CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study One company in the United States adopted a policy embracing the use of Facebook inside the work place. The chief executive officer urged his 800 employees to sign up for Facebook and use it to network with one another and spend time every Friday getting to know fellow workers. He believes that social networking sites (SNS) like Facebook can help them know other people, understand their business and products well and help them better serve their customers. But in the Philippines, where the Social Networking Capital of the World lies and people are usually unproductive, the use of SNS in the workplace makes them unfocused on their work because their attention is diverted with the availability of social media at their fingertips. In the Philippines, one governor of South Cotobato has banned the use of Social Networking Sites in his capitol in order to ensure that government employees will work well. A proper evaluation of this new trend in the workplace is a necessity to educate Filipino employees, whether in the private or public sector, on the consequences of using technological innovations such as SNS in the workplace. As defined by PC Magazine, Social Networking Sites (SNS), is a web site that provides a virtual community for people to share their daily activities with family and friends, or to share their interest in a particular topic, or to increase their circle of acquaintances. There are dating sites, friendship sites, and sites with a business
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purpose and hybrids that offer a combination of these. Facebook is the leading personal site, and LinkedIn is the leading business site. Globally, hundreds of millions of people have joined one or more social sites. These online networks allow individuals to meet strangers and build new relationship and provide a means to maintain relationships by serving as venues for users to keep contact with friends and relatives. The Internet, being one of the most exceptional innovations in the 20th and 21st centuries, has great significance in the different aspects of human life. Most organizations in the Philippines have embraced the benefits of utilizing the Internet in their day-to-day work, making it an essential tool in conducting business. It is utilized according to the unique needs of an individual, a community, an industry or a company. According to the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development (2008), instead of doing work-related matters during working hours, Filipinos engage in downloading music or video, playing Internet games, checking personal emails, blogging and accessing Social Networking Sites. This has led to an average one hour time lost by the company. A total ban of social networking tools during work hours may be a good idea on the part of the organization management to prevent further loss in the productivity of employees, as well as to conserve the resources of the company. But it should also be considered that this social media serves temporary relief from pressures of work that will enable them to work fluidly with a clear and refreshed heads. Thus, the purpose of this study is to provide proper assessment of this current situation to give knowledge to both employees and employers on the advantages and disadvantages of social networking in the work place.
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Assumptions This study which aims to provide information on the advantages and disadvantages of having access to social networking sites in the workplace and measures that employers may impose to ensure employee-productivity, enumerates the following suppositions: That access to internet during working hours, especially without polices, leads to downtime at work; That data or identity theft happens which poses great threat on the organization or office; That the attitudes of a group of respondents are stable, and; That the subjects of the study are all employees of a particular department in an organization.

Statement of the Problem and Objectives In order to identify the effect of using Social Networking Sites of employees in workplace and at the same time to assess the current office policy that would create safety nets and limitations in utilizing these sites for purpose of work or not. General Problem: How does the use of Social Networking Sites at the government offices affects the role of the employees and how it was regulated by the office rules?

The said problem would address the following objectives of the study: To find the reason why employees use Social Networking sites at workplace during work hours. To know the effects of using Social Networking Sites to employees behavior and productivity. To know the regulatory and safety measures of the office in allowing employees to use Social Networking Sites with companys internet and computer. To know the advantages and disadvantages of using Social Networking Sites in the office to employee himself and to the office/company as a whole. To distinguish the difference of employees productivity before and after the existence of Social Networking Sites. To know if the usage of Social Networking Sites at workplace is inherent and related to their job specifications.

Significance of the Study As we all know, government offices or agencies funds came from public funds of our government which was gathered from the taxes paid by Filipino citizens, If every government employee will reduce their productivity just because of using Social Networking Sites without direct relation to their job, it can still be considered as corruption or wasting of public funds. We live in a world where technology has changed the way people communicate, the way they are informed and how they do business. We live in a world where people
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would rather communicate by sending a text message from their mobile phone, post comments on their favorite online network or send a short Tweet to inform all their friends that they have just got out of bed or they are out to dinner. The growth of social networking sites, e.g. Facebook, Tweeter, My Space, etc., has been phenomenal. While having access to social networking sites in the work place may give the organization an opportunity to widen their circle of contacts, it may in one hand, cause non-productive work day if the employee spends the whole day improving his/her profile. The findings of this study may be a valuable resource for the organization management and administrators, which may lead to government agencies adopting policies that will utilize the use of social networking sites during work hours. This study will provide information on how employees utilize their Social Networking Sites; how they present themselves online; what their reasons and motivations are for accessing Social Networking Sites at the workplace; and how all of these affect interaction in the company. This study offers more positive look on the use of social networking sites and to change the negative view of people that SNS during work hours is a liability for the organization. This study also focuses on the effects in the interpersonal relationship and work performance of employees and aims to provide measures and policies to shift the negative consequences into positive ones. This might be a benchmark study for organizations to further improve their policies and regulations or; for the legislative or administrative agencies in the Philippines, to regulate.

Scope and Delimitation The scope of this study will cover the employees of different offices in Metro Manila particularly Manila City Hall and/or Department of Tourism and other related government agencies who are familiar in using social Networking sites at workplace. This paper will be limited only to offices that has internet access and to employees who are working to that particular office for at least one year. In line with these standards, the research will focus more on the concrete relation of using Social Networking sites at workplace to the current regulatory measures of each offices in allowing employees to use internet access.

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Review of Related Literature According to Villafania, 2011, in an effort to increase productivity among staff of his office, South Cotabato Governor Arthur Pingoy, Jr. has officially banned the use of any social networking services during work hours among employees at the provincial capitol office. The ban will cover social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter,
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as well as online video services such as YouTube. Pingoy is also banning playing online games. Apart from increasing efficiency among government employees, Pingoy explained that the capital offices network server is also affected by the number of employees using social networking sites, watching online videos or playing games. The impact of the internet in today's generation as a whole is really hard to be identify specifically but there is no doubt that the world-spanning communication system has already had its impact. There were studies done in knowing how the internet affects human habits as today, technology cannot be left behind by the people in their daily living. Our generation has now greatly relied on electronics and technology certainly in socializing using internet services. In the recent survey, computer use for activities such as social networking had raised nearly threefold since 2000, to more than 1 hour and 22 minutes a day on average. Social networking is debatable as one of the most influential and vital aspects of today's society. It was reported that Social networking one of the most active web-based activities in the Philippines with Filipinos being declared as the most active users on a number of web-based social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, Multiply, etc. It is estimated that from 2 million subscribers during 2000 it had an increase up to 29.7 million. Though some says that networking could be bad for some it is good and beneficial for others specially those having business for convenience. However, although it is for convenience it also creates a threat to a company especially when it comes to misuse or mismanagement thereof. This chapter of the study presents and evaluates previous rules governing the use of such social networking in the workplace leading to mismanagement and misuse

of it. Furthermore it discusses on how could social networking affects the productivity of an employee and with that to extend a set of rules to limit the use of it. A. Misuse of Internet and Company Limiting Actions According to Young & Case, 2004, It is said that inappropriate and abusive usage among company employees led to productivity losses, negative publicity and legal damages. Each year, companies spend millions of dollars to cover "additional network upgrades, lost productivity and slow network response" as a result of employees' widespread Internet abuse. In Whitty's (2004) survey of 524 Australian employees provided insight on what is considered appropriate and inappropriate non work related Internet use in the work setting. Respondents expressed that an access to their personal e-mails at work is one that should not be limited. B. Social Networking Sites In Park, Jin, B. & Jin, S.A., 2009, the utilization of Social Networking Sites became the mainstream that researchers began to see to it as a fertile of study. College students are seen to be the most prominent users of SNS and much has been studied about their social networking experiences online, starting with their motivations and sought gratifications from accessing such sites. More and more businesses use social media as one of the key metrics for expanding their presence in the market. In the Asia Pacific region, social networking

sites have become an increasingly distinct contributor to boost sales and marketing efforts. Although the use is on the rise, many organizations lack acknowledgement of what potential risks and threats that social media can bring, let alone have comprehensive governance policies to regulate their employees. As a result, the cost of security breaches posed by using social networking platforms might be far greater than their benefits. According to Nielsen, 74 percent of the worlds Internet population visits a social networking/blogging site and across Asia Pacific, the most common access location for engaging with social media is in the workplace. Social media usage in the workplace has grown enormously with about a half of workers surveyed claimed to have a social media presence and 18.5 percent to be personally knowledgeable about or responsible for planning, evaluation or selection of social media within their organizations, Gartner reports. Social media are gaining in business popularity. We have seen companies increasingly leverage virtual networking sites as marketing tools to keep current in their fields or to stay on top of the game. However, many overlook the security risks present in such networking sites, said Myla Pilao, Director for Core Technology, TrendLabs. With more than 500 million of active users, Facebook is regarded as the most popular social networking site. However, it also presents cybercriminals a new infection vector to spread malware or instigate attacks. For example, spammers have taken to Facebook to spread malicious links that often lead to the download of malware which
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puts users in the unenviable position of enticing others to fall for the same ruse. Trend Micro has included Facebook in its top 10 most dangerous list in light of frequently reported attacks associated with Facebook. Like search engines, Twitter has also become a common source of poisoned links. Cybercriminals have made it a habit to keep tabs on so-called trending topics to target those on the lookout for information. Twitter users who click bad links are then led to malware-hosting pages. The pitfalls of carelessly accesing social networking range from simple redirections to complicated system infections. In addition to viruses/malware, likejacking attacks, rogue applications and Twitter spam, businesses could also be at risk if their employees post wrong or improper messages or information revealing office location, in-office politics, confidential projects, strategies, or the office climate and other things, said Myla. As published from Manila Bulletin dated July 26, 2011, to block threats derived from employee use of social networking sites, there are a few principles that businesses should adopt. First, create social media guidelines for employees behavior and advise employees to be mindful of what they publish online; second, deploy and update multilayered protection regularly; third, monitor all social media assets and log all communications; fourth, have a communication and action plan in place in the event of the intentional or unintentional disclosure of confidential company information and last but not least, organize user security awareness campaigns to help employees

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understand and appreciate the value of the company's information assets and the consequences of these assets being compromised.

C. Social Networking Use in the Workplace It said that Social Networking site can have positive aspects as to help to socially connect distant employees especially today when more people get to work remotely. Also it is argued that "within many companies, staying in contact and maintaining relationships within an organization are crucial activities for a successful career, and a social networking site can become an integral way in which to do this" (DiMicco & Millen, 2007, p.4).

Conceptual Framework The concepts stated below are contextualized to fit the purpose of this study to assess the effect of Social networking sites to employees at workplace and how it is being regulated by the office. Office employees are the main factor of growing number of users which belong to the professional/working class who are using Social Networking sites. Similarities among employees will help them find new circle friends or clich where they can talk or share their interests. Indeed, office works are exhausting and to find something new enjoyable like Social Networking Sites can relieve their stress and help them to work again well. When
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a certain employee found a source of gaining interpersonal skills, the tendency is to have good working relationships. Unfortunately, using of Social Networking Sites will not be considered as totally useful. Threats in the internet to the security of companys confidential profile, loosing of focus during working hours or affecting the productivity of the department of a certain office are some of the detriments of using Social Networking Sites in the workplace. In line with this, it is important to know that the management of the office has the sole responsibility in regulating and balancing the effects of using Social networking Sites in the workplace.

Social Networking Sites used by employees at workplace

EFFECTS: Good for relieveing stress and working relations and bad for Income, sec urity and productivity.

Regulation of the management to balance the effects of Social Networking Sites to become more favorable to the employees and company.

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Hypothesis: Social Networking Sites had become part of a routine of several Filipinos and was much given more time than a productive work. This had done a great impact in the business world especially to the people working that they use the internet services in their workplace inappropriately that leads to abuse. It affects the productivity of an individual in workplace. There should be office rules extending the limitations of use of such internet services, more importantly, when the public interest was rest upon on their jobs as government employees.

Definition of Terms Internet - An international computer network providing e-mail and information from computers in educational institutions, government agencies, and industry, accessible to the general public via modem links. Social Networking - is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Social Networking Sites - used to describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chatrooms and other social spaces online or used to describe any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile.

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Technology - the use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems, especially in industry and commerce. Workplace - A place, such as an office or factory, where people are employed.

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, sources of data, data-gathering instruments data-gathering procedures, and data analysis procedures. Specifically, it discusses how the current research was done, what variables and concepts were considered together with their corresponding measures and indicators, as well as the strategies employed for data construction and analysis.

Research Design The present study sought to provide understanding on the proliferation of using Social Networking Sites at workplace and its possible impact, be it positive or negative, on ones professional relationships, performing and overall work experience. Although SNS has become a popular subject of research in recent years, few have focused on the fact that its utilization is becoming common practice in the workplace. Specifically, no full-blown study has been done, yet in the Philippines to comprehend this trend and its implications. With all these in mind, the researchers have decided to adopt an exploratory approach, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

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For the qualitative part of this study, a series of focus interviews (FIs) were conducted among office employees and HR/Management personnel belonging to both public and private organizations. The FIs were done in order to provide a picture of the current state of SNS use among Filipino employees, understand the context and motivations behind their SNS use and delve into their personal experiences of using SNS at work. On the part of the HR/Management personnel, the FIs gauged how Philippine-based companies regard the use of SNS in their offices. The insights of these managers helped the researchers in situating the use of SNS in the Philippine Corporate setting and finding out whether it is seen as a counterproductive activity or a potential new media source. The results of the focus interviews also served as the foundation for the quantitative aspect of this study. A quantitative method, in the form of a self-administered survey, will be employed in order to determine the extent to which SNS is used in the workplace, to find out employees reasons for using SNS, an to provide generalizations on their perceptions of this phenomenon. A total of at least 100 survey responses should be acquired. Because the study involved working people who have accounts in Social Networking Sites, it was assumed that they regularly go online and hence, may be more easily reached through an Internet-based survey. This specific type of survey was also chosen so that respondents may answer the questionnaire according to their available time.

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Sources of Data 1. Focus Interview For this particular research, small number of employees and one HR/Management personnel from both public and private sectors who have accounts in Social Networking Sites served as the units of analysis. Because this study asks how the use of SNS at work affects interpersonal relationships and work performance, it is imperative that individual perspective on this emerging trend be delved into. The qualitative part of data-gathering employed criterion sampling for both the employees and the HR personnel. In this kind of sampling strategy, the nature of the sampling unit is well-defined by the researcher before datacollection or data-generation. For the employees and HR personnel to become eligible respondents, they must meet the following criteria: they have Social Networking Site accounts; they have access to such sites during work hours at the workplace; they are either employed by private companies or by the government.

2. Direct Survey The quantitative part of data-gathering made use of the questionnaires. The Researchers posted and shared the link of their online survey form to contacts who met the criteria of being able to access Social Networking Sites at the workplace. The researchers then asked their own SNS contacts to share their

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link with their own networks and to provide referrals for possible respondents. There were at least total of 100 respondents.

Data Gathering Instruments Two kinds of research instruments were used in this study: an interview schedule and an direct survey questionnaire. The interview schedule enabled the proponents of this study to gain insights on the said trend and behaviour and subsequently served as the basis for the construction of the survey questionnaire. On the other hand, the survey questionnaire supplied generalizations on this trend. 1. Interview Schedule Two versions of the interview schedule were produced: one for the office employees and another for HR/Management personnel. The reason for this is the need to juxtapose competing views on SNS use at the workplace, whether it is seen as a wasteful activity leading to unproductive hours or a healthy diversion from stress. a. Employees Interview Schedule In the first part of the employees interview schedule, informants were asked to give a brief personal and professional background, as well as a description of the Internet connection set-up in their respective offices. This introductory portion of the interview aimed to elicit responses that would help establish the employees social and professional environments, identify their lifestyle patterns which may be contributors to their usage of SNS in the

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workplace and provide insights on how the nature of their jobs create or hinder opportunities for them to explore Social Networking Sites at work. The succeeding series of question on the employees actual experiences on accessing SNS during their work hours constituted the longest section of the interview/ starting from the frequency of logging onto Social Networking Sites and the kinds of activities they do there, the questions progressed to uncover their personal observations on how SNS use has affected their work life. Specifically, probing was done in order to uncover the perceived effects of SNS use on the following main concepts: perception of work colleagues, face-to-face interaction with work colleagues, personal relationships and work productivity. Lastly, employees were asked to describe their organizations existing Internet use policies. This was done to provide richer context of their SNS use at work, as well as to compare and contrast their opinions on personal Internet use with the existing policies of the companies or organizations they work for. b. HR/ Management Personnel or Head of Managements Interview Schedule The HR and Management personnel were also asked the same set of questions on their personal and professional background, their working environment and their personal use of Social Networking Sites. A supplementary section on Internet use policies and how they are implemented was also included as well as how they have responded to the rise of SNS use in the workplace. The questions in this instrument were drafted in order to reveal how managers reconcile issues of productivity and employee satisfaction.

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2. Survey Questionnaire The survey questionnaire was constructed to describe the current trend in the use of SNS at work. The researchers decided on using direct survey to accommodate more respondents, since the study specifically asks for the insights of working people with SNS accounts.

Concepts and Indicators The following concepts were used in the qualitative part of this study: a. Gratifications Sought and Gratifications Obtained The indicators used for Gratifications Sought were the findings of Solis (2005) when she studied the reasons why employees use the Internet at work. Linking it to the framework, the indicators were classified to be either Ritualistic or Instrumental. Pushing for professional advancement, gaining

network/contacts, and building/maintaining personal relations were under the category of Instrumental Gratifications Sought. On the other hand, Ritualistic Gratifications Sought by employees were seeking diversion, passing time and entertaining oneself. These were also the indicators for the concept Gratifications Obtained after the office employees utilized Social Networking Sites.

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b. Work Behavior The effect of Social Networking Sites on Work Behavior was measured in terms of whether it positively or negatively affected the completion of tasks by the employees. Assessment of this was looked at both from their own perspective and that of the HR personnel informants.

c. Wok Relationships The indicators used for the concept Work Relationships were the effects of using Social Networking Sites on the information they have gained about their work colleagues; their face-to-face communication; and their general personal relationship with each other. Focus was also given to employees interaction and relational development.

Variables and Measures The variables used for the quantitative part of the study were Gratifications Sought, Gratifications Obtained, Work Behavior, Work Relationships, Communication behaviour, Selective Self Presentation and Relational Development, Productivity during work hours, and Management policies. The measures for these variables were divided into the last three main parts of the online survey instrument.

1. Utilization of Social Networking Sites Respondents were asked to answer questions regarding their interaction with their work peers in Social Networking Sites; what kind of information, status messages

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or updates, photos and blogs they post in their individual accounts; and how often they access their Social Networking Sites while at the workplace. These were the measures for the variable Communicative Behavior. The different information that the respondents posted on their respective accounts served as the measures for Selective Self-Presentation.

2. Use of Social Networking Sites during Work Hours Respondents were asked to give their reasons for using Social Networking Sites at the workplace. They were given various statements patterned after the findings of informant interviews which they rated in a 5-point scale of strong agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree. These were the measures for Gratification Sought.

3. Effects of Using Social Networking Sites during Work Hours. Respondents were made to rate the effects of using Social Networking Sites at the workplace in a 5-point scale of strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree and strongly disagree. Statements were also patterned after the findings of the informant interviews. These were the measures for the variables Gratifications South, Work behaviour and Work relationships. In the case of Relational Development, three statements from this section were specifically look at by the researchers. The statements were as follows: I have come to learn new things about my work colleagues by browsing through their profile pages and posts; I became more comfortable with my work colleagues during face-to-face

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communication; my relationships with my work colleagues became more personal. These three statements were related to the premise of Social Information Processing Theory that good impressions formed about each other through SNS, as in the case of this study, would lead to relational development.

Data Gathering/ Procedure For the data gathering/generation phase of this study, the researchers conducted a series of focus interviews. These FIs were done in private and quiet venues such as coffee shops and offices. The answers of the interviewees were documented through the use of digital audio recorders. Due to the exploratory nature of this research, both government and private employees were targeted as informants. The second part of the data gathering procedure commenced after all the focus interviews have been transcribed and read by the researchers. A preliminary analysis of the themes which emerged from the FIs served as the basis for the construction of the online survey. To ensure that the survey answers would be coming only from eligible respondents, several filter questions were asked. The survey-hosting website has a feature that automatically filters completed surveys from partially-answered, terminated or abandoned surveys. Although, all responses were saved, only those which were complete and had valid answers were compiled for analysis.

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Data Analysis Procedure A two-phase analysis was done for the present study. The qualitative analysis began after all focus interviews have been transcribed. Following the study framework, the interview answers for every question were grouped together. Major concepts used to categorize the FI results were Gratifications Sought, Gratification Obtained, Perceived Effects on Work Behavior and Perceived Effects on Work Relationships. The results of the direct survey were organized, analyzed and interpreted by the researcher. For the Likert Scale used to measure the variable Gratifications Sought for Using Social Networking Sites and Effects obtained from it, each degree was given the following value in SPSS: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither Agree Nor Disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree. For the negative statements, the values were reversed such as 1 was assigned to Strongly Agree. Descriptive statistics was run for all variables. Mean, Median, mode and percentages were obtained to help in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.

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