Social media at workplace

Even after blocking access to sites such as YouTube and Facebook from office desktops, three out of four workers are using personal devices to access social media at work, which explains social media addiction and hang over in our everyday lives.

According to the annual social media and employment research report by law firm William Fry, 78 percent of the 493 employees surveyed, operating in Ireland, are accessing social media using personal devices while at work — up from 60 percent in 2013.  The report also states that addiction in men is more than women. When a woman spends nearly 25 minutes on social networking sites during the working hours, a man spends 39 minutes for the same.

With the vast majority of traffic to social media platforms now coming via mobile apps, Catherine O’Flynn, a partner in William Fry’s Employment & Benefits department advises, “Businesses risk serious reputational and/or financial consequences from employees’ inappropriate activity on social media channels. Accordingly, it is vital that organizations address to use on personal devices as well as company devices when preparing their social media policies.”

There's also a major boost in awareness among employees about the impact their social media profiles could create on their potential employers. A total of 46 percent of employees said that what prospective employers might see on social media accounts influences their posts — up from 28 percent in 2013. LinkedIn and other professional social networking platforms have proved to be a major factor for the increasing number of employees using social media.

The study also shows that over a third of companies i.e. 36 percent of employers do not have a policy in place directing social media use while 25 percent of staff are unsure if there is one at their workplace.

In addition to the urgent need for companies to create a policy, the report also points out the open-ended issue of ‘ownership’ in social media. The report notes that 44 percent of employees have work-related contacts on their personal social media accounts with 96 percent stating they have never discussed with their employer what will happen to these contacts once they leave employment.

Ms. O’Flynn said, “This is another area that organizations need to address to prevent the loss of valuable contacts and information. This is especially important as the market continues to pick up and employees move from one job to another with more frequency and speed.”

The report clearly shows how the former distinctions between work and leisure time have been clouded for many of us by digital technology.