Social networks and team productivity: attention and monitoring is necessary!

There is a lot of discussion about freedom of access to social networks and internet communication programs during work. Some understand that the use of these services is a way of valuing employees, offering this freedom on social networks as benefits to professionals. Others consider that access management is the best option, with the definition of rules for accessing this content, as the waste of time generated can significantly affect the team's productivity and the company's results.

When defining how the company will position itself on the subject, it is very important to initially evaluate the profile of professionals in the work environment, the maturity of the team and the type of activities performed by employees.

The ideal is to adopt a position that is in balance between total freedom in using the network and stricter access rules that completely restrict access to social networks, communication programs or services of personal interest.

” management model , where the majority of professionals are young or the activities performed allow greater flexibility in schedules and freedom for professionals to organize their tasks, it is easier to have an open stance in relation to the use of social networks and internet in general.

In this context, it is important to highlight that these companies usually have very effective results evaluation methods, so if the team is delivering results as expected or desired, it is possible to maintain greater freedom in the use of social networks. Now, if the results are not as expected, it is necessary to evaluate the reason, which could be wasted time or lack of attention resulting from improper use of the network, which is why it is essential to implement a technology use policy, to alleviate the problem.

In traditional corporate environments, where within the management process there is no structured monitoring of the activities carried out and results delivered by employees or the team, it is important to have some monitoring in relation to the use of the internet and technology resources, including the use of smartphones personal. Because, as it is not possible to measure the productivity and performance of employees, it is possible that many are wasting a large part of their time on activities not related to work and this can represent a very relevant waste for the company. Use our time wastage calculator to estimate the cost this could represent for your company.

In many cases, what can hinder companies is the “thinkism” of managers. For example, thinking that the employee is not being productive because they access Facebook a few times during the day.

The manager cannot use intuition to assess how his team is performing, he needs to be objective and seek answers to some questions:

• Does accessing social media or using a cell phone affect employee performance?
• How much does this disrupt and in what context, in terms of quantity of tasks or quality?
• What is the performance of each employee in relation to the others on the team?
• Are employees and the team performing as expected and delivering tasks on time and with the required quality?

The answer to these items can help in understanding where the bottlenecks of low productivity and whether the use of the internet, social networks or cell phones are compromising the results.

Tracking tasks and results

Regardless of the practice adopted by the company, the most important thing is, firstly, to monitor the activities carried out by employees, both in terms of quality and quantity. In other words, if the tasks are being delivered within the desired deadline and with the quality expected by the company or customers.

There are numerous services on the internet that can assist in this monitoring, allowing complete management of the activities carried out by each employee and the results obtained. Let's look at some:

• Acelerato – a solution focused on project management and service system, very simple and intuitive, allowing efficient monitoring of everything. You can test the tool for 15 days free of charge.
• Runrun-it – great solution for project management, allows you to track activities and measure the time spent on all tasks. It has a free version.
• Trello – very simple and practical service for managing any flow of activities, it also has a free version with resource limitations.
• Basecamp – good alternative to improve communication and record all information regarding the development of tasks and projects. There is no free version.

In conjunction with monitoring activities, it is necessary to assess whether professionals are truly engaged with the company's objectives , as this commitment is fundamental to good performance.

In some cases, it may occur that the professional is unmotivated and there is no follow-up method that will solve the problem. It is necessary to talk, try to identify the causes of this lack of commitment, so that the situation can be reversed. If this is not possible, it is best to opt for termination and replacement, in search of professionals who are in synergy with the company's purpose.

Internet access management and control

In relation to controlling what can be accessed on the internet, this is a measure that must always be taken with sobriety. It is not recommended to simply completely restrict access to social networks or other services of personal interest, as this may demotivate professionals or even compromise relaxation during breaks or rest times, which are necessary and important.

It is recommended to always seek balance, initially monitoring employees' use of the internet and creating restrictions based on types of content and specific times, adapting these rules to the employees' profile and activities performed. In this article, we already talked about how to implement a good internet usage policy in corporate environments .

Here at Lumiun, we offer an affordable and simple internet access management solution. To find out more, contact us .

The reality is that there is no answer or method that solves the problem of productivity and commitment of professionals in companies. But as far as possible, it is necessary for organizations to seek to be in a constant process of improvement and evolution, monitoring the behavioral changes of professionals and taking advantage of technology resources that contribute to management. Some items that can be followed are:

• Implement practical and objective systems for controlling employee productivity.
• Create a performance evaluation program with benefits in achieving goals.
• Carry out internal awareness campaigns on the use of technology, both in relation to productivity and information security.
• Use task management systems, activity flow and monitoring internet use

Ultimately, the internet exists to contribute to the daily lives of companies and professionals. It is up to each person to use these resources in a healthy way and focused on the common good, in a personal, professional and corporate sense.

Share with us in the comments how you see the use of social media and smartphones at work and how you think it impacts productivity!