Social Networking in the Workplace

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Top 10 Most Popular Social Networks (Nov. 2010)

Site Unique Visits

Facebook 133,623,529

MySpace 50,615,444

Twitter 23,573,178

Linkedin 15,475,890

Classmates 14,613,381

MyLife 8,736,352

Ning 6,120,667

LiveJournal 3,834,155

Tagged 3,800,325

Last.fm 3,473,978

Common Mistakes By Organizations

• First, organizations often fail to implement usage policies that establish a clear set of guidelines.

• Second, without encouragement, training, and guidelines, employees are sometimes scared to use new apps and tools. Other times, employees are confused about how these new tools work.

• Third, old habits die hard. Many people will continue to rely on what they know: email and voice mail. Organizations need to wean themselves from long, drawn-out email chains and encourage people to embrace new ways of doing things.

What Potential Benefits Can Social Networking Tools Provide?

• Preventing overloaded email inboxes• Allowing more open communication filtered by

relevance. This leads to enhanced information discovery and, ultimately, knowledge.

• Allowing employees to answer previously answered questions–and search those answers.

• Allow employees to discuss ideas, post news, ask questions, and easily share links with one another.

• Organizations can tap into knowledgeable resources throughout the company.

One Size Does Not Fit All

• In other words, the benefits of these social networking apps and tools vary on the following:– the type of app deployed– specific features– end-users’ familiarity with “web 2.0” tools– the organization itself– a host of other “people-related” factors

Phil Simons

• After extensive conversions, I have reached one less-than-revolutionary conclusion: Many largely unanswered questions remain about social networking in the workplace.

Posted on 23. Nov, 2009

69% of Businesses Allow Social Media Usage

• Up from 37% in 2007• 63% are using social media to build and promote their

brand• 61% are using it to improve communication and

collaboration • 58% are using it to increase consumer engagement• Robert Half Technology said 46% of companies allow

access to social networking sites

Social Media Endorsements

– "Organizations, from the top-down, must be open to recognizing that there are better ways of doing things. Twitter and other social media have benefits to internal communications that haven't been explored. In fact, some of them surpass e-mail in efficiency and ease of communication…We are evolving. Going from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 is kind of like going from radio to color TV; it's a quantum leap.“

– Steve Prentice, Industrial Psychologist

– "These (Social Media) tools are proving valuable in areas such as recruitment, public affairs, and quality of life for our military personnel, as well as sharing information with allies, coalition partners and military families.“

– William Lynn, US Deputy Secretary of Defense

Top Company Fears

1. Loss of productivity (65.7 percent)

2. Lack of security (45.7 percent)

3. Fear of having inappropriate content posted (42.9 percent)

• Source: Enterprise adoption of Web 2.0 technologies, by Awareness, Inc. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/report_businesses_social_media_usage.php

Loss of Productivity Fear

– “Employees who use the internet for personal reasons at work are 9% more productive than those who don’t .”

• “Workplace Internet leisure Browsing," or WILB, helped to sharpened workers' concentration.

• "People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration”

• "Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days' work, and as a result, increased productivity,"

• Social media tools can offer a highly advanced and efficient communication option

– Source: University of Melbourne study http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5313G220090402

Lack of Security Fear

– Viruses through social media applications such as the recent City Fire Department Facebook game are becoming more common but standard online security prevention practices can mitigate these risks.

• Remind employees not to click on suspicious looking links or messages that seem like spam

• Keep and up-to-date antivirus software, operating system/browser security patches, and updates

• Check security messages (for example, http://www.facebook.com/security )

Inappropriate Content Fear• Company stats:

– 17 % of companies disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies.

– Nearly 9% reported terminating an employee for such a violation (both increases from 2008, 11% and 6%, respectively).

– 15% have disciplined an employee for violating multimedia sharing / posting policies in the past 12 months, while 8% reported terminating an employee for such a violation

– However, only 17% of companies have programs in place to monitor and mitigate the potential reputational risks related to the use of social networks.

• Source: Proofpoint survey http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Proofpoint-Inc-1027877.html• Source: Deloitte LLP 2009 Ethics & Workplace Survey

http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_2009_ethics_workplace_survey_150509.pdf

How To Mitigate Risk• “The same way it can keep employees from doing stupid

things on email & the phone. Give them guidelines and resources. Have an online communications policy that follows standard communications policies and trust them to do the right thing.” ~Scott Monty, Ford Motor Company

• Make this an opportunity to teach your employees how to be brand ambassadors

• An existing companies business conduct policy should cover employee usage on social media sites – if not, update

• If employees will be blogging, create specific guidelines

• Sample guidelines:• http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-media.htm• http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html• http://jaffeassociates.com/uploads/userfiles/file/Social.pdf

SOCIAL NETWORKING IN SOCIAL SERVICES

Ethical? Professional Behavior?

Questions Under Debate:

• Should a therapist review the Web site of a client or conduct an online search without that client's consent?

• Is it appropriate for a Social Service Professionals to put personal details about themselves on a blog or Web site or to join Facebook or other social networks?

• What are the risks of having clients and Social Service Professionals interact online?

Important

• Neither the American Psychiatric Association nor the American

Psychological Association has rules specifically governing therapists' online behavior, but ethics advisers with the

psychiatric association maintain that online searches are not wrong -- as long as

they're done in the patient's interest and not out of therapist curiosity.

Opinion

• Benjamin, 53, directs psychiatric training at UMass, and advocates caution when it comes to mixing the Internet with therapy.

• He says he has never searched a patient's name online and worries that doing so could dilute the therapeutic process by bringing in information from outside the patient-therapist discussion. When patients have asked Benjamin to read their blogs, he has agreed, with one caveat: that he do so during a regular counseling session. "Even if you brought me a disability form, I'd fill it out in the room with you," says Benjamin. "I was taught to make the time with the patient the time when the work is done."

Opinion

• Suena Massey,35, an assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University Medical Center, considers Googling a patient a valuable professional tool.

• "One of the duties of a psychiatrist is to corroborate what patients say," Massey explains. To that end, online searches can be helpful when traditional approaches -- obtaining the patient's consent to contact his previous psychiatrist or family members -- are not available.

“Digital Native”

• Millennial (Gen Y) 1981-2000

• Also labeled the “Internet” generation, they are the most tech-savvy generation to date, and they value cutting-edge technology.

Recommendations

• Make thoughtful decisions about who you accept on your friends list and thus, grant access to your personal information.

• Consider using some form of restrictions to your online profile such as utilizing private or friend-only access or using a pseudonym.

• Keep in mind that whatever you share online may be available to numerous individuals and once out there, it can’t be taken back.

• Consider online relationships as similar to in-person ones with clients and former clients.

Recommendations, Con’t.

• Don’t overlook the potential impact of online relationships on the professional one.

• Never access a clients’ personal information without obtaining permission. Ensure they understand the potential impact of online disclosures on the psychotherapy relationship.

• Utilize the APA Ethics Code and consultation with colleagues to guide decision making.

• Create a policy for the use of social networking sites, share this with clients who ask and follow it carefully.

• By Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D.