Blocking all forms of social media can be even more detrimental for business.

Social media are changing the way people communicate there is no doubt about that.  They are making it easy for people to share information in real-time. However because social media have become such a major part of people’s lives companies are struggling to ensure that their employees are not wasting too much time on social media.

Many business owners are concerned that if their employees spend too much time online that they won’t be able to put in enough attention to their work.  Many companies have resorted to completely blocking social media in their offices. The problem with this action is that it is not an assurance that people will not waste their time in the office and that they will dedicate 100% productive time to the company.

Social media can be used as effective business tools for the company’s internal and external communications. Instead of blocking social media, companies should implement social media policies that encourage employees to use social media responsibly. You can even enlist your workers to use social media to benefit your company. You can have them tweet about your company’s programs and promos. There are so many uses for social media from hiring to marketing and you can get your employees to be part of all these processes.  If you need a new worker for example, you can have your employees post hiring announcements in their Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.  When you have special promos, you can also encourage your employees to use their social media accounts to promote the special promotions.

Instead of blocking social media in your office, your goal should be to make your employees your partner in establishing a good online presence.  Of course you cannot expect all your employees to use social media to advance your business’ interests.  What you need to do is to educate them regarding the positive and negative aspects of social media so that they will be guided in their interactions online. You can give your employees the freedom to use social media provided they can maintain a good level of productivity and that they will not post anything online that could hurt your business’ image.

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