Social Media In The Workplace Counter-Productive Analysis

Is the use of social media in the workplace counter-productive? Of course it is and here’s why. Reason #1, you can’t be focusing on your work if your nose is in your phone. Reason #2, there are better things you could be doing with that time and your employers aren’t paying you to sit around on your phone, they are paying you to work, to make their business more productive and efficient.

Imagine this; you walk into a DVD/book/music store and you’re looking around, hoping somebody will come to assist you as you are in need of some help. You’re after a certain item and have a few questions about this said item. You spot a team member but oh no, they are on their phone sitting in a corner, they look so absorbed in what they’re doing you are scared

to ask for assistance. People want to be greeted with friendly faces and nice greetings, to feel welcome in a new environment. You can always find something to do at work, whether it be cleaning, assisting somebody with a task they may need help with or even going over what you've already done, you will always have something to do.

In a productive work environment, generally everybody pulls their own weight, have their own set tasks to complete and have enough work to keep them going all day. What happens when social media enters this environment is a slow breakdown of routine and team work. People fall behind on their assigned tasks and therefore the harder working team mates have to suffer by having other peoples tasks handed to them. This can cause tension, stress and other issues which can lead to a break down in relationships formed between team members.

These reasons, although brief and not too detailed, show that the use of social media in a workplace is counter-productive and can cause many problems. Therefore social media should be, in my opinion should be banned from workplaces.