Can Social Media Improve Workplace Productivity?

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As of 2019, there are an expected 2.77 billion social media users around the globe. This number is ever-increasing — in fact, it is up from 2.46 billion in 2017. There’s no slowing down social media’s progress and yet many employers are putting up a good fight, cracking down on social media use within their organisations. These employers are worried that it will distract employees from their day-to-day functions — while other employers are embracing social media and using it to relate to their employees.



Interestingly, there is growing evidence to suggest that social media can, in fact, boost efficiency and productivity in an office environment. Below, we’ll explore why this is the case, the arguments for implementing a more relaxed iran phone number resource attitude towards social media within your organisation and why social media might actually be an underestimated performance management tool.

1. Social Media Can Be Used as a Feedback Tool
As mentioned in a previous Social Hire article, social media is being used by savvy managers as a tool to give and receive feedback. This is not only great in terms of employee engagement, but regular feedback is also a huge motivator of good performance. After all, the quicker you can access and process feedback, the faster you can overcome obstacles and get on with the job at hand.



By using social media, employees can easily reach out for help and information on pressing problems, dramatically increasing the odds of completing or progressing on a given project.

2. Social Media Allow for Short, Much-Needed Breaks


Counterproductive though it might sound at first, small, frequent breaks are actually great for productivity levels. Working endlessly on a given task can cause frustration and exhaustion, resulting in a human error or substandard work. However, if employees are allowed to exercise their judgment and take periodic mental breaks away from their work, this can prove enough to refresh and re-energise them, meaning their productivity levels can recover. Social media provides a great five-minute distraction from work wherein employees can catch up with friends (or even watch a cat video or two). One source suggests that when employees can browse social sites at their leisure, their productivity increases by at least 9%.