Companies and organizations all want the same thing from their employees – productivity. There are a million things that can all serve as distractions to employees but the most common are social networking sites. The social network explosion has led many employees to spend a considerable deal of time on websites like Facebook and Twitter in an effort to stay connected to family, friends, and colleagues.

When Nucleus Research conducted a study to determine Facebook use in the office, they learned that 77 percent of employees with a Facebook account use the site during working hours. Some of those employees were on Facebook at least two hours per day while at work.

Banning the popular site has become more common among firms and organizations. More employees are placing a ban or restriction on the use of Facebook and similar sites. Employers fear that their staff may be wasting time that could be spent working. In some cases, companies have decided that employees who access a site like Facebook could potentially face termination. The increasing popularity of Facebook bans is commonly being referred to as “Faceblocking” and Faceblocking is spreading fast.

The impact of social media on employee productivity was inevitable. Many career consulting firms and professional employment researchers understood that companies would eventually discover that sites like Facebook could affect the bottom line if they were not dealt with efficiently. Facebook can especially be disastrous for companies that are already in trouble due to low profitability and tight margins. In these cases, the companies simply can’t afford to lose valuable employee time to social media. Restricting Facebook will probably not make companies popular with their employees. For some companies, a little loss of popularity can determine whether or not the company can keep their doors open.

A study conducted by Proudfoot Consulting discovered that almost 29 percent of company time in America is unproductive. Billions of dollars are lost each year due to employees that are doing everything under the sun other than working. Of course, it isn’t just online browsing that leads to unproductive employees. The study found that inefficient planning of work could also cause inactivity in the workplace. If employees are not sure what they should be doing and haven’t been assigned duties, then they are more likely to be unproductive and browse sites like Facebook.

Not every business expert agrees that Facebook should be banned in companies and organizations. There is a growing belief that the line between private life and work life has been blurring and that eventually that line will disappear. Once the line has disappeared it will be common for a person’s life outside of work to mingle with their business. Not every business owner is implementing filters to restrict employee access to Facebook. Some employers see Facebook as technology that can’t be regulated and turn a blind eye to employees who use the site on the clock. Other employers are embracing the technology and encouraging the use of social media to shape their business and increase employee morale.

Author Bio: Bruno is a web entrepreneur and social media marketing consultant working for the Norwegian dog community website Hundefeber.no. He also owns a lovely Pomeranian and a Mops dog.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: business,facebook,social networking