RE:THINK

I’ve talked about this issue ad nauseum in the past but it’s reared its head again in this article in the News Limited press (Brisbane’s Courier Mail, to be accurate). So, what am I talking about?

Businesses blocking access to social tools in the workplace. In this case, Facebook gets a mention, but it applies to social networks generally.

I’m firmly of the view that this is a foolish approach by business. For several reasons:

• it assumes staff are going to abuse the privilege of Internet access at work rather than treating them like adults
• it disconnects people from the very thing that makes them people - theirnetworks of other people
• it denies people the opportunity to reach out to peers, clients and customers in the places they might be which very well could be Facebook, or MySpace or LinkedIn or a Ning community, etc.
• it abrogates responsibility for managing staff and imposes kindergarten-level, easily bypassed rules
• it fails to recognise that a smart and workable Acceptable Use Policy for social networks might work better than just blocking or banning
• it’s demoralising, demotivating and belittles the maturity inherent in your people when you treat them well and trust them

There’s more than enough research in existence (just two there from McKinsey, but there are many more) to indicate that allowing access to social networks at work, coupled with a functional and well-considered policy on what is and isn’t okay makes for a more engaged, more motivated and potentially more innovative work force.

The example I use frequently when asked this question is Facebook related. I’d suggest that it’s very okay to use Facebook to stay in contact with industry peer groups at work, but demonstrably not okay to use Facebook to play zombie games or Scrabble at work.

Which would your employer prefer? A happy worker, connected tightly into industry best practice and able to reach out for help when needed, or the proverbial mushroom - in the dark and fed on the crap that isolation produces? I know which I’d prefer if you were my employee.

Not to mention, this blocking argument has been seen before. First it was telephones on desks, then long-distance calls, then PCs, then email, then IM, etc., etc. The issue is no different with social networks.

Social networks are just another tool that have incredible potential to help your business if used in the right way. As such, here are the four things I’d suggest you and your business do today to make sure your staff are empowered to use social tools at work but also understand with crystal clarity what is and isn’t acceptable:

• Start with an acceptable use policy - get everyone’s feedback into it, get it drafted and in place on your intranet so everyone can read it. Make sure that your staff know their acces can be monitored and that there are consequences for repeated abuse of the policy (which may range from a warning to dismissal, depending on the abuse).
• Have an internal social network - of some sort. Ensure people can connect to each other within your organisation so that they build familiarity and expertise with the way social tools work.
• Open the firewall - blocking is both unneccessary and a workplace form of the Nanny State. If you trust your people, leading and managing them well, they will be more likely to trust you in return and also be more likely to feel inclined to follow the policies you introduce.
• Encourage use - not only allow it, but actively encourage your people to connect online (as well as more traditional ways) with each other, their peers and your clients and customers. Opening these channels offers fantastic opportunity to increase inputs to the thinking done in your business, offering an attendant potential for increased innovation

There are no perfect answers to this issue, but I think this offers a decent start.