Blog #4

Social Media in the Workplace

We’ve all seen a social media post here and there with content along the lines of “ugh…is it Friday yet?” on a Monday morning at 10 o’clock or “stuck at work…wish I could enjoy the sunshine today!” Whichever way you spin it, we’ve all seen one, but, is this okay? Should social media even be a thing in workplaces today?

Let’s discuss.

In my honest, college kid opinion- I don’t think social media usage on company time is the end of the world. There, I said it! Sometimes when the going gets tough, you just need a minute to read or focus on anything that isn’t work, for that moment.

For some positions, posting on the company social media is part of the job and with this, I know it’s hard not to get distracted. Say you post something on the company Instagram then decide to scroll for a few minutes on your personal feed- I really don’t think the world will end; however, this is mostly all situational. Say it’s a slow day in the office and you have some time to kill before that 12 o’clock meeting, I don’t see anything wrong with scrolling for a few minutes. But, if the day is jam-packed and you barely have time to breathe and you’re still checking your social media, I’d say it’s time for a reality check. If you’re making posts like the examples I gave above, then I think you may want to check yourself. But if it’s harmless scrolling in between projects then by all means, go off!

However, in all potential scenarios, legal issues must be considered. Say you tweet a picture of your feet up on your desk and there is a very visible, stack of files on your desk that someone could read, this could breach confidentiality agreements decided upon your hire. Though these are almost always unintentional, it is something to consider. So, with that, I will re-emphasize that scrolling for a minute here and there is harmless; however, when it comes to posting, I think more ground rules should be set so that confidentiality and legality don’t become a major issue.

…

In regard to the social media policies from various companies- here are my thoughts:

I think all of the rules and policies put in place are fair. Essentially, it seems like all the companies are try to do is make sure that their employees exemplify the same values both in and outside the office (including social media.) I don’t think the purpose of these policies was to restrict the employees’ voice online, I think the idea is to make sure all employee’s remain professional when they are not in the office.