Small to Midsize Businesses (SMBs) have a lot to gain from joining the social media revolution, and even by allowing employees some personal Facetime at work. There are a number of drawbacks though, and some can be very serious.
Many SMBs are well aware of the potential risks as evidenced by a recent survey conducted by Forrester. Businesses were sent surveys as part of the security study and were asked about social media risk. It was named as one of the biggest security concerns.
If social media accounts are accessed at work, they pose a considerable risk to network security. There is a major risk of suffering a malware infection from social media websites. Accounts can be hijacked and there are issues with staff accessing inappropriate content or posting sensitive information about the company. Data leakage is a concern, and highly regulated industries face greater risks. Healthcare professionals could all too easily violate HIPAA rules.
With all of these serious risks, why would any business permit members of staff to access personal social media accounts at work? Why not just implement a zero tolerance policy, and take action against any employee found to be using social media sites at work? Better still, social media sites could be blocked entirely to prevent all employees from having a sneaky peek at their Facebook accounts!
There are benefits to be gained from allowing social media access in the workplace
Social media access by employees is not all bad news. There are many positive benefits to be gained from allowing staff a little time to access their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts at work. Even some YouTube time can be very beneficial. Here are four reasons why a total ban on social media use at work is not necessarily the best option for employers.
A little social media access can improve the productivity of staff!
Employees may be seen to “waste” a little time each day accessing Facebook or other social media websites at work, but the time is not necessarily totally wasted. In fact, some downtime can improve the productivity of employees. How productive would you be if you worked 8 hours straight each day without taking a break? You may be able to do it for a few days each week, but burnout awaits those who try to do too much.
Recent research shows that allowing workers access to their social media accounts can actually increase productivity, and not just a little. A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review showed that productivity increases of 20-25% are possible with a little Facetime allowed each day. Employees can actually get answers to questions much more quickly by using social media and professional networking websites than trawling through websites!
LinkedIn can be used to find new staff members, or encourage the best people to apply for a job. If business accounts are opened and managed, it is much easier to connect with customers, and customer service standards can be improved. The cost of providing those services can also be reduced thanks to social media. The websites are also a great way of communicating with customers and staff.
Social media can give a business a competitive edge
There are reasons why the likes of Google and Facebook give their staff ping pong tables, napping chairs, video games and use bright and bold color schemes in their offices. They improve staff morale, they make employees happier at work and, consequently, staff complain less about having to work incredibly long hours.
OK, we are not saying you should turn your office into an amusement arcade, but allowing employees some time off to use social media sites is not that bad. It is a selling point as well, especially for Gen Y staff. They expect to be able to have some social media time at work.
You probably ban social media access at work, but your competitors might not. One of them almost certainly allows some Facetime at work. It could be the difference between attracting the best workers or just the mediocre ones!
Blocking access to social media websites is not easy
So you want to ban social media use at work. How do you plan to implement that ban? Just tell staff it is inappropriate to access the sites and then turn a blind eye to a little use? Get HR to bring employees in who access Twitter during work time? Purchase a web filter to block access?
A ban must be enforced, access to the sites needs to be monitored, and action taken against offenders. If you have a lapse in adherence to the policy, how will you deal with it? It could well be more trouble that it is worth!
If you operate a BYOD scheme and allow the use of personal laptops or tablets at work, you can’t ban employees from using their own devices to access social media websites outside of office hours. You will still need to implement policies covering use of the sites, even if they are blocked in the office.
Regardless of controls, if employees want to use social media, a ban will not stop them
Implementing a ban does not mean employees will stop using social media at work, it will just be harder to control. Even if you purchase a web filter, such as that offered by SpamTitan, and block access to the sites for all staff members, employees will still access their accounts if they want to. They will just use their Smartphones. You will then lose all control and it will be impossible to monitor how much time your employees are spending on the sites. In fact, a ban could well lead to employees taking more risks, or posting disparaging remarks about your company.
Instead of implementing a total ban, why not look for ways to leverage the use of social media websites, and develop policies to control usage. Even implement software solutions to minimize security risks and give you control over what is accessed via the websites.