The Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Workplace

Many technology and telecomm leaders are well educated in the pros and cons of social media in the workplace via their intranets or engagement platforms. But outside the tech industries, companies may be reluctant to allow social media interaction.

In our work with corporate brand leaders, E Group has determined that using social media at work needn’t produce fear and negative press. While there are potential cons, they can be proactively managed to produce positive results, and organizations can even use social media to increase employee engagement.

Check out this pros and cons list compiled from our work with dozens of brand leaders:

PROS of Social Media at Work
 

Empower Employees. Employees often feel as though their voice is not being heard. Setting up an internal social media platform can decrease corporate hierarchy. Speaking directly to senior leadership suddenly is more attainable. It encourages and eases communication, initiates a collaborative exchange of ideas, and helps eliminate business silos resulting in increased employee engagement. Read more about empowering your employees in the article Leveraging Social Media to Increase Employee Engagement.

Productivity.

Employers may have concern for the potential loss of productivity, but recent studies have shown that social media interaction during the workday actually helps to boost productivity and retention. Employers will find that by embracing social media usage, and by praising this use of multi-tasking, strong employees will efficiently balance workload and deadlines with their social media interactions. The resources they utilize, the knowledge they share, and the connections they make socially will support and compliment the work they are delivering.

Analyzing Data.

With current analytics technology employers have the ability to analyze internal company trends, consolidate employee skill sets, and find potential leaders that may have been hidden behind the scenes. Having this additional information can help shape internal programs and individualize them to align with employee goals.

Social Selling.

Using social networks to prospect and develop existing business can be a powerful and valuable tool. This resource is still relatively new technology, but for some, they can make far better strides spending an hour on LinkedIn searching for a particular title or keyword phrase then they would at a random networking event. 

We interviewed David Lingebach, who focuses on growing his client’s business with innovative technology and marketing. He uses social selling to extend his network and strategically connect with people in a large siloed organization. He’s also able to quickly gain valuable insight into his client’s business that may have otherwise taken him weeks or months to discover.

CONS of Social Media at Work
 

Increased Cybersecurity.

Hackers can commit fraud, launch spam, or even launch companywide viruses through a social media platform. It’s important to protect your network with the same level of security that applies to proprietary business information. When launching an employee engagement program recently for a government contractor with a global footprint, E Group worked with their IT team to ensure that socialware was not part of their platform. Given their top secret security work globally, the alleviation of any risk was the right call.

Usage Guidelines.

Employers must develop clear policies and monitor social media to prevent employees that choose to use the platform to vent about clients and the organization, post confidential information, or even to post potentially offensive material. It is crucial for employers to provide clear guidelines on what is appropriate use so employees can have clarity and reference as needed.

When considering integrating social media in your workplace, it's important to understand the potential negative risks noted as cons. Once you understand them however, you can take precautionary steps to alleviate them. This will allow your organization to experience the benefits of social media in the workplace.

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Source: egroupengage.com/blog

Collected by Nhu Vu SAPUWA