The emergence of social networks has created a division of opinions regarding their applicability in the professional world.
Considered by many as the enemy of productivity, social networks currently play an important role in the digital market. The activities of companies in these networks are increasingly attracting customers, consolidating brands and increasing the number of sales.
However, activity on these platforms is still surrounded by controversy: after all, are social networks friends or enemies of productivity?
Social networks increase productivity in the workplace
This was the conclusion of a study carried out by Warwick Business School , located in England.
According to this study, the use of social networks in work environments goes beyond distraction. What was observed was that the variety of social media platforms helps people carry out their activities at work.
The option of using digital communication facilitated by social networks helps to ensure that collective tasks are completed more efficiently. Furthermore, it enables employees to be able to respond to customer requests more quickly.
The quick access to information that social networks allow for new business models should be seen as employee empowerment, not an overload of work.
The study also suggests that companies should ensure that their employees can control their own access to the flow of information, connecting and disconnecting whenever necessary.
Obviously this attitude would start from the premise that employees are mature enough to discern when and why to use social networks to boost productivity. The practice, however, is quite different. We will talk about this later.
Social networks as a reliable and quick source of information
Nowadays it is possible to search for anything on Google. In the same way that this opened new horizons in relation to access to information, this possibility also represents a major problem.
There is no way to guarantee that the information you are looking for will find a safe and suitable source to solve your problem. In short, people post whatever they want on the internet and, therefore, it becomes increasingly difficult to certify the veracity of this information before reproducing it, which can put your company's reputation at risk.
In this aspect, the social network becomes very valuable, because, when searching for certain information, the user will be able to receive responses from contacts capable of providing that information.
Therefore, by returning your question to the social network, you are able to receive more useful, accurate and faster information than if you searched for it in one of the search engines.
The invaluable value of networking
Social networks help build a network that will help employees perform their duties better.
By building an adequate network using the social network relevant to their work, your employees will be able to obtain important tips and advice, stay up to date with the main trends in the segment, and have the opportunity to expand their knowledge through webinars and online courses taught on the platform itself. .
Furthermore, companies can benefit from the resources of appropriate social networks to discover new talents that can enrich their team and strengthen their business model.
The benefits exist. Productivity pitfalls too.
In contrast to the results of the study cited above, some companies see the advent of social networks as productivity traps.
While for some market segments the relevance of social media has grown dramatically and such platforms are used as important tools for establishing new business models, others treat digital communication with rejection.
Although both aspects are correct, the usefulness of social networks ends up being closely linked to the use that employees make of them. A social network in itself is neither good nor bad for business: it simply is. How you use it is what will define your relationship with productivity.
Another study commissioned by Harmon.ie and carried out by research institute uSamp came to the conclusion that the spread of collaboration tools and social media causes companies to lose millions of dollars annually due to lost productivity.
According to the study, the three main reasons for lost productivity are:
- Constant breaks at work
A survey carried out using more than 500 e-mail users indicates that 60% of constant breaks at work occur due to the use of social networks, text messages and instant messages, as well as the use of e-mails.
53% of these users spend around 1 hour a day due to distractions. What's more: 45% of the number above work just 15 minutes without being distracted.
- Distraction as a choice
It's one thing for a focused employee to be interrupted. Another thing is to choose to stop what you are doing to browse social media.
The study commissioned by Harmon.ie indicates that two in three people said they interrupt their work-related activities to digitally contact someone else.
However, the biggest productivity killer was email, which 48% of people interviewed said they used in these moments when they chose to be distracted. In second place come cell phone calls (35%). Next are messaging conversations (25%) and status updates on social networks (12%).
- Difficulty maintaining focus
The big problem with constant interruptions is the difficulty in maintaining focus on the activities that involve work.
Breaks make it impossible for employees to have a flow of thought and concentration to be able to perform their duties properly.
Common sense must always prevail
If, on the one hand, tools that block access to social networks and some websites can alienate and make the work of employees more difficult, the indiscriminate use of these resources and tools can become the great enemy of productivity.
The best attitude is, without a doubt, education. Training your employee so that they develop a critical sense that allows them to have access to tools and know how to use them sparingly is to show that your business model is capable of integrating freedom and functionality with balance.
