For many businesses, social media has become an essential daily workplace tool for employees in a wide range of roles. It is key to promoting business and interacting with customers, clients, and even colleagues.
But just like any other technology that revolutionized communication — the telephone, email — social media presents an obvious risk of distraction in the workplace.
Indeed, a recent survey of U.S. employees by Pew Internet found that the most common reasons for checking a social media account during the workday were not job-related. Thirty-four percent say they check up on social media to take a break from work, followed by 27 percent who say they do so to connect with friends or family.
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In third place, with 24 percent, was the first job-related justification for using social media: "To make or support professional connections." Of course, even that reason may not necessarily be geared towards your current work duties, but rather towards facilitating a move to another job.
Twenty percent said they use social media to get information that helps them solve problems at work, the first justification that is unequivocally related to an employee's current job. Seventeen percent say they use it to build or strengthen relationships with coworkers and 17 percent say they turn to social media to learn about a colleague. Twelve percent ask work-related questions to those outside of the organization.
Employers remain split on how they regard social media in the workplace. Just over half of the employees polled said their organization had a concrete policy governing social media at work, while a third say their employer has rules about how they can present themselves on social media platforms.
Rules on social media can shape the behavior of employees, but it's unlikely to put a total stop to Facebook and Twitter activity among workers. Among employees who report working under strict social media policies, 30 percent report checking on social media to take a mental break from work.
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