Social media in the workplace is a hot button topic. As more employees are reprimanded or even fired over the things they choose to post on their social channels, employers are paying more attention to what their workers are tweeting and saying.

At the same time, however, social media has skyrocketed in popularity, both in our overall culture and in the workplace.

Social’s growing influence

A recently released report by Proskaeur shows 90 percent of all companies utilize social media for business purposes. Companies are using social media to promote the organization to outside clients and customers, as well as to improve communication internally among employees and upper management.

Social media is also gaining prominence in the hiring process. Currently, about 94 percent of recruiters are using social media as part of their hiring toolbox. This can mean anything from tweeting out job openings to looking for more information about a candidate on Facebook or LinkedIn.

In fact, a survey from CareerBuilder discovered 39 percent of companies are using social media to research job candidates during the hiring process.

What are the problems?

The same CareerBuilder survey discovered a whopping 43 percent of hiring managers researching candidates through social media found something negative which convinced them to overlook the candidate in question. This runs the gamut from inappropriate photos, to references of drug use, and even candidates bad mouthing former employers.

According to Proskaeur, while social media usage by companies is increasing, employees’ access to social channels at work is decreasing. The survey found 36 percent of employers block social media at work, up from 29 percent in 2012. The amount of employers allowing workers to access all social media sites has fallen by 10 percent in one year, from 53 to 43 percent.

One look at the headlines and it’s not hard to see why social media’s star is simultaneously rising and falling the workplace. Employees posting negative, inappropriate, or downright inflammatory content can really put their employer into hot water.

Taco Bell took heat for a picture of an employee licking taco shells, a school bus driver was fired over a Facebook post, and a California Pizza Kitchen employee was let go after tweeting complaints about a new uniform. It’s not hard to see why many employers, in an effort to cut down on embarrassing stories, decide to curtail social media posting.

But employers might want to rethink putting the kibosh on social media. Recent studies from Evolv, Microsoft Corp and a Warck School of Business professor have all shown correlations between social media usage in the office and upticks in retention and productivity.

It turns out, a short Facebook break or a few minutes pinning away on Pinterest can help employees clear their heads and come back refreshed to tackle projects.

In fact, a study by Millennial Branding and American Express found 69 percent of Gen Y workers feel they should be able to access social media at work without restrictions. Cutting out social media entirely might not be a good solution if you want to keep morale high and retain your best people.

How to balance social with productivity

The social media conundrum probably explains why Proskaeur found social media policies can now be found in 80 percent of companies, up from 60 percent in 2012. Instead of merely getting rid of social media entirely, you need to be able to balance employees’ urge for social sharing with clear guidelines to help them understand what is acceptable to share.

Here are a few ways to balance social media with propriety and productivity:

Write a concrete set of guidelines

Your social media policy should be written in stone, and easily accessible for all your employees who might be confused about the ins and outs. Your social media guidelines should be an evolving document, but it also needs to be crystal clear about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior in regards to social media usage — both in and outside the office.

Remember employees represent your company

Your employees are the public face of your company, whether your organization is a Fortune 500 or a growing startup. You need to ensure workers are representing your company in the best light possible, which is why your company should develop a social media policy governing behavior from employees in the public eye.

Invest in training

Bring in professionals to teach employees and managers about how to utilize social media and how to avoid abusing social power.

Allow for brain breaks

If an employee spends 90 percent of his day on Facebook, you definitely have a productivity problem. However, a short break to check Facebook, look up a recipe on Pinterest, or engage in a conversation on Twitter might actually be the brain break your worker needs.

Before cracking down on social media sites, ask yourself whether it might be more hurtful than helpful in the long run.

Use internal social media for collaboration

Social media isn’t just for 140 character bursts or Instagramming your lunch order. There are plenty of internal and business social media tools helping companies collaborate more quickly, and tying together workers from disparate departments and offices.

Social media is a powerful tool is wielded correctly. Before employers hit the block button, it might be a good idea to reconsider and develop a better policy instead.

What do you think? Does your company block social media in the workplace? Share in the comments!

社交媒体在工作场所是一个热点话题。随着越来越多的员工是斥责,甚至被解雇的事情他们在社会渠道选择职位,雇主们更关注员工发微博,说什么。

然而,与此同时,社会媒体在人气飙升,无论是在我们的整体文化和在工作场所。

社会日益增长的影响

Proskaeur最近发布的一份报告显示,90%的所有公司利用社交媒体用于商业目的。公司正在使用社交媒体来促进组织外部客户和客户,以及改善员工的内部沟通和高层管理。

社交媒体招聘过程也日益突出。目前,大约94%的招聘人员使用社交媒体作为招聘工具的一部分。这可以从微博意味着什么职位空缺在Facebook上寻找更多的候选人的信息或LinkedIn。

事实上,从凯业必达的调查发现39%的公司正在使用社交媒体研究应聘者在招聘过程中。

有什么问题呢？

凯业必达相同的调查发现43%的招聘经理候选人通过社交媒体研究发现一些消极的说服他们忽视了候选人的问题。这非常广泛,从不合适的照片,引用的吸毒,甚至候选人前雇主坏话。

根据Proskaeur,尽管社交媒体使用的公司越来越多,员工获得社会渠道工作是减少。调查发现,36%的雇主块社交媒体工作,从2012年的29%。的雇主允许员工访问所有社交媒体网站一年下降了10%,从53至43%。

一眼头条新闻,不难看出为什么社交媒体的明星同时上升和下降。员工发布消极、不适当或彻头彻尾的煽动性的内容能够真正把雇主热水。

塔可钟带热员工照片舔Taco壳,一辆校车司机在Facebook帖子被解雇了,和加州披萨厨房员工放手后发微博抱怨一件新制服。不难看出为什么许多雇主,为了减少尴尬的故事,决定削减社交媒体发布。

但雇主可能需要重新考虑打水漂社交媒体。最近的研究从Evolv,微软(msft . o:行情)和Warck商学院的教授都显示社交媒体的使用之间的相关性则出现在办公室,保留和生产力。

事实证明,一个简短的Facebook打破或几分钟把外出Pinterest可以帮助员工明确他们的头和刷新来解决项目回来。

事实上,千禧品牌和美国运通(American Express)的一项研究发现,69%的Y一代工人觉得他们应该能够访问社交媒体在工作中没有限制。减少社交媒体完全可能不是一个好的解决方案,如果你想保持高士气和留住你最好的人。

如何平衡社会与生产力

社交媒体的难题可能解释了为什么Proskaeur发现社交媒体政策现在可以发现在80%的公司,从2012年的60%。而不只是完全摆脱社会媒体,你需要能够平衡员工的督促社会共享有明确的指导方针,帮助他们理解什么是可接受的分享。

这里有一些方法来平衡社会媒体与礼节和生产力:

写一套具体的指导方针

你的社交媒体政策应该写在石头上,方便为你所有的员工可能会混淆进进出出。你的社交媒体指南文档应该是一个不断发展的,但它也需要清楚什么是和不是可接受的行为关于社交媒体的使用——内外的办公室。

记得员工代表你的公司

你的员工是你的公司的公众形象,不管你的组织是一个财富500强或创业发展。您需要确保工人在最好的光都代表着你的公司,这就是为什么你的公司应该开发一个社交媒体政策管理行为与员工在公众眼中。

投资培训

引进专业人士教员工和管理者如何利用社会媒体以及如何避免滥用社会力量。

让大脑休息

如果一个员工每天90%的Facebook,你肯定有一个效率的问题。然而,短暂的休息来检查Facebook,在Pinterest查找食谱,或者在Twitter上参与讨论大脑可能会打破你的工人的需求。

打击社会媒体网站之前,问问你自己是否会比帮助更伤人。

使用内部社交媒体的合作

社交媒体的不只是140个字符破裂或instagram午餐订单。有许多内部和商业社交媒体工具帮助企业更快的合作,一起把工人从不同的部门和办公室。

社会媒体是一个功能强大的工具是正确掌握。前雇主的块按钮时,它可能是一个好主意重新考虑,开发一个更好的政策。

你怎么认为?你的公司在工作场所屏蔽社交媒体吗?在评论里和大家分享吧!