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December 2017 - Business Support

Survey reveals why business owners are in a dilemma over social media: Out of 1,000 UK office workers, over half (51%) of those surveyed believed access to social media made them less productive at work, while around one third thought social media had the opposite effect.

According to a survey conducted by Free Office Finder, although only one third claimed they spent less than half an hour a day on social media, over four fifths (84%) admitted they searched for a colleague’s social media profile, with over two thirds (68%) of adults surveyed saying they thought less of a colleague because of something they had come across. In addition, around one quarter (23%) said they were disciplined for their use of social media.  

According to last year’s figures from UK communications regulator, Ofcom, adults over the age of 16 spent (on average) 5.9 hours on the internet a week at work or at a place of education; almost double from results in 2005.

With colleagues claiming that social media sites can help build relationships in the workplace, some business owners have altered their internet policies and even banned the use of popular sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to limit misuse of social media and distractions at work.

Nonetheless, many entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises (SME’s) use social media on a daily basis as a means of cheap advertising, however reports regarding the negative implications of social media marketing, such as demographic targeting and the filter-bubble effect, are making it harder for business owners to validate the use of social media in the workplace.   

Commenting on the effects of social media in the workplace and the potential solutions of the dilemma, Managing Director of Free Office Finder, Nick Riesel, said:“It’s clear that social media is becoming an ever more integral part of office life. The challenge for companies is in working out how to harness its potential toward productive, business-positive ends. Part of the solution may be updating company policy to make clear to staff what is and is not acceptable use, and providing training sessions that set out clear guidelines as to how to manage your social media profiles so as to not negatively impact on the work environment.”

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