A guest post by Ellie Behling
When I log on to Twitter at work, I wonder whether I am doing something naughty or incredibly productive. That is the crux of the social networking/workplace conflict: While some workplaces scoff at or even block social networking sites, other organizations pressure and encourage workers to use social networking as a way to market the business brand. The latter group is onto something.
Social networking might take on new and better forms, but it isn’t going away. For many industries, social networking, such as the microblogging site Twitter, is the future of marketing. So it’s probably a good idea to let your employees get the hang of using them. The current form of social networking might feel slightly unprofessional at times, but that’s why social networking needs more corporate structure. Completely ignoring social networking now could cause problems for companies down the road.
Meanwhile, the workforce, from Generation Y on up through the Baby Boomers, is increasingly using social networking in their personal lives. Members of Generation Y have grown into adulthood comfortable with having both themselves and a digital projection of their identities. We go through our lives choosing just the right moments to convey digitally to the rest of the world. A workforce that includes the Millennial generation is going to have to include our digital personas too.
Rather than fighting those digital personas, corporations should find a way to embrace them in order to make them productive. Corporate leadership shouldn’t block employees from using social networking, but rather encourage it with limits depending on the specific company needs. Outline for employees that they may not use social networking at work for inappropriate purposes, for instance. Also, require that employees use social networking to promote the business brand on company time and limit personal social networking surfing to personal time.
The next time you see an employee on Facebook, remember that social networking sites are like the personal phone call of the 21st century. For instance, I rarely field personal calls at work, because I find that they can be insanely distracting to my co-workers. I’m more likely to discuss last-minute dinner plans with a friend over Facebook than on the phone at work. I use that point to illustrate that necessary time-wasters in the workplace have been replaced with new ones. The younger generation might talk on the phone less or smoke less, but it spends more time surfing the Internet. Like the telephone call or the smoke break, workers need these smaller distractions to perform their regular duties successfully as well as to manage their life outside the office. Therefore, management will need to find a way to successfully incorporate them.
Rather than waving aside or even fighting off social networking, companies should lasso it and make it their own. It might not be Twitter that is the social networking vehicle of the future, but the medium is not going anywhere.
Ellie Behling writes about Generation Y at www.y-rd.com.
Comments
If only my boss actually went online to learn. A good article, nonetheless.
But can't employees "get the hang" on using social networking web sites on hours OTHER than on company time? Employees aren't visiting these sites from the workplace to market their employer's business - they're pursuing personal business, like using a virtual water cooler.
In most respects, I think blocking such social networking tools does as much harm as good. I'm not sure that I "buy" (no pun intended) the whole marketing your company to the world via twitter argument - but it's early yet.
But what about situations where that activity IS a negative? I'm not just talking about things like forwarding links to questionable materials...but things like twitter truly straddle the traditional line between who you are a person and who you are as an employee.
And who YOU are, is not always who your employer wants to be seen as...sometimes it literally is TMI.
@Diana
Try forwarding some articles to your boss (not just this one!) that provide value over the next few weeks. People need to understand why they should try something new in order to want to do it.
@Jack W.
I think Ellie's point is that all employees will do something that constitutes "time theft," but might Twittering be more benign because the medium also provides opportunities for a company to put out its message in a new, customer-centered space? Not all employees use it this way, but undoubtedly employees who can drop a few personal tweets will be more inclined to promote their companies. @modite is a perfect example.
@NEA
Yes. Setting clear expectations and accountabilities with employees regarding Twitter (as with all communication and job responsibilities) is key.
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