I have a small company (5 employees) and I plan to block facebook on company computers. Is it a good idea? Facebook can be very distractive and can negatively affect productivity but can this cause revolt in workers? What is your opinion and what is the best way to do that?
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silha
Posted 1 year ago # -
Darcie
Posted 1 year ago #Hi! Thanks for your question. While Facebook can be distracting for some workers, especially if they're playing games like Farmville instead of working, a couple of studies have shown that allowing your employees to use Facebook and other social networking sites, such as Twitter, at work can actually boost productivity.
One of the reasons it can help your employees is that it gives them a chance to take a breather from work, like we describe in a previous blog post about how a little procastination can help go a long way. Longer days and fewer breaks can take a toll on your employees, so it's helpful to step back from those spreadsheets for a bit.
Secondly, if you're in a creative field social networking sites can be helpful! Not only do we have a Facebook Fan Page for ChooseWhat, but we also encourage our employees to ask questions on their own personal accounts. I get so many ideas and suggestions from Facebook Friends and Twitter Followers! It also helps to create a virtual water cooler so I can see what other people are interested in order to write an informative blog that appeals to the masses.
Thirdly, the study most people often cite for decreased productivity due to Facebook is a 2009 study that says that the social networking site costs employers 1.5 percent in productivity. Is completely banning your entire office from Facebook and potentially making them feel punished worth 1.5 percent? I'm not so sure, but for some people it might be.
I would suggest taking a look at your employees individually. If there is someone abusing personal Internet use while at work, pull him or her aside and talk to him privately instead of completely banning it.
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Jen Udan
Posted 1 year ago #@silha
Banning Facebook in the office is definitey a personal choice, but it really depends on what industry you're in and how closely connected to your employees you are. Could I ask you to describe your industry and what kind of office setup you have?
My own personal experience being one of the first five full-time employees of ChooseWhat.com makes me inclined to recommend that you do not ban Facebook. Facebook can be a great tool to connect with your customers, spread brand awareness and crowdsource.
Small startups, in particular, can get a lot out of using Facebook, namely an opportunity to provide quality customer service quickly and more personably than larger companies. I think that if you communicate these aims to your employees and what you expect out of their general Facebook use, then you won't have a problem of widespread abuse.
Don't worry too much about whether your employees "goof off" during work. As @darcie pointed out, "goofing off" time can often spur productivity. If you feel you're employees have too much time on their hands to goof off, then simply create more individual objectives and hold your people accountable for turning in deliverables in a timely manner. In my experience, employees only tend to goof off when 1) they don't have enough work to do, or 2) they aren't being held accountable for the work they do.
Hope this helps!
Jen Udan
ChooseWhat.com -
ivoca
Posted 1 year ago #I think that facebook should be blocked. There a lot of studies that shows how much faceboook can be distracting and how it negatively affects on productivity of workers. As a company owner you have right to block it, you pay your employees and you pay them for work not for wasting time on facebook. I have blocked it in my company so that is left accessible on breaks and lunch time and it's done with software (facebooklimiter.com)
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Reece Freeman
Posted 12 months ago #Well, yes I'm sure that there are some studies out there that say that people in general can waste a lot of time on Facebook. However, being that you are such a small company what is your relationship with your co-workers? It is a scientific fact that the way you treat your employees directly effects how they perform. Do you want them working for or against you? Because they can still work against you and the clock without Facebook on their computers.
I feel like the best way to run a (especially a small, 5 employee) company would be to have an open and honest relationship with your workers. Understand that they might take breaks to converse with friends over Facebook, but also make sure they meet their goals. It seems like this "Facebook Limiter" is just an easy (and temporary) fix. People have Facebook on their mobile phones too, and as I said before, there are much more harmful ways that your employees can waste time once you've blocked their "window to the world" -- Facebook. Why not let them take a look outside every once in a while?
You can have an effective workforce without dictating every second of every day, don't you think? Society is changing rapidly with social networking and other user-generated content websites, like this one. Why not let your business be a part of the revolution? Make your company a Facebook "Fan" page and promote your company to prospective clients, customers, and even employees over Facebook. You'd be amazed at the PR and HR work you can save by just having an open forum through Facebook for your customers and employees to access. Use the site to your advantage, don't block it just because you've read a few articles about the negative effects of it. As a small business owner, you have the power to turn such an amazing networking tool into a revenue-boost, not a wage-dump.
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I have Facebook set to where it gets blocked after 10 minutes of usage. I use a free Firefox plugin: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/leechblock/
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Jen Udan
Posted 12 months ago #I would just like to point out that @Koby voluntarily chooses to use this tool in order to not get into a time-suck so that he can complete his work on time. IMHO, voluntary blocking is definitely better than mandated, but I'll let Koby chime in.
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directinc_becky
Posted 7 months ago #@Koby Wong What a genius idea! I used to just disable my account in college during finals to make sure I didn't waste time, but this would be a great alternative.
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Yeah, I still use that Firefox addon today. It's crazy how fast time can fly by on Facebook, so it's cool that you set your time limits beforehand. Like Jen said, this isn't company mandated. It's something I've voluntarily chosen to use that increases my productivity. Everyone's different and might not need the same things I do.
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amuthanjrv
Posted 6 months ago #Businesses spend millions preventing their employees from accessing sites and services they feel are responsible for counter-productivity, but the evidence would seem to point to the contrary.
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