subject: To block or not to block? Is blocking access to social networks in the workplace really the answer? [print this page] To block or not to block? Is blocking access to social networks in the workplace really the answer?
To block or not to block? Is blocking access to social networks in the workplace really the answer, when a business's ability to flourish is significantly enhanced by these very sites?
As I've noted before insocial networking friend or foe, research into time spent on online activities has found social networks hogging the top spot, and I don't envisage this changing anytime soon.
So what does all this time on social networks mean for business? Well undoubtedly the social network platform has opened up a whole new arena for businesses and other organisations to advertise, market themselves and generate leads for zero costs. In fact in certain sectors such as hospitality and events you just aren't cool if you don't have aFacebook page. For many of us when we're checking out a new hairdressers, nightclub, hotel, company or retailer, checking out their Facebook page is the first port of call. Here you can find out what other people are saying, avail of the promos dedicated to Followers or find out any other information you may need with regard to directions, services, opening times. Many of the custom fan pages even allow for you to book appointments, contact customer service or reserve rooms automatically and many also have a direct PayPal link so you can purchase goods or services directly from the page! It's actually possible for a company to manage their entire business on a custom Facebook page scary.
So with regard to social media's contribution to businesses well in my opinion it's pretty high!
However stats from IT firm Morse which reveal that 57% employees were accessing sites such as Facebook and Twitter for an average of 40 minutes per week, meaning that non-business use of the social networks is costing the UK 1.38 billion every year ($2.28 billion US Dollars) cannot be argued with.
There are clearly numerous employees who take advantage of the free access to social media sites and faster broadband speeds at the office to keep their social lives up to date and avoid doing anything productive in a work-related context.
What dangers do social media sites pose to businesses?
According to a survey of500 companies conducted by Sophos, 60% of respondents agreed that Facebook presents the biggest risk to company security.
According to the report LinkedIn is considered to be the least threatening of the networks, however as this is the one that the business world in particular uses quite proactively, the risks can't be ignored.
As Graham Cluley rightly notes, sites like LinkedIn provide hackers with what is effectively a corporate directory, listing your staff's names and positions.
Judging on the fact thatThe incidents of reported malware and spam attacks through social networks has jumped 70% since April of last year, according tostop blocking, (an online resource dedicated to the cause of preventing the outright blocking of employee access to the web) it seems that businesses have every right to be concerned. Not only have they to protect themselves from the various viruses and Malware that lurk on such platforms but additionally, if their employees aren't security savvy these threats are significantly increased as they unwittingly click targeted links.
Additionally, as Stop Blocking' adds,along with falling prey to phishing and other devious ploys there is the fear that employees will share information theyshouldn't.
In an article by theDaily Mail, Philip Wicks, a consultant at IT firm Morse, who carried out the study, stated the main issues faced by employers;
The popularity of these sites has grown considerably over the last couple of years but with it has come the temptation to visit them during office hours.
When it comes to an office environment, the use of these sites is clearly becoming a productivity black hole. It is clear that businesses shouldn't turn a blind eye to their employees' use of social networks, and instead look to formulate and enforce sensible usage policies.
Without guidelines and usage policies businesses are leaving themselves wide open to a reduction in productivity, brand damage and security risks,'
Reputation damage
Whilst threats to your business's online security, is the most obvious danger of unsolicited personal browsing by employees, spam and viruses aren't the only menaces to beware of. Many people forget' that comments and posts made on social networks are being put on a huge public stage for all to see. Unfortunately, unintentionally destructive comments made by a single employee regarding their company, boss, fellow colleagues or customers can be extremely detrimental to the public image and reputation of the entire business. We have all seen first-hand the negative PR that huge companies have faced at the hands of several unfavourable comments posted by employees on social network sites. I'm thinking in particular of Currys, PC World and Virgin Atlantic, who have all came under the spotlight in recent times after employees abused customers on social networking sites. What people tend to forget is that everything they write on a publicly reviewable social network site, regardless if it was meant jokingly, can be contextualised into something much more damaging, dependent on the reader.
So should you just block employee access to social network sites?
Unfortunately it's not as simple as that. The problem is that as aforementioned, social network sites have become more and more an integral part of modern businesses, so simply blockingFacebook,Twitter and the others via URL is not a realistic solution anymore. These networks now often form an important part of a company's overall marketing and sales strategies and blocking them is not business smart.
Additionally, as Stop blocking' rightly reminds us; there are dozens of alternative websites and applications and even catching them all does not prevent staff tweeting on mobile phones!'
So what to do? Well outright blocking is a no no in my opinion. For starters you're unlikely to increase employee's productivity by causing resentment among your workforce. Plus, research does suggest that a time-out or distraction from stressful or monotonous tasks can actually improve results and increase motivation, and social networks can offer the release required. However, allowing full access all the time with no control or regulation is only asking for trouble. Even the most diligent can be scuppered with a constant free reign.
So what's the alternative to simply blocking social media sites in the workplace?
Research dictates that employees are wasting valuable company time by spending copious amounts of their working day on social media sites, not to mention the additional personal browsing that goes on as well as online shopping, particularly prominent at this time of year. The fact is thattime is money!
With regards to the whole issue the words ofSpector CNEring true particularly in today's economic climate
Every minute spent off task is negatively impacting your bottom line.
Taking charge of how your employees use the Internet and eliminating excessive non-business activity will increase productivity and produce significant cost savings.
Rather than block access and risk disgruntled employees the best option is todevise an acceptable use policy and ensure all your employees are aware of the policy.
It's also important that such a policy doesn't just gather dust, but rather that it is enforced, and as such any employee who doesn't adhere to the code is punished in whatever way deemed appropriate, depending on the severity of the code break.
An alternative option, if you'd prefer more manageable control over internet usage in your office and additionally protect your computer systems from the many potential viruses, spam and Malware threats that the internet poses, is to employ a hosted service such asWEBawarewhich offers complete Web security and web filtering, with comprehensive user management, putting you in control.
You are able to control internet usage in several different ways, for instance what sites employees can access, the time of day that they are allowed to access certain sites, how long they are allowed to be on particular sites or even if you don't want to block access to sites such as Facebook you can simply limit the number of posts each employee can make on the site!
