Social Media in the Workplace: Can it boost productivity? The most obvious answer to this question would probably be no, quite the reverse; many bosses would state that their workers waste company time on social media. Whilst this may, indeed, be true in lots of cases, there are also constructive uses for social media in the workplace. Research has shown that employees think that their time on social media increases their productivity, due to the networking capabilities of these mediums; especially in the case of LinkedIn and other work related social media sites. Sharepoint development is another revolutionary example of a brilliant social media tool designed for the workplace.
Social media is like electronic gossip, I think, and sharing information in this way is often the most direct means of essential and valuable data reaching the right ears. Our methods of communication are rapidly changing in the twenty first century. The telephone has become a more formal and last resort means of communication; it is an official portal for important communications. Emails, not including spam, are, likewise, now seen as longer formats for the communication of information; and can also be official in status. Texting and social media messaging are the more casual, gossipy forms of communication. There is now a hierarchy of technologically driven means of communicating and our social interactions make use of these in different ways.
Social media in the workplace also exposes workers to trending memes and news; important for both commercial and community reasons within a business. Opportunities are continually presenting themselves in the market place through platforms like social media and you don’t want your staff cut off and living inside a bubble. Individually, also, for worker happiness, people like to feel connected to each other and to what is happening in the world. In the same way that staff used to congregate around the water cooler, in the old days, social media is the electronic version of that sharing of gossip and information.
With phenomena like social media, managers and owners are best advised to work with these social forces, rather than waste time and energy fruitlessly attempting to stifle their influence. The market is manifesting in a myriad of different forms and social media is one of them. Its prevalence is testimony to its effectiveness and mastering its many forms could be richly rewarding, both materially and for the community spirit within your organisation. Going with the flow is the most economic way to achieve progress.
