Social Media In The Workplace

There’s been a lot of discussion in the press lately about the imminent launch of Facebook’s new professional platform ‘Facebook at Work’ (FAW) and it’s got us thinking about the significance of social media in the workplace.

Ask an employer if they would let their employees use social media during work hours and you would imagine the answer to be a resounding no. However, recent times have seen the PR industry revolutionised through the use of social media, with latest figures revealing that nearly 80% of businesses now have a dedicated social media team.

Currently in trial mode, Facebook’s new platform is set to be very similar to the much-loved service, but will instead allow professionals to create a completely different account and is aimed at creating a new way for co-workers to interact. Latest reports show that more than 300 companies worldwide including Heineken and Royal Bank of Scotland have already signed up.

Considering the fact that Facebook currently has over 1.55 billion active users and the average person spends five days a week in an office environment, it seems inevitable that in today’s technologically driven world a new service like this will be a welcome addition to the ever expanding marketplace.

So whether you agree with it or not, it looks like social media is going to be firmly rooted in the future of the workplace. Our verdict is that this can only be a positive thing when used for the right reasons – we’ll just have to try to resist the urge to FAW message the person closest to the kitchen next time the urge for a cup of coffee strikes…

By Rachel Sewell