“We have moved from the industrial era into the information age” Jue, Marr, and Kassotakis (6) assert this with regards to the ever heightening prominence of social networking, courtesy of social media, specifically in relation to the working environment. It is indubitable that social media has, in the recent past, gained eminence over the traditional methods of communication.
Jue, Marr, and Kassotakis best describe the rising prominence of social media as a raging wildfire spreading with the aid of high winds (5). In this light, social media has far reaching effects on employ productivity.
The productivity of employees in business organization is dependent on effective communication between the employees. Social Media boosts employee communication by engaging the employees in discussing mattering issues as well as share ideas. As Weber writes, effective employee communication does not only enhance employee productivity but also employee retention (210). Again, much of office communications take place remotely through chat engines like Skype and Google Talk (Weber 214). Conventionally, these assertions underscore the effect of informal networks in business organizations.
Social media also serves to enlighten employees of matters relevant to their job descriptions. Though social networks employees can enlighten each other on matters that can improved their productivity. For instance, most employees cannot easily approach their superiors for advice for fear of being perceived incompetent. On the other hand, the social media creates a friendly platform through which employees from various firms, inclusive of competing firms, can meet and share work related ideas. On the negative side, social media is responsible for the theft of much time of an employees working hours. Most employees spend much time on social networks at the expense of spending time on prescribed duties. However, this vice can be eliminated with the formulation sound social media policies that will govern the amount of time employees spend on time.
Works Cited
Jue, Arthur L., Marr, Jacke A., and Kassotakis M. Ellen. Social Media At Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey- Bass, 2010. Print.
Weber, Larry. Everywhere: Comprehensive Digital Business Strategy for the Social Media Era. New Jersey: John-Wiley and Sons, 2011. Print.
