Social media might keep us more connected, but when it comes to workplace productivity, sites like Facebook and Twitter could prove to be a real drain, pulling your business back from profitability, effective utilization of resources and ultimately success.
While the modern-day business philosophy is to create a friendly, comfortable and relaxed working environment, a lack of control or understanding about how the Internet is weakening productivity could cost you dearly.
Are you a shining example of effective industriousness at work? If you run your own business then chances are your eye is on the bottom line and putting in productive efforts to reap the rewards. But can the same be said for your employees?
Ask yourself this: Is Facebook costing your business more than you might think?
Let’s look at the facts behind the social chit-chat…
Facebook and the Social Media Productivity Drain
As technology advances further and wider into our lives, there is greater scope to be digitally connected. Such is the temptation at our fingertips that it can take a singularly-minded, dedicated soul to banish social media for a whole working day.
A Nucleus Research study showed that 77% of employees with a Facebook account log-on during working hours.
Some employees Facebook for two hours a day and one in 33 workers only use Facebook at work.
In the 2014 Wasting Time at Work Survey by survey.com, Google was nominated as the top time-waster site, with Facebook coming in solid second, accounting for 23% of time wasting distractions.
It is not just social media that is eating into employee productivity either, but Internet browsing in general. With 70% of traffic to the world’s top porn sites conducted during business hours, it is no surprise that employers are increasingly questioning how big the Internet drain is and what is its cost to them.
Employees Waste Time At Work
It’s not just a small minority of people who are wasting time at work on daily basis. In fact, the 2014 Wasting Time at Work Survey reported that this number is an incredible 89%; an increase of 20% on the year before!
It could be people are getting more comfortable with admitting they don’t always have their eye 100% on the job in hand, and may still fulfill their roles, but either way the figures are still alarming.
While many employers might point the finger of lost productivity as the domain on the young, the biggest time-wasters are aged between 26 and 39, according to the survey.
…the biggest time-wasters are aged between 26 and 39…”
How Much Productivity Time is Lost?
The survey revealed that 31% of those surveyed wasted around an hour a day, with 16% totting up two hours of downtime. However, while the numbers decrease as the hours increase, a startling 4% of those surveyed wasted around half the working day on non-work activities. Estimations are that Facebook use at work alone could account for a total productivity loss of 1.5%.
What Can You Do?
A recent survey by the McCann Worldgroup, found that 53% of young people would rather lose their sense of smell than their digital connection. Whilst some companies operate a total ban or limited access to the biggest social media productivity drains, other businesses prefer to monitor the issue; not penalizing everyone because of what might be unacceptable Facebook use by some.
With Facebook creating an app aimed at workplace connections, many companies are also embracing rather than fighting social media as a way to build team loyalty and create strong working relationships, as well as a marketing tool. Many employees waste time at work because they believe short distractions actually boost productivity, while one in five are bored and others lack job satisfaction and incentive at work.
Employers need to address the wider picture of how Facebook and social media use affects their business and be clear about adopting and implementing the best strategy to ensure productivity is not lost in the hubbub of everyone trying to connect.
Digital Endpoint™ created KnowIT, Cloud Based Employee Optimization Software to help companies monitor the digital behavior of their employees across Mobile Devices, Macs & PCs.
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