Think before you act on social media

The elephant in the corner of most workplaces is that everyone uses part of their time during working hours on non-work related activity. The burgeoning trend or addiction – particularly with the younger generation – is time spent on social media sites.

We don’t mind if people make the odd personal phone call to make an appointment or to pass a quick message on to a loved one but when someone appears to spend an inordinate amount of time on things that aren’t related to work tension soon emerges.

That tension may be from others who are expected to pick up the slack or it may be an issue of fairness – why should I be working so hard when she gets away with spending all her time on Facebook?

And if it is LinkedIn does that make it acceptable? Or being on twitter? Or if it is here reading this blog – is that OK? Or answering text messages – is it work or personal or is it both at the same time?

Let’s dig a little deeper.

What is social media REALLY about?

It is reportedly about being connected to people – electronic conversations that many people seem compelled to be part of.

Electronic messages and interactions can sometimes take priority real face-to-face interactions with people in the same room.

It seems crazy and the time spent on social media can be positive or normal.

It can sometimes be casual chats that are no different to text messages or other inoffensive forms of communication but when social media becomes a distraction from work it is a real problem.

The notification of a new message on Facebook, a new mention on Twitter or an inbox alert from LinkedIn can provide a little surge of adrenaline – a little buzz that says “wow, someone really wants to speak to me.”

Because interactions on social media, particularly Twitter, are very brief, it is easy for the user to explain that the potential impact on work is minor.

But for some the buzz becomes a huge distraction. Anticipation builds up around logging into a social media site and seeing the number in brackets that indicates a new message, or more importantly to many, a new follower.

Instant isn’t quick enough for some social media users and they may have a social media application running all the time in the background so it is available for frequent checks.

Email is a social media tool

The instantly recognisable graphics and branding of social media sites make them stand out from a distance and if a co-worker has a site open it is obvious to those around that person, but beware the silent killer known as email.

Writing personal emails can burn through as much work time as any other non-work activity but it is a sneaky option for deliberate time wasters and procrastinators because it looks like work. How much time do you spend each day writing personal emails?

Is there a positive side?

Like just about everything there are some positive outcomes in moderate use.

Staying in touch with friends and family is an important and healthy activity and organising social activities with a quick text update or email gets that task off our mind so we can focus on work.

Knowing that something at home has been sorted is a welcome relief but what if it is the alert to a new problem at home, a new issue to be discussed or just idle conversation and chit-chat that a friend lures us into?

If someone is in marketing and sales it is likely that the extension of the network makes it a justifiable activity.

The most important thing is whether you can self-regulate to work efficiently and avoid the distraction of endless social media and networking.

What do you do if someone you work with is spending too much time on social media?

In those cases it is important that you say something to them.

It may be tempting to reveal what is happening to the boss and that will achieve the desired result of accountability, but in order to maintain and perhaps strengthen relationships it may be better to address the matter directly.

It is often the case that people lose perspective on how much time they pour into little tasks here and there, so making them aware of it is a positive first step. 

Start a discussion in your team: Are we overusing social media?

Policing of social media and personal use

Some companies block social media sites, some occasionally view work emails via administrator access to randomly check for indiscretions and others have people whose role is dedicated to social media.

It should not be treated differently to any other workplace freedom/trust trade-off. Do you enforce a 30-minute lunch break or do you let the social norm of the office dictate when people come and go?

Time wasting is not a new phenomenon, the use of social media is just a new way of doing it.

Restricting access to websites will prevent people wasting time but it will not increase the motivation of people in your workplace.

If they lacking motivation and are looking for distractions perhaps the underlying reasons should be explored.

Eve Ash has created an award winning library of DVDs and self-assessment tools at www.7dimensions.com.au