Social media in the workplace
The world is constantly evolving in various aspects that change the way we operate and relate to each other. Among the various areas that have received a lot of revolution and development is in the field of technology. It is now possible for people to interact not only locally but also on a global scale using computer technology and other devices. Thanks to the internet, people are now using social media and other avenues to communicate with each other about things they encounter on a daily basis. While this has its benefits especially in the field of marketing and creating awareness, there are various negatives that come about from this new technology especially in the way employees interact on issues related to their places of work. In a bid to ensure that an organization maintains a positive image even on the internet, most employers are becoming more reliant on the services offered by CIO’s. while the CIO’s have little, if any, control over what employees share over the internet, they try to ensure that a company is not at risk of having sensitive information leaked by helping employees to understand their responsibility in matters concerning confidentiality and privacy policies.
Over the years, technology has continued to evolve to the extent that data access speeds are faster than one could have ever imagined. Other than speed, factors like aerial density make it possible to store large bits of data on a hard disk drive (Bednar, 2011). With access to fast data and the means to store large data that could contain sensitive company information, companies have become more aware of implementing policies that help to prevent this information from being leaked or used negatively by employees or anyone who gets access to it. With the help of CIO’s companies are now realizing the risk that social media could have and help in implementing measures that regulate employees and encourage them to maintain good work ethics (Schubert, 2011).
Part of CIO’s responsibilities involves identifying ways in which social media could cause problems and find out means of preventing them from occurring. Some of the risks of social media that have been identified include loss of productivity for companies because employees spend most of their time engaged in social media cites. According to Nelson (2011), employees spend most of their time logged in to social media cites through technological devices. While some still perform the duties assigned to them, most of them engage in multitasking where their time is shared between working and engaging in social media (Schubert, 2011). Employees are often glued to their mobile devices when walking or working and some even do so while in meetings. As a result, the productivity of an organization goes down because the employees are either distracted or are not giving their all when accomplishing their duties.
There is also the possibility that confidential information or intellectual property could be leaked through these sites. Employees have access to very sensitive information regarding a company or its clients. The employees also have personal social media accounts where they are at liberty to post whatever they see fit (Schubert, 2011). While companies have policies that prevent employees from sharing confidential information, there is little that they can do to prevent an employee from posting such information on social media in cases where conflicts arise between them and the employer. Regardless of the fact, companies have no option but to trust employees to do the right thing.
In cases where banks are concerned, a bad outcome could result from employees posting financial information of customers over the internet for all to see. There have been cases where employees talk negatively about their organization and in doing so, paint a bad image for the company (Farley, 2011). There is also the issue concerning maintaining the privacy of a company’s clients. Most clients prefer their privacy to be respected by the companies that they associate with and as a result, they are more comfortable sharing personal information. With social media, there is the risk that some employees may use the information to either stalk the clients for various reasons or share information that will be seen as a violation to the client’s privacy (Schubert, 2011).
Despite the various risks that the internet and social media pose, it is a trend that does not seem to be going away soon. There is also the fact that some organizations have learnt to adapt and incorporate it into the working environment (Nesbit, 2011). If well utilized, the risks can be navigated and social media could be used in a way that is beneficial to the company. Through social media, for example, people and organizations of similar needs and interests are brought together and share information that creates various opportunities that are beneficial to all parties involved (Schubert, 2011). However, since implementing the social media in the workplace is still a difficult subject; CIOs help organizations to understand how to use social media in a way that is beneficial to them. The difficulty comes in due to the fact that employees are vivid thinkers who have the right to post what they want on social media. CIOs must therefore work with the HR and IT departments to help develop some sense of control over what employees can share when they are at work (Schubert, 2011).
While some companies hold employees accountable to what they post on social media as a way of controlling them, doing so may pose them at more risks. Legally, employees have the right to air their opinions and whatever they post on social media is protected by the freedom of speech or expression. Employees can therefore sue their employer for any action taken against them for something they shared on social media because doing so is a violation of their rights (Bendnar, 2011). Rather than initiating more conflict, employers can work with CIOs and IT department to control what employees can post online. The IT could only limit access to the internet to company computers only. This allows them to control who has access to social media and what they post buy giving access to select individuals (Schubert, 2011). Human resource department could also focus on training employees on ethical conduct and responsibility not only in the workplace but also in their homes.
Despite the various policies suggested by CIOs, the decision whether to allow social media in the workplace rests on the employer. While the risks will always be there, the employer should find ways to navigate around them so as to benefit from the opportunities that social media has to offer. When implementing policies to control how social media is used, employers need to focus more on employees rather than the use of technology. This is because technology will keep on evolving but people learned behavior, work ethics and professionalism remain constant. By focusing on employees, the policies will not have to be changed every time a technological development occurs because the employees’ will still have the same approach towards the company.
References
Bednar, J. (May 21, 2011). “Status Update In the Realm of Social Media, Workers Have More Rights Than Employers Might Think”. www.BusinessWest.com: pp. 23-28.
Bednar, J. (December 19, 2011). “Tool or Trouble? Social Media Poses Opportunities and Traps for Employers”. www.BusinessWest.com, 33-36.
Farley, A. (October 2011). “Building a Social Media Policy”. ABA Bank Marketing, 18-22.
Nesbit, T (2011). “Social Media: In the Work Place and Patterns of Usage”. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 5 (9), 61-80.
Nelson, J. (2011). “Distracted”. Canadian Business, 84(14), 28.
Schubert, K. (2011.) “Evolution of Networks into Networking”. In Stenzel, J. (Ed.) CIO Best Practices: Enabling Strategic Value with Information Technology (pp. 285- 325).Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
