According to LogNTrack, social media, and especially Facebook, is on the top of the most-used unproductive apps in 2014. Together, time spent on social networks accounts for about half of all of the unproductive time spent at work.
Salary.com did a survey to find out what employees themselves consider their top time-wasters at work, and 14% named social media, which ranked them the second, right after the news. It’s been calculated that by allowing social networks at work, the company loses up to $28 billion in productivity-loss per year.
Even if used for work-related purposes, social media does not guarantee effectiveness, as not everything you find there is reliable and true, which can double the time spent on certain tasks. Besides, studies show that social networking can also be addictive, create anxiety, decrease your motivation, and even cause irresponsible behavior.
And while there are strong arguments that social media is bad for your productivity, there are equally serious studies proving the opposite. Researches show that social media is able to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing between employees, as well as enhances work-related learning. While allowing workers to waste some time on social media helps for keeping up the work-life balance. And when feeling balanced, relaxed, and happy, employees perform better, are more creative and motivated.
Here’s the full list of pro’s and con’s of social media at work, presented in an infographic. So decide for yourself!
Try taking our Brand Tour to learn more about what LogNTrack Timesheet is all about if you are looking to upgrade your manual time tracking systems. Or, Operational efficiency is a critical component of business success. Get a clear picture of how work gets done in your organization, including uncovering key areas of improvement, by creating a free logntrack account in minutes (no credit card required).