Should companies ban their employees from using social networking sites at work?

Depends on the nature of work. For a marketing professional, you cannot ban the use of social networking sites.  

NO ............ NOT AT ALL!!!

Many companies prohibit access to social networking sites on company computers because they believe such access leads to decreased productivity.

However, a recent study by the University of Melbourne found that employees who regularly surf the net during business hours are actually more productive than those who don’t. 

According to the study of workers,% of people who use the Internet at work engage in ‘Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing’ (WILB), surfing the net for personal reasons. Surprisingly, those who do so within reasonable limits (less than% of their work time) are more productive by around nine per cent. 

For Gen Y, social networking is an integral part of a normal day, and access from work is seen by many as more a right than a privilege. Allowing social networking in the workplace could therefore be one way of retaining what can be a skittish and restless group of workers. 

Besides, some argue that Gen Y, having grown up hooked into social media, mobile phones, iPods and other technologies, is a generation that grew up multi-tasking and is particularly adept at it. ‘They could have a chat site open to talk to their friends while they’re doing their work – quite effectively. That’s the way they’ve been training their brain to work for the last years.

Many employers and employees are struggling to create policies regarding social media at work. In an ever changing online world it is more important than ever to establish a work place policy for social media. Social media at work needs to be balanced to respect and protect the needs of both the employer and employee.

Why is it not a good idea to access social media at work?

One of the reasons employers choose to block social media access employees have at work is to limit distraction. Social media can be addicting and time consuming. Employees can easily consume hours of unproductive time on social media websites.

If you are an employee you are smart not access social media on a company computer. Most employers are able to access and track anything you do on a company computer. This can damage not only your employment status, but your reputation. For safety reasons employers should not access any personal data or enter personal passwords on any workplace owned internet device.

Sharing personal information online while at work is not a good idea. You do not want your employer to see online social media activity during working hours. Another concern is that social media is a way to vent. Employees should be aware of posting any negative comments about your employer or customers. When social media access is immediately available at work, some employees may vent without taking the time to think about what they are posting.

Why do employers prevent social media access at work?

Employers block social media at work for many different reasons. They do have legitimate concerns and must consider legal ramifications, employees needs and company needs. Some of the top concerns of employers regarding social media at work are:

• Lost Productivity– Many employers feel that social media at work contributes to decreased productivity. If employees are on social media websites then they are not working. Employees who are not working are causing lost profits.
• Network Security – By allowing employees unlimited access to social media they are opening themselves up for network security issues. Employees can easily download viruses and malware from social media websites.
• Bullying and Harassment – A growing concern for employers is online harassment of fellow employees in the work place. This can take the form of bullying, sexual harassment or virtual harassment.

What are the benefits to allowing social media at work?

When deciding on a social media policy it is important to consider the needs, happiness and welfare of your employees. There are benefits to allowing social media at work. By allowing social media as a privilege and benefit you may have happier employees. It is possible to allow social media at work with boundaries that satisfy both the employee and employer. Some of the benefits to allowing social media at work are:

• Frequent breaks for employees – Many employees are actually more productive if they are able to take short frequent breaks to refresh themselves and their minds.
• Social media is part of daily life – Social media is already a part of daily life. Employees can be responsible with their social media use by creating effective policies that state exactly what type of activity is allowed on company owned internet devices and computers.
• Building a fun work cultural – The workplace is changing and many employers are encouraging a fun work environment. This helps to create happy and dedicated employees. Employees that are happy are willing to give% in return.

Social media at work is a topic that has to be dealt with. One thing to keep in mind is that employees already have access via personal devices. A social media policy should include all usage including usage during work hours on personal devices.

It all depends on the type of work the employee is associated with. Some jobs related to marketing communication or public relations need optimal utilization of social media. Some jobs dealing with security or secrecy for the kind of job they perform need to ban social media at work place.

Except where the nature of works requires the use of it to create potential leads for business development and marketing the brand, social media sites should be prohibited to enhance the work productivity not just for the company but for the employee's appraisal as well.

Yes, of course! but not to all those who really use the social networking for business development. Most of the employees, if given access - then they would  check their personal inbox int he first place!