New study on social media in the workplace

A new international study suggests that colleagues posting embarrassing photos of one another on social media sites is contributing to a widespread breakdown of workplace privacy.

Co-workers using social media sites to make unwanted romantic advances is also said to be blurring the distinction between work and home life.

The findings are based on surveys with 4000 social media users in 10 countries, and were published by internet security firm AVG Technologies.

"This study highlights the need for a combination of greater education around social media, alongside increased attention and care by both employees and employers to their social media etiquette at work," the company said.

Key findings among Australian respondents include:
• 6/10 said social media sites have eroded their expectation of privacy at work
• 1/10 said they have had embarrassing photos or videos taken at a work event and uploaded on to social media sites
• 9/10 believed sending unpleasant or defamatory remarks to or about a colleague using digital communications constituted cyber-bullying
• Employees raised concerns about managers discovering embarrassing or incriminating information on social media sites

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Source: The Australian and Smart Company

Companies should establish a social media policy, according to new survey results

Businesses that haven't already set up policies about how their staff use social media in the workplace should do so quickly or risk becoming irrelevant to job seekers, according to the Hays Tomorrow’s Workforce report.

The results suggest while businesses don't need to spend a disproportionate amount of time creating a social media policy, it will still affect how potential employees see the company and affect your reputation.

• 19.7% of job seekers would consider turning down a job if they didn't have "reasonable access" to social media sites during work hours.
• 44.3% of employers believe that allowing employees to have access to social media will improve retention levels.
• 25.3% of respondents didn't have a clear idea of how to represent their companies on social media. Businesses have found themselves in hot water over situations where employees have said inappropriate things on Facebook or Twitter, reflecting badly on the company.

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Social Media, Email and Online Etiquette

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Social Media, Email and Online Etiquette – E-learning

Available as part of TrainNOW. For more information, contact us or visit our website.

For more information on this HR news, visit Smart Company’s article. Source: http://www.smartcompany.com.au/managing-people/051902-workplace-policies-on-social-media-essential-as-survey-reveals-one-fifth-of-job-seekers-want-full-access.html