A Study of Social Media Use in the Workplace

Social media is the online communication tool that aids exchanging information, ideas, create, and share status online. It is used by different means such as; communication, collaboration, conferences, and for business purpose. However, many of us do not know how to properly use these social media tools or these social networking sites. Like nowadays, due to globalization, there is a need for putting much attention of this social media tools in business because sometimes it is the hindrance among the employee’s productivity, efficiency, and affectivity in their job.

The survey also shows that there was 47.06 % as of 2014 companies who uses social media in more than three years which tells us that the social media tools are increasing and increasing drastically. Social media use has their consistency and dominates the world of most businesses and companies and even the employee’s performance in their job. Therefore, the survey suggests that implementation of working policies regarding the use of social media tools is a must (Proskauer, 2014).

Most of the employees use this social media tool for bullying other employees and sometimes this reason leads them to affect the whole organization. Technology rapidly changed the businesses and the workplace in a way that it conquers the transactions in a business. Some research suggests that even when permitted, monitoring employees’ use of social media can be daunting because communications are immediate. In other words, to ensure that company-owned property is used by employees properly, the management should develop an effective legal social media policy.

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Communication in the workplace through the use of social media also arise even though organizations struggle. This means of communication sometimes misunderstood other employees with the terms they used. Since the use of social medias are inexpensive, most organization in the workplace uses social media tool to advertise, promote, and use it as a strategy to succeed in business world.

People in developed countries use the internet and social media. The same is true for companies. Through the internet and social media information is exchanged easily and frequently. That is why companies and industries rely on the use of the internet and social media as their means of communication. Technological advances mainly helped the community and each person.

As technologies continue to become a part of people’s everyday life, it becomes disruptive how people communicate, work, connect, and socialized. Even though many are dependent with the use of social media and the internet, it also serves many disadvantages.

One of the specific work environment that uses social media tools is the marketing department. The role of social media in marketing department such as Google, Facebook and Twitter and many others has arisen to improve brand awareness and communicate in a billion of people. Some research revealed from “Survey: Social Networks in the Workplace Around the World” that More than 40 percent of the businesses in the survey had to deal with employees misusing social networks, and nearly a third have had to take disciplinary action against employees in relation to misuse of social networks (Proskauer, 2015). This just means that using social Medias in the workplace also have limitations and should not use in personal use while inside the workplace premises.

The social media is the online communication tools to exchange information, ideas, create, and share status online. It is used by different means like for communication, collaboration, conferences, and for business purpose. However, many of us do not know how to properly use these social media tools or these social networking sites. Like nowadays, due to globalization, there is a need of putting much attention of this social media tools in business because sometimes it is the hindrance among the employee’s productivity, efficiency, and affectivity in their job.

One of the surveys showed that when they asked respondents “Does your business use social media that is Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype, Twitter and many others for business purpose?”, the answered was 88.46 percent of companies uses different social media tools in their businesses and the remaining 11.54 percent says that they are not using this social media tools in their company. Therefore, it showed that as of 2014, most of the companies use social media tools in their businesses for a purpose (Proskauer, 2014).

The survey shows when asked respondents that “Do you actively block access to social media sites at work?”, the research shows that there are 36 percent of the respondents says that they are actively blocking social media sites during at work and there are 64 percent of them says that they are not blocking social media sites at work. The survey shows that there are lesser number of companies who take corrective actions regarding the misuse of social media at the workplace and the higher percentage of the respondents do not corrective actions regarding the matter (Proskauer, 2014).

One of the surveys done by Proskauer Company showed that from 110 company’s responses, 70% of the companies says that there should be disciplinary actions against the improper use of the social media inside the working facilities. Since 90% of the company’s todays use social media for business purposes, most of the employees taken for granted the policies and implementations regarding the misuse of social media while in the office (Proskauer, 2014).

According to the jurisdictions, they have provided the laws regarding the social media use in the workplace which includes different areas like Canada, Brazil, Argentina, China, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, and United States. These areas have the laws to follow regarding the use of social media in the workplace like privacy laws, data protection laws, and securing an employee.

The study stated that there are 36 percent of the employees and staff blocks the access to different social media sites to avoid the misuse of social media (Proskauer, 2014). In the country of Argentina, they are giving the right among the employer to monitor the employee’s time in suing this social media tools. The Argentina country is giving the right to employees to use social media tools but should avoid using the information about the company and privacy (Naeger J., 2013). In Canada, they are implementing surveillance among the employees in using such social media tools however; it is limited to employee’s privacy because they have the law to support the privacies among their employees (Naeger J., 2013).

In the country of Brazil, they have different laws in implementing these social networking sites among the employees. They are giving their consent among the employees to use the social media tools because they believe that implementing laws for using social media tools is the same as invading the privacy of the employees. They are not in favor of limitations for social networking sites among the employees in their company (Naeger J., 2013). In Hongkong, they have implemented the local data protection agency which helps the employees to monitor if there are personal data given to the workplace. This guideline will help also the employees to have a privacy protection and to monitor their social activities within the work place (Naeger J., 2013).

In the country of Italy, the employees are not permitted to track and monitor the social media in their work place. They are not permitted to use social media tools during their working hours otherwise, there are corresponding sanctions implemented if they fail to comply to follow such guidelines (Naeger J., 2013). In Spain, they are implementing the monitoring of the employees through the employers but are limited to personal information and data. However, the employers should ask first the consent of their bosses to monitor the activities done by the employee with regards to privacy protection held by the company (Naeger J., 2013).

The social media has advantages for the businesses which highlight as the profit and collaboration. In using social media for business, this could also help to generate profit because once the advertisement done through social media is linked to the business page, the consumer will automatically have directed to the page after clicking the advertisement and this could generate more profit to the company. In using social media, it is very helpful among the company in terms of collaboration.

When a company uses social media for collaboration, it would also have an efficient result among the leaders and their subordinates. Like ‘for example, the leader would implement some changes with the process and he or she have to send the message among his or her subordinates but he or she have limited time to go to them physically, the only way that would make things possible is to use social media tools, in this way, he or she could send the changes among his or her subordinates with a quick and easiest way.

Despite of the advantages it also has disadvantages. Most of the employees use this social media tools to bully other employees and sometimes this reason lead them to affect the whole organization. Technology rapidly changed the businesses and the workplace in a way that it conquers the transactions in a business. Some research suggests that even when permitted, monitoring employees’ use of social media can be daunting because communications are immediate. In other words, to ensure that company-owned property is used by employees properly, the management should develop an effective legal social media policy.

In this aspect, when one of the employees is busy updating their profiles on social media sites, they will tend to be less efficient on their job. Sometimes, employees did not notice on how much time they spent on social media networking sites and disregard what are the jobs need to submit within that day. Sometimes they will rush the job because of not having enough time but more time in social media sites. The more time spent while working hours on social media, the less time spent to the job which could result to have less quality job performed and more mistakes.

I therefore conclude that the social media is used in the workplace, but it has disadvantages too. There should be implemented policies related to the personal use and working use. Since through the internet and social media information is exchanged easily and frequently, most of the employees used this. That is why companies and industries rely on the use of the internet and social media as their means of communication. Technological advances mainly helped the community and each person.