While it may be true that employees may use these social networking for their personal lives, social media is becoming more and more widely used for public relations, advertising and marketing. I think that if social media could help promote the company's products or help spread a message about the company's values, it would be good for all employees to be on these social networks.
Other statistics from Nucleus Research have said that companies allowing Facebook in the workplace drops employee productivity 1.5 percent. I think it is important to know that giving employees full access to social media won't increase productivity unless they know the reasons why the company allows it. Companies should have:
- an understanding of the benefit of using social media to better the company by having meetings and tutorials on how to use these tools.
- rules and guidelines in using social media at work. Perhaps only using social media for research and company purposes.
- all employees keep a twitter or blog that talks about the company in a good light.
For example, Comcast now uses Twitter in providing customer service because that is where the conversation is headed. People don't call 1-800 numbers as much because there is a stigma about automated voices and unhelpful customer service people. They vent about the service, provided or not provided, on their social networking sites!
Indeed, employees need to actually "work" on the job, but once companies realize where the conversation is headed, they should not fight it, but join in!
Citations:
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jan2009/ca20090113_373506.htm
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/study-54-of-companies-ban-facebook-twitter-at-work/
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