Workplace distractions due to Social networking
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This probably isn’t so much about a single company’s statistics but in general, many a top honcho fears that their employees spend too much time on social media channels during work hours. Most companies are concerned that wok time is being used to write up updates on Twitter and Facebook, and in liking friend’s activities, commenting, and checking links that are recommended in close circles. All this, as we know, severely affects productivity if it becomes a daily habit, and people portray destructive behavior wherein they need to remain logged in all day to follow every little activity on their wall.
Of course, some studies have also revealed that logging onto social media channels makes workers more productive as they manage time better, and there’s a sense of general wellbeing but obviously there’s got to be a fine line somewhere, and this varies from company to company. Social media channels seem rather attractive, and there’s always something to tempt employees to login and check the latest, and this seems a worrisome proposition for those in position.
Employees could be logged in for even two hours through the day and that’s quite serious when you’re looking at the fact that people are getting paid to work a certain number of hours each day. Apart from that, work suffers. The login hours don’t account for employees logging in before work, or during their lunch break, which is in addition to the average two hours that people spend on social media while at the workplace.
Distractions that have always plagued the workplace include employees getting online to check out sites where they can glance through catalogs and shop. Others may opt to answer personal emails at work, and there’s the most common answering of personal calls while at work. All of these concerns have always been discussed, but with Facebook, and Twitter, distraction at the workplace has reached a hilt.
It’s come to a point where many companies have actually made alterations to their policies regarding usage of social media at the work place. In fact, many companies have taken the stricter router, and prohibited the use of social media channels at the work place by preventing access to such sites, even if it’s by proxy routes.
What has been noticed at certain quarters is that younger employees spend a lot of their time on social media channels whereas, older employees aren’t that hooked on. Of course, many companies today can’t do without Facebook or Twitter themselves, and in a fast moving workspace need to be tuned in at all times. As such, the problem that arises is using these social media channels for personal use rather than for work. Whether it’s the music industry, entertainment companies, or for that matter stock brokers, timely interaction with a select group of followers is what makes all the difference at times, and that’s’ why the power of Facebook, and Twitter can’t b sidelined at many a workplace. Like they say, technology has many faces, and sometimes the highs and lows are part and parcel of the approach.