about most of the young people we employ is that they are avid users of social networking sites.
This is not bad in the sense that it keeps them up to date with some of the latest trends and practices in their professional fields. This is especially the case for people working in the I.T department. Changes in the field of computing change by the day and this information can be missed if one relies purely on magazines and TV news. The social media helps these people share ideas with their peers.
However, more and more of our employees are spending their working hours on many social networking sites. This has had a big negative impact on our organization and is a problem that needs to be countered very soon.
Proposed Solutions.
Seeing to it as most of the people access the internet using company computers, the I.T department should create a firewall in which the most accessed social sites by company employees should be blocked. These can be blocked during working hours and unblocked during tea break or after hours.
Also, there should be a circular going round the company that states the use of social networking sites in the company premises during working hours is prohibited. Many employees, when banned from accessing such sites from company computers will simply use their personal laptops and/or mobile phones to do the same.
There should also be repercussions on the use of social networking sites. The mere banning of the sites without any repercussions for defaulters is having a bark louder than the bite.
Social Media.
The free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, defines a social network as a structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called ‘nodes’ which are tied or connected by one or more specific types of interdependency such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.
There are numerous social networking sites including twitter, hi5, tagged, linkedin and so many others. However, the most popular of these networking sites is facebook. Many young people, our staff included, spend countless hours on facebook chatting with their friends, writing on their walls and uploading pictures. They could use this as a way of exchanging information but then again and winding down after a hard day at work. But then again, they could be using this just for the fun of it at the expense of the organization.
There are many reasons as to why workers visit social networking sites but a study was done and revealed the main reasons for this as shown in the graph below:
Advantages of Social Networking to the Organization.
Jue says that the advantages of social media are still emerging. So far we’ve seen them add value pervasively in the areas of attracting and retaining the best employees, talent development, operational efficiency, innovation and knowledge creation. (177)
1. Exchange of information.
The social networking sites that many members of staff of this organization are in work as their personal news channels. They use them to share information among each other and in situation when a communication passes from management to the lower ranks, it spreads quickly. Abraham states, “Nowadays, the internet is an essential tool for the exchange of information on a personal and professional level. The web offers us a world of prodigious information and has evolved from simple sets of static information to services that are more and more complex.” (413)
2. Relaxation.
There is little to be done in the offices during the 10 o’clock tea break. Social networking sites become important during this time when the staff log into these sites and use them as relaxation spots.
3. Business connections.
The social networking site Linkedin serves as a site for professionals to meet, interact and exchange ideas. This means that members of our organization who are on Linkedin can interact with other members of staff from competing organizations and this will help in improving our portfolio in the long run.
Disadvantages of Social Networking Sites.
Held says, “The effects of social networking sites on privacy issues, credibility, and the breeding of inappropriate relationships and behaviors pose technological dilemmas in which most organizations will have to continually work to develop instructional online social networking policies.” (75)
1. Quick spread of negative information.
A particular piece of information may be heard by one member of staff and he or she may use a social networking site to share this with his or her colleagues. For instance, should management decide on cutting down on the members of staff, when this information spreads to the entire organization, it could affect the performance of the organization as fear will grip the members of staff.
2. Time wastage.
Performance at work has been negatively affected by social networking sites. A lot of members of staff spend a better part of their day on these sites rather than doing meaningful work. This is time wastage on the part of the company as money spent on internet connection is mainly meant for communication and research but many people use it for other non work related activities. This reduces the productivity of the employees.
3. Poaching of employees.
While the organization encourages its members to expand their horizons and be the best they can be, it also wants to hold on to its most valuable employees. The social networking site Linkedin connects business professionals. It is very possible that a member of the organization who is in Linkedin could get poached by a rival company.
Planned Strategies.
I have proposed the following strategies to help reduce the negative impact of social networking sites on the organization.
1. Blockage of these sites during working hours.
The I.T department can use firewalls to prevent people from accessing these sites during working hours. This means that if a member of staff tries to log into, say facebook, they find it impossible to access the site. This firewall can be temporarily removed during breaks or during after hours. This will ensure that the staff members focus on their work when they have to and only enjoy networking sites during their free times.
2. Monitoring of traffic to social sites during work hours.
In this strategy, there shall be no firewalls installed on the sites. However, members of staff will be warned against visiting those sites during working hours. The I.T department can then monitor whose computer visited a networking site and for how long. That person can then be summoned by management and be given a dressing down or a warning.
3. Punishments for defaulters.
It is too harsh a punishment to give an employee the sack for visiting social networking sites. A milder form or punishment should be established. I suggest that the employees be informed that the I.T department can monitor how long they have stayed on a particular site and a certain rate per minute be decided. This rate can then be used to deduct a certain amount of money from the employee’s monthly salary.
Also, employees caught on social networking sites on their personal computers or mobile phones should be made to understand that management takes the issue very seriously and they should be given warnings.
REFERENCES:
Abraham A, Hassanien. A Computational Social Network Analysis: Trends, Tools and Research Advances. Springer 2009.
Fraser M, Dutta S. Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom: How Online Social Networking Will Transform Your Life, Work and World. John Wiley and Sons 2008.
Held, C. The Perspective of the Online Student: Emerging Technologies that Warrant Use In Online Learning at a Community College. Pro Quest, 2009.
Jue A, Marr J. Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
Liebowitz J. Social Networking: The Essence of Innovation. Scarecrow Press, 2007.