The business world has witnessed a profound proliferation in the use of social networks.

Likewise, the use of the social media has grown substantially over the last decade, and the use
of these new web-based technologies for work related activities has been a major part. Social
networking sites such as Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook have become more prominent for
individuals (Bulmer and DiMauro 2009). In the business world, social media has become a form
of communication among many business professionals as companies are using it to connect
and collaborate with others in their organizations. Golder et.al (2007) identify three basic types
of social networking websites used by individuals at work and these include free-for-all social
websites (Facebook, MySpace, Ning, and Friendster; professional websites (LinkedIn,
FastPitch, and Plaxo) and industry-specific websites (like I-Meet). The list of social web sites
and tools that are available to users is very extensive, and each of these sites and tools are
slightly different from one another and each provides a forum for people to communicate with
one another no matter where they live. Figure 2.1 below shows the world map of social
networks as of 2009.Facebook and Whatsapp, in particular, have become the most popular
social network site with over 500 million active users in the world (Barnes, and Mattson, 2009).
To put this into perspective, if Facebook and Whatsapp were a country, it would be the third
largest in the world, after China and India and it is estimated that people spend over 700 billion
minutes per month on this social networking site (Crescenzo, 2009). Researches by Barker
(2008 reveal that mobile telecommunications, media and leisure companies offer access to the
majority of its workers, so as to use new technologies. This is corroborated by a survey in the
UK of mobile telecommunications companies which found that many workers had access at
work to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and Twitter (Bell et al., 2008).
According to Bell et al., (2008), in terms of time spent on social media sites, 80 per cent of
respondents admitted accessing these sites while at work and respondents spent over an hour
or more per day. Hamel (2007) argues that corporate management changed profoundly due to
the combined impacts of social media and a revolution in expectations by younger generations.
The overarching business benefits that social networking tools can have are many (Fraser and
Dutta, 2008). It is interesting to note that there is increasing intrigue in the business case for
social networking and social media. Surveys conducted by consulting firm McKinsey reveal that
executives are showing more openness to web-based collaboration and social networking tools
(McKinsey Quarterly, 2007). Fraser and Dutta (2008) highlight examples of corporations who
have started to adopt business tools. General Motors, for instance, uses an internal blog,
Facebook Fridays which allows employees a free hour every Friday to update their Facebook
profiles and keep in touch online with colleagues (Shankar and Balasubramanian, 2009). Other
global corporations that have integrated social networking into their organizational strategies
include FedEx, Shell Oil, Motorola, General Electric, Kodak, British Telecom,Kraft Foods,
McDonalds and Lockheed Martin (Fraser and Dutta, 2008). There is caution among academics
surrounding social networking and its ability to add business value to organizations (Dale, 2008
Lange et al., 2008; Bernoff and Li, 2008). Dale, (2008) suggests that the main concern of
employers is that employees are merely wasting time in the use of non-work related websites,
combined with the related security and organizational image concerns. Studies by Golder,
Wilkinson and Huberman (2007) and Coyle and Vaughn (2008) concur that social networks are
typical characterizations of human behavior to fulfil the need to communicate and connect with
people they know, meet new people who share a common interest, collaborate, participate and

share information and knowledge. Boyd and Ellison (2007) also posit that social media allows
employees to articulate their relationship to others in a way that is visible to anyone who can
access their profile. However, being linked or connected to others can lead to potential benefits
such as improved collaboration and information sharing, greater productivity and enhanced
communications among coworkers, business partners and customers (KPMG 2007). Barker
(2008), Bernoff and Li (2008) and Violin (2008) conclude that online social media permits a
robust blend of member profile and contact information, rich presence information, collaborative
document creation, distribution tracking and other features that 'build a pulse' inside the
organization. In this environment, individuals know what each member is currently involved in
and how they can be reached. In brief, online social network provides a simpler and more
intuitive approach for members of the same community of employees to find each other based
on complementary knowledge or need for knowledge (Boase et.al 2006). Hence, Ward (2008)
suggests that social media provide employees with a social platform for communication,
collaboration and innovation. Thus, social networking enable workers to work more effectively
through enhanced communication and collaboration capabilities as well as providing a plethora
of detailed professional and personal information about contacts which can be immediately
updated whenever people move jobs, offices, or departments. Caloisi (2008) elucidates that
social networking has extreme significant implications for power. Specifically, there is diffusion of
power from vertical hierarchies to horizontal networks. Flattening of organizational hierarchies is
recognized by many academics as a huge business benefit as it can achieve both a level or
organizational agility and a refocus on the core competencies of an organization (Gibson, 2003).
Matuszak (2007) argues that in many bureaucratic settings the real problem is corporate culture
that works against sharing information, either because of concerns about confidentiality or
because of hierarchical structures. Now that work can take place anywhere, the office rather
than being a place where people just come to work, is now becoming an opportunity for people
when present, to signify personal involvement in organizational culture and to participate in the
values and beliefs of the organization (Bell et al., 2008). But for remote workers who are
generally absent from the office for long periods of time, it becomes increasingly difficult to
immerse oneself in organizational culture. Social networking sites however, provides
opportunities for both formal and informal interaction and collaboration with fellow employees
and clients/customers which aids knowledge transfer and communication.
http://www.academia.edu/6611076/IMPACT_OF_ACCESS_TO_SOCIAL_MEDIA_ON_EMPLOY
EE_PRODUCTIVITY_AND_ORGANISATIONAL_PERFORMANCE_AT_ECONET_WIRELESS_
ZIMBABWE

Ive known Russ Warner, a consumate entrepreneur, through at least three prior large and small
organizations including Altiris, Alianza, SageCreek Partners, and Novell. Currently, he is CEO of
ContentWatch, the maker of Net Nanny and a client of our communications agency in Salt Lake.
Russ Warner, CEO of ContentWatch, points to evidence that employees are wasting company
time.Today, however, I would like to share a guest post from Russ on a purely entrepreneurial
subject the topic of employees wasting their time (and their employers money) at work.
Theres no doubt it happens, and access to social media at work makes the tendency worse.
The critical questions are how to assess the degree of the challenge, and how to address the

tricky subject of how employees manage themselves and their time during work. Heres what
Russ had to say:There are many activities employees do that waste time at work. Excessive
meetings, co-worker interactions, office politics, and fixing mistakes are a few. According to a
recent Salary.com survey, one of the biggest culprits is surfing the Internet.According to the
survey, a majority of employees regularly spend time surfing the Internet on websites unrelated
to work. Because time is money, every hour wasted has a direct negative impact on the
bottom line.Specifically, the survey revealed 64 percent of employees visit non-work related
websites every day at work. Of that group, 39 percent spend one hour or less per week, 29
percent spend 2 hours per week, 21 percent waste five hours per week, and only 3 percent said
they waste 10 hours or more doing unrelated activities. (My experience as a CEO tells me these
figures are probably underestimated.)The survey also revealed which websites keep employees
most off-task. Not surprisingly, socializing on Facebook occupied 41 percent, while 37 percent
use LinkedIn, and 25 percent are shopping at Amazon. Other destinations include Yahoo and
Google+ and to a lesser extent Twitter and Pinterest.The younger, more tech-savvy worker
demographic appeared to be the biggest group of recreational Web surfers. Of employees
between the ages of 18 and 35, approximately 73 percent reported spending time
inappropriately at work on a daily basis. Respondents said the No. 1 reason for slacking at work
was that they dont feel challenged enough in their job. Other reasons include, (2) they work too
many hours, (3) the company doesnt give sufficient incentive to work harder, (4) they are
unsatisfied with their career, and (5) theyre just bored.These reasons in part also explain why
46 percent of workers look for a new job while at their current place of employment LinkedIn is
the website of choice for those trying to network.There are many ways companies can combat
the effect of wasted employee time within their organizations. For example, of the 3,200
respondents in the survey, 71 percent said short breaks throughout the day help them achieve
higher levels of productivity.As it relates to inappropriate web site browsing, companies can
implement a web filtering tool such as our ContentProtect on company computers to block or
track websites not related to work activities, and if you suspect excessive wasted time, the IT
group can install an activity-monitoring software such SpectorSoft to follow all computer activity
on a particular PC.Realize, though, that technically savvy people know how to access their
favorite websites through smartphones or proxy websites. In any case, its good business
practice for companies to create, publish, and enforce policies on personal Internet use at any
company interested in achieving higher levels of productivity. Establishing and enforcing policies
should improve productivity but can also increase the security of company information, the
security of company technical assets (computers), and will potentially reduce the liability
associated with issues related to sexual harassment or employee job performance.Do you have
a policy for personal internet use at your own business? As communicators, I and my team
could give ample stories of the foolish things employees (and even business owners) have done
with social media during work time access and the way it affected their companies PR (let alone
their employment). I welcome your thoughts.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2012/07/17/employees-really-do-waste-time-atwork/