The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

Review of Literature
Erika Williams
University of Texas at El Paso

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

Abstract
The fact that Social Media is becoming part of a Marketing tactic in the
professional world, is something is going to change the entire way we view
business. In the recent years Twitter, and Facebook have grown to become
the top Marketing tactics. This can happen because businesses are able to
reach a larger amount of people in less time and it is mostly free. Advertising
online, and on Social Media is also extremely cost effective which is also
aiding to the fast growth. Business owners therefore have to make the
decision of creating an online presence, and how big they want that presence
to be. Not all of online marketing, and social media is free but it is extremely
more cost effective than a TV commercial or a newspaper ad, so the budget
they want to set is also something that could be in their favor is set up the
right way. Some companies disagree with the Marketing shifting to an online
setting because it calls for a change in their entire system. They are rooted
in the belief of If it isnt broke, dont fix it. These companies will soon be
forced to shift their Advertising to online media as the newspapers,
magazines, and billboards are all even becoming digital and only available
on a mobile or electronic device. These topics bring up questions that need
to be answered to decide for one if the effect of Social Media growth in
businesses will
be positive or negative. Small Companies are most likely to neglect this shift
as they dont see it as a necessity to grow, or dont want to grow. If they do
expect to grow they must increase their online presence as almost everyone

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

now has a smart phone, or has an online presence in someway. Larger

companies are very much jumping on this wagon, as we see them all over
the sides of our websites when we log in to search something on Google, or
check our Facebook status.

The Effects of Social Media growth in the workplace

Review of Literature
The recent shift from old traditional Marketing techniques such as
Newspaper Ads, flyers, or big expensive lumpy signs to online marketing on
Social Media has allowed for a growth in many businesses. Using Social
Media not only allows for businesses to advertise to more people with less
money, and less time, but it also allows to get to know potential hires,
communicate more effectively and faster. With most of the facts about Social
Media in the workplace, there can be a few negative factors that an
Employer should consider when making this change. Having Social Media, or
an online presence allows for employees to easily waste time, or use it for
their personal use. This is very ineffective, productivity will slow down and
time will be wasted. There are many ways an employer can try to prevent
this, but there is always that temptation there for the employee.
There are many more positive effects that will outweigh the negative
when talking about Social Media. Creating an online presence can allow for a
business brand and name to be more recognized, and viewed more. People
are always online. The big Social Media Advertising is on Twitter, and

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

Facebook and Instagram is quickly gaining interest and major points to soon
be in the top two with Twitter and Facebook.
Research will analyze the areas of the following questions:

How and why is social media used in the workplace?

How can an employer filter and monitor social media in the workplace,

so that an employee is not using it for personal purposes?

What are the statistics that Social Media has had a positive affect on

business growth, for those companies who have shifted to that?

What is the negative effect that Social Media has had in the workplace,
and that will grow as the online presence also continues to grow?
How and why is Social Media used in the workplace?
Social Media in the workplace is used to establish quicker, and faster

more effective ways of communication by email. Employees who are sitting

across the office from each other are able to hold a conversation with one
another without having to stand up and walk across the office while
distracting others from their work that are trying to listen to everyones
conversations. Ryan Westwood blogs about Facebook being helpful because
employees can access information on events, projects, dates, all through the
companies Facebook page (Do you Like Social Media in the workplace,
2015, pp.3). It is also used to establish and promote a companys brand. By
creating a website that is available on a hand held device and a computer
desktop can help customers quickly become aware of your company, your
address, contact information, and what services you provide or what you are
selling. It allows for collaboration that can happen under a minute if some

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

type of Instant Messenger is incorporated into the workplace. It is mainly

used to broaden the number of people a company can get to by a newspaper
ad compared to the Internet. An online presence can take a small company
and turn it into a large company with the right type of strategy marketing
and by being on the right channel of Social Media. A requirement for
businesses now days, is to be social. All people who are looking into a certain
market to find something will certainly turn to the internet first to locate one
in there are, or the one with the best website, and of course the best
reviews. That is just the way it has turned to. Something social media, or just
being able to connect online in the workplace is allowing employers to do
now, is hire someone that will specifically meet their needs and be able to
recruit more efficiently. An article on The Journalists Resource says that the
more popular use of online tools now is to recruit and screen potential
employees (Social Media in the workplace, 2013, pp.2).
How can an employer filter and monitor social media in the
workplace,

so that an employee is not using it for personal

purposes?
With positive sides to Social Media in the workplace, there is always a
counteractive one as well. Employees could be using Social Media on
company time, and there are many ways that employers can try and prevent
that without crossing that line of privacy. Robins Kaplan on helping
employers navigate new Workplace Data Privacy Laws, that now more and
more employees access personal social media sites during the workday

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

(Helping Employers Navigate New Workplace Data Privacy Laws, 2014, pp.1).
Many employers have responded to this by implementing policies and
emphasizing how much at risk the company can be put at because they are
wasting company time. This has become difficult for employers because
many states have privacy laws that impact how employers can control an
employees use of workplace data. Employers can require for the employee
to sign a contract at the initial hire time and have stated that they are
subject to an investigation if the problem ever arises. This policy the
employer writes will have to be researched and very clearly written, to
ensure that they are not breaking any privacy laws if need be they ever need
to investigate a situation. Employers also have the option of storing emails
that are sent and received from the workplace computers. The email they
are storing from must be paid for by the company or else this will be illegal
and unethical. Business calls may also be recorded as Caron Beeseley
assures employers in her contribution to the SBA.gov website (Beeseley,
2012, pp.6).
What are some Social Media Statistics?
Many different studies have been done to show how much Social Networking
in the workplace has grown. A study done on email growth by The Sailor
Foundation shows the growth for email use in 2009 at 1.9 billion people to an
estimated 2.5 billion people in 2014 (Sailor, 2012, pp.1). This is a basic study
that shows more and more people are becoming online savvy, which will
translate to many other channels of social media then just email. Sailor

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

Foundation also conducted a study on pure Social Media usage in people; in

2012 58 million people in the United States used some type or online
network or Social Media every day. OF these people studied, 47% of them
said that Facebook had a great influence on items they purchased. Study
number 3 shows that 23% of people on Facebook check their Facebook
Account more than five times a day (Sailor, 2012, pp4). Next the Sailor
Foundation conducted studies on Twitter, it did show that people were not as
much on twitter as Facebook but those who were, were certainly more active.
76% of Twitter uses are posting on a regular basis. There are approximately
300,000 new Twitter users each day. These statistics and studies encompass
the basis of this research study, that almost 1 in 2 people have some kind of
a Social Media account, or are involved in Social Networking in some way.
This is something that employers, and businesses cannot escape from and
leads them to be forced to make a shift onto an online market and Social
Media savvy workplace. Social Engine Journal also has some statistics
provided by Kelsey Jones that state 93% or marketers use social media for
business, 70% of brands have a presence on Google, 70% or marketers have
used Facebook to successfully gain new customers and 34% have used
Twitter for new leads (Jones, 2013, pp.3). These percentages are extremely
high, and go to show how much of an impact it has made in the business
world today. One last statistic that shows how crucial Social Media is in the
workplace now is from Business To Community Forum that shows 56% of

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

millennials say they wont accept a job unless social media is allowed at work
(Gould, 2014, pp.2).
What is the negative effect that Social Media has had in the
workplace, and that will grow as the online presence also continues
to grow?
Social Media in the workplace has the effect of distracting employees, and
taking their attention away from the original task. Brian Jung says in his
article on the Negative Effect of Social Media, that the rise of social media in
ones personal media will create a false sense of connection in peoples
relationships (Jung, 2103, pp. 2). As people continue to become more and
more involved in the online networking they will begin to experience real
relationships differently. A decrease in productivity will definitely occur in the
workplace. Cyber Bullying is also a big disadvantage that occurs as the social
media trend continues to grow. Kids are vulnerable to this, but this is also
common with co-workers. They will continue the harassment in the
workplace, and this will lead to decrease of productivity as well. A press
release done by the EEOC says that social media use can lead to
discrimination concerns. It states that the improper use of information when
recruiting employees, may be discriminatory since some employers might
discriminate on race, gender, age or ethnicity (EEOC, 2014, pp.4).
In Conclusion, the effect that Social Media will have in the workplace
can have positives and negatives. Most of the effects it will have are positive
ones, especially if an employer takes the proper steps and sets policies in

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

place that protects them, and essentially their employees as well. It will also
help in continuing to grow businesses, and open more opportunity for
everyone. There will also be different markets emerging from the internet,
and new ways to market, hire, explore, expand, than we know now as it
continues to grow. There are negatives in any situation, but in this particular
topic of Social Media and an online workplace, the good outweighs the bad.

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

10

References
Beesley, C. Email, Phone and Social Media monitoring in the Workplace-Know
your rights as an employer. U.S. Small Business Administration. Retrieved
from https://www.sba.gov/blogs/email-phone-and-social-media-monitoringworkplace- know-your-rights-employer
Falls,R. (2014, February, 14). The Benefits of Social Media Networking at
Work. HR.

Retreieved from http://www.proskauer.com/files/uploads/social-

media-in-

the- workplace-2014.pdf

Gould, J. (2014, November 22). Social Media in the Workplace. Business 2

Community.

Retrieved from

http://www.business2community.com/social-media/social-media- workplace01075387
Jones, K (2013, November 15). The Growth of Social Media. Search Engine
Journal.

Retrieved from http://www.searchenginejournal.com/growth-

social-media-2-0-infographic/77055/
Journalists Resource. (2013, April 11). Retrieved from
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/socialmedia-

workplace-research-roundup

The Effect of Social Media in the Workplace

11

Jung, B. The Negative Effect of Social Media on Society and Individuals.

Small Business.

Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-

effect-social-media-

society-individuals-27617.html

Martinez, R. (2014, September 4). Employee use of Social Media: Helping

employers navigate new workplace data Privacy Laws. Robins Kaplan.
Retrieved from
http://www.robinskaplan.com/resources/articles/employee-use-ofsocial-

media-

helping-employers-navigate-new-workplace-

data-privacy-laws
Saylor Foundation . Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/wpcontent/uploads/2013/02/BUS208-2.2.2-Social-Networking-for-theWorkplace- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2014,
March 12) Social Media is Part of

Todays Workplace but use May raise

Employment Discrimination Concerns.

Retrieved from

http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/3-12-14.cfm
FINAL.pdf
Westwood, R., (2015, March 5). Do you Like Social Media. Forbes. Retrieved
from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanwestwood/2015/03/05/hit-like-if-youagree-

with-social-media-in-the-workplace/3/