According to Social Media Today, the average person is spending nearly two hours a day on social media. 98% of employees use at least one social media site for personal use, of which 50% post about their company.
Let’s first look at the good side!
The use of social media sites in the workplace can help employees stay connected when they’re not in the office. It can also help coworkers collaborate on projects more efficiently, which is helpful for remote workers or for employees who travel frequently.
The advantages of social media in the workplace can include creating a positive work environment. The use of social media to post updates about work projects or share interesting articles can help create a mutually-beneficial relationship with coworkers and the company’s stakeholders.
Let’s look at the dark side now!
No work environment is perfect and discussing the imperfections with others who can relate makes daily nuisances a little easier to deal with. Today, social media is the first platform on which these shares are made.
Social media in the workplace can also be a security risk for businesses. Employees may post confidential or sensitive information online, which can jeopardize the business’s security.
So, can you prevent this by dictating what employees can and can’t do on their own social media accounts, even out of office hours?
If it relates to your organisation, the answer is yes.
When an employee joins an organisation, they agree to the behaviors defined in your employment contract, staff handbook and policies. A social media policy should be part of this.
So what about employee participation in social media?
Don’t expect everyone to jump onboard: 80/20 rule.
20% of your staff will participate in social media and create 80% of the results you’re looking for.
The middle 60% will sort of participate and it’s your job to keep them trained and motivated.
The bottom 20% will most likely never participate and that’s okay. There’s always hope they’ll come around.
Are these numbers familiar to you?
Yes, it looks like employee engagement rates!
Successful employee engagement programs result in greater organic exposure for your brand without additional online advertising costs.
Remember, you cannot create employee engagement with social media posts alone. It would be better to focus on employee engagement first.