Obviously it depends on the industry that the employee works. While not only bringing us the latest mash and trash, these social sites morph casual connections into pseudo business connections. The old adage is people enjoy working with people who have similar tastes/interests.
Coming from a branding/marketing/advertising background these sites are an indispensable tool that opens up the entire world as a focus group.
It depends on the industry and job I think... In my own case as an online marketer, I would find it tough to work for another Media employer that wasn't aware of how using and learning about these tools is a huge benefit. Also, if you're using social media sites like YouTube and Facebook to read the news, network, share best practices etc... then I definitely think it adds to workplace productivity.
Overall, at work or at play, these sites are much like TV. They may provoke temporary feelings of connection, friendship and involvement but for the most part seem to drain hours of energy with little payoff. If productivity is the outcome companies desire then its best to feed the soul with real time opportunities to connect with real people, pursue meaningful educational opportunities, break free from cubicle boredom, eat a healthy meal, get some exercise, and generally mix things up a bit.
To a certain degree, yes. It prevents complete slackers from wasting company time. However, if you do have slackers working at your company then you have a larger issue at hand which is related to hiring.
The largest consequence of blocking access to sites like Facebook is diminishing employee morale, which can be a dangerous thing to have.
In some ways it can but you never know what nuggets you may get from either site.
"You keep your friends close and your competitors closer." I was on Facebook the other day and noticed a friend/competitor that is a well known marketing analyst left his post and it has been hush-hush throughout the industry.
I would have to say like most, it depends on the job. If you are in the new media business these things are unavoidable, but if your clearly wasting time when you are supposed to be doing something else then its hampering.
One thing we would all hope for in our own businesses is that the staff we hire has the integrity to complete their jobs without being told what to do every second of the day.
I would like to give employees the benefit of the doubt , especially if I am the one who hired them.
This is like asking whether you want to have a TV and/or radio box in every cubicle for the employee's happiness. I don't think that "feel good" sensation is ever proven to be efficiently driving the office spirit. I believe Office is where you work and get out. Let's just get the work done on time and party a life outside of the cube, why Youtube and Facebook?
YouTube and Facebook provide no redeeming qualities - as they relate to a productive work environment (unless you are in the entertainment industry). While employees are at work they should be engaged in productive - company related activities.
Well, it depends on the people, we have access in our work, and yes we sometimes watch videos on youtube, and we laugh for about 5 minutes, then we work, if we wont have access to youtube, we probably will be talking about the videos we watched at home for about 10 minutes or more, it depends on the people not the network restrictions!
YouTube and Facebook can be addictive - for good and bad purposes.
Facebook and other networking sites allow me to see what other ideas and trends my friends are catching on to and where I might be able to find new business leads.
But if all you're doing is watching Chad Vader - the complete anthology, then you are probably taking up space.
It hampers productivity, for many reasons, but chief of which is that it shows a complete lack of trust that your staff will achieve the required tasks. Ultimately, that sort of environment is not conducive to productivity. Of course, excessive use would need to be curtailed.
Its all about the people who you have working for you .
Allowing access to sites such as these,allows an exit form work for a minute or two .
It lets the employee connect with a part of their world,while they are at work.It may be the two minutes that recharge them into being productive at work,and remind them of the life and family they have beyond the cubicle,after 5.
if you have an employee who has no limits and is prone to let entertainment at work rule,over work at work..then you have a problem.
The same thing can have different effects on different people .
Ice cream is a pleasant treat for my spouse,me being lactose intolerant,that would be painful hell for me.....Same thing..different results..different peopel
Couldn't have agreed more to Lisa Perez..It entirely depends on the people working in the organization...restrictions of any kind only result in employe resentment which can lower productivity.
Restrictions on things like sites at work will only create a feeling of micromanagement and no one like to feel as if "big brother" is always watching and they are not trusted. If you hire people who have an innate desire to excel and produce great work, they will take about a total of 10 - 15 minutes a day to watch something funny to relax and decompress but productivity will not be affected.
Theres a deeper issue behind all of this. Working in a motivated, challenging, collaborative work environment. If there is no communication between leaders and employees about what you are doing with your time than there are worse things to worry about. What does it matter what they are doing with their time if they aren't being motivated or challenged, or the work environment simply isn't competitive.
The answer to the question depends on several variables. The first being what the job description entails for a person engaging in content distributions sites. In my business, we are constantly looking at how others are using content to market and promote their company or brand. So in my case, it would make absolutely no sense to restrict access to these sites. Another variable that effects the answer is the employees capacity to balance the time they spend on these sites on company time. Everyone deserves a break, and one might argue that by taking away the employees ability to watch a youtube clip or respond to a wall post on Facebook, that the employees job satisfaction may be adversely effected. Companies like Google and Cranium, encourage their employees to be innovative, and I view both youtube and Facebook as providing the fertilizer for great innovative discussion. My team is constantly starting conversation and spawning ideas based on having seen a youtube clip or blog article.
I think that as in most situations, the level of productivity of the employee(s) should be the determining factor. Many individuals may need a "mental break" and visiting one of these sites could be part of the solution. If there is no evidence of abuse and the employee is producing....why not? This is an inexpensive perk and sometimes a small "carrot" can go a long way with an employee.
Everything in this world could harm and also it could bring benefits. The matter is how to direct it.
I think if corporations let the access to such sites in some times like the lunch hour it would be great. SORRY FOR MY POOR ENGLISH
like most people have stated. This should really depend on the company's regulations on the internet. I personally agree with many of you that websites like these are non-issues *IF and ONLY IF* the workers still finish their work in a timely and proper fashion. Then it shouldn't be a problem, unless company guidelines say otherwise. If that's the case then firewalls should be put up to block the sites anyways.
I think it improves efficiency. I'd like to think everyone was self-motivated, but in my experience a large majority of employees are not, and can get too easily distracted.
To agree with Keith though, if you are in a marketing role or perhaps IT than there may be legit reasons to spend time on these sites to further business objectives.
31 Total
April 11, 2008 at 10:54am by miro slodki
I'ld answer - except I'm at work right now
April 11, 2008 at 11:02am by sunny licious
Hamper!!! There are tons of ideas and people on sites like youtube and facebook. The impact depends on the person viewing these sites.
April 11, 2008 at 11:07am by Chase Wegmann
Obviously it depends on the industry that the employee works. While not only bringing us the latest mash and trash, these social sites morph casual connections into pseudo business connections. The old adage is people enjoy working with people who have similar tastes/interests.
Coming from a branding/marketing/advertising background these sites are an indispensable tool that opens up the entire world as a focus group.
April 11, 2008 at 11:21am by Keith Schilling
hamper, when you are in internet marketing :)
April 11, 2008 at 2:13pm by Haewon Kye
Hamper.
I have a friend who gets his daily dose of You Tube and Facebook on his iPhone in the men's room.
April 11, 2008 at 4:30pm by Bansi Patel
It depends on the industry and job I think... In my own case as an online marketer, I would find it tough to work for another Media employer that wasn't aware of how using and learning about these tools is a huge benefit. Also, if you're using social media sites like YouTube and Facebook to read the news, network, share best practices etc... then I definitely think it adds to workplace productivity.
April 11, 2008 at 6:09pm by nathan king
this is the new avenue for PR - blocking would be a mistake.
April 11, 2008 at 11:07pm by Yael Blum
Overall, at work or at play, these sites are much like TV. They may provoke temporary feelings of connection, friendship and involvement but for the most part seem to drain hours of energy with little payoff. If productivity is the outcome companies desire then its best to feed the soul with real time opportunities to connect with real people, pursue meaningful educational opportunities, break free from cubicle boredom, eat a healthy meal, get some exercise, and generally mix things up a bit.
April 12, 2008 at 12:25am by
To a certain degree, yes. It prevents complete slackers from wasting company time. However, if you do have slackers working at your company then you have a larger issue at hand which is related to hiring.
The largest consequence of blocking access to sites like Facebook is diminishing employee morale, which can be a dangerous thing to have.
April 12, 2008 at 12:27am by David Carberry
In some ways it can but you never know what nuggets you may get from either site.
"You keep your friends close and your competitors closer." I was on Facebook the other day and noticed a friend/competitor that is a well known marketing analyst left his post and it has been hush-hush throughout the industry.
April 12, 2008 at 8:49am by Sunil Urs
US is not under recession. Its just a correction.
April 12, 2008 at 2:27pm by Joanne Meurer
I would have to say like most, it depends on the job. If you are in the new media business these things are unavoidable, but if your clearly wasting time when you are supposed to be doing something else then its hampering.
One thing we would all hope for in our own businesses is that the staff we hire has the integrity to complete their jobs without being told what to do every second of the day.
I would like to give employees the benefit of the doubt , especially if I am the one who hired them.
Joanne Meurer
April 12, 2008 at 5:31pm by Tim X
This is like asking whether you want to have a TV and/or radio box in every cubicle for the employee's happiness. I don't think that "feel good" sensation is ever proven to be efficiently driving the office spirit. I believe Office is where you work and get out. Let's just get the work done on time and party a life outside of the cube, why Youtube and Facebook?
April 12, 2008 at 6:36pm by John Miller
YouTube and Facebook provide no redeeming qualities - as they relate to a productive work environment (unless you are in the entertainment industry). While employees are at work they should be engaged in productive - company related activities.
April 13, 2008 at 1:22am by Carlos Moreno
Well, it depends on the people, we have access in our work, and yes we sometimes watch videos on youtube, and we laugh for about 5 minutes, then we work, if we wont have access to youtube, we probably will be talking about the videos we watched at home for about 10 minutes or more, it depends on the people not the network restrictions!
April 13, 2008 at 2:20am by Metin Güven
Definitely enhance productivity since these would not distract their attention and steal time during work
April 13, 2008 at 2:31pm by Fred Baldassaro
YouTube and Facebook can be addictive - for good and bad purposes.
Facebook and other networking sites allow me to see what other ideas and trends my friends are catching on to and where I might be able to find new business leads.
But if all you're doing is watching Chad Vader - the complete anthology, then you are probably taking up space.
April 14, 2008 at 4:25am by Neil Moodley
It hampers productivity, for many reasons, but chief of which is that it shows a complete lack of trust that your staff will achieve the required tasks. Ultimately, that sort of environment is not conducive to productivity. Of course, excessive use would need to be curtailed.
April 14, 2008 at 5:12am by Lisa Perez
Its all about the people who you have working for you .
Allowing access to sites such as these,allows an exit form work for a minute or two .
It lets the employee connect with a part of their world,while they are at work.It may be the two minutes that recharge them into being productive at work,and remind them of the life and family they have beyond the cubicle,after 5.
if you have an employee who has no limits and is prone to let entertainment at work rule,over work at work..then you have a problem.
The same thing can have different effects on different people .
Ice cream is a pleasant treat for my spouse,me being lactose intolerant,that would be painful hell for me.....Same thing..different results..different peopel
April 14, 2008 at 7:32am by john rubia
it depends by the company management and conditions.
April 14, 2008 at 8:00am by john rubia
definately that is a matter of terms and conditions.
April 14, 2008 at 10:24pm by Jacqueline Holloway
I think if employees manage their time well, YouTube and Facebook are non-issues.
April 15, 2008 at 2:02am by WU KIAN
Balance
The viewpoint from me is, whatever the industry and job the people take, we should take the balance to access the internet entertaiment sites.
April 15, 2008 at 9:52am by Purnima Aiyar
Couldn't have agreed more to Lisa Perez..It entirely depends on the people working in the organization...restrictions of any kind only result in employe resentment which can lower productivity.
April 15, 2008 at 10:50am by
Restrictions on things like sites at work will only create a feeling of micromanagement and no one like to feel as if "big brother" is always watching and they are not trusted. If you hire people who have an innate desire to excel and produce great work, they will take about a total of 10 - 15 minutes a day to watch something funny to relax and decompress but productivity will not be affected.
April 15, 2008 at 12:16pm by Steven Ross
Theres a deeper issue behind all of this. Working in a motivated, challenging, collaborative work environment. If there is no communication between leaders and employees about what you are doing with your time than there are worse things to worry about. What does it matter what they are doing with their time if they aren't being motivated or challenged, or the work environment simply isn't competitive.
April 16, 2008 at 4:14pm by Carl Lacey
The answer to the question depends on several variables. The first being what the job description entails for a person engaging in content distributions sites. In my business, we are constantly looking at how others are using content to market and promote their company or brand. So in my case, it would make absolutely no sense to restrict access to these sites. Another variable that effects the answer is the employees capacity to balance the time they spend on these sites on company time. Everyone deserves a break, and one might argue that by taking away the employees ability to watch a youtube clip or respond to a wall post on Facebook, that the employees job satisfaction may be adversely effected. Companies like Google and Cranium, encourage their employees to be innovative, and I view both youtube and Facebook as providing the fertilizer for great innovative discussion. My team is constantly starting conversation and spawning ideas based on having seen a youtube clip or blog article.
April 25, 2008 at 2:32pm by Mark Salinas
I think that as in most situations, the level of productivity of the employee(s) should be the determining factor. Many individuals may need a "mental break" and visiting one of these sites could be part of the solution. If there is no evidence of abuse and the employee is producing....why not? This is an inexpensive perk and sometimes a small "carrot" can go a long way with an employee.
Mark Salinas, Viscom, MN
May 4, 2008 at 4:41pm by Mohamed Asal
Everything in this world could harm and also it could bring benefits. The matter is how to direct it.
I think if corporations let the access to such sites in some times like the lunch hour it would be great. SORRY FOR MY POOR ENGLISH
June 10, 2008 at 12:12pm by Jo Oshiro
like most people have stated. This should really depend on the company's regulations on the internet. I personally agree with many of you that websites like these are non-issues *IF and ONLY IF* the workers still finish their work in a timely and proper fashion. Then it shouldn't be a problem, unless company guidelines say otherwise. If that's the case then firewalls should be put up to block the sites anyways.
September 18, 2008 at 1:14pm by Jon Payne
I think it improves efficiency. I'd like to think everyone was self-motivated, but in my experience a large majority of employees are not, and can get too easily distracted.
To agree with Keith though, if you are in a marketing role or perhaps IT than there may be legit reasons to spend time on these sites to further business objectives.