Facebook use in working hours annoys fellow employees
We're not entirely sure why a survey was needed to identify this, but it raises an interesting point. A survey in the UK has revealed that employees using Facebook when they should be working is rapidly causing increased friction in the workplace.
Whilst not an exclusive annoyance (with jammed printers, pointless meetings and smelly colleagues also featuring high on the list!)the survey revealed that those not yet addicted to Facebook feel that those using it during working hours are getting away with something their employers should be taking more seriously.
The increasing availability of Facebook away from the office desktop is certainly a factor, with mobile devices now a popular interface with the social media giant, but the slack and perhaps uninformed attitudes of many employers is probably a bigger one. It remains a mystery why so many organisation have yet to deploy formal and enforceable Acceptable Use Policies (AUP's) that protect their investment in working time and ensure those less trustworthy don't abuse the privilege of being allowed access to social media in break times.
Internet use for personal purposes in working time has always been something for any employer to deal with, but in most cases it doesn't warrant particular cause for concern. Facebook has changed that. The nature of the social media network is that it is addictive and it is quick and easy to use. That often disguises the amount of time that an employee can spend on it - and the disruption to workflow and concentrated thought that results from it.
Facebook has become to defacto minimised application on the desktop or the ever interrupting mobile communications application and it's impact has to be carefully considered by employers. Allowing an employee access to such media can give major benefits to an employers, with tech savvy employees always an asset to most companies - but a lack of control in monitoring how much access they have to it can have quite the opposite effect.
Other than the disruption it causes to workflow and productivity it is become more apparent that non-Facebook users are finding it as annoying as the Lazy Employee who deliberately does everything they can to remain free of tasks whilst delegating everything possible to their colleagues. Add up the time that your average Facebook addict might spend on the network in a working day and most employers would get a shock if this was taken over the period of a month - or year.
We don't have the answer to the dilemma or question, but we do believe that the survey adds fuel to the argument of organisations needing to take Acceptable Use Policies much more seriously - if only to protect themselves against complaints from employees claiming Facebook users are getting away with a form of work-shyness that most of them probably don't even consider themselves guilty of.
What does it cost?
The problem with Facebook use in the office is a very simple one - users tend not to realise just how much time they spend on it and how distracting it can be.
Let's take your average Facebooker. They sit with the application minimised and don't respond to all the messages or updates they're party to. They're an observer for the majority of their working day.
No problem? Unfortunately that isn't the case. They're distracted, they take the time to read messages and the are prone to errors in their work in doing so - it's not conjecture, it's fact that the human mind doesn't deal with distraction very well.
Our calculations lead us to believe that allowing Facebook use in the office can lead to 17 minutes of additional breaks being taken by an employee in an average day - without them thinking they're doing anything wrong. That doesn't include permitted break times.
Take that over the period of a 5 day week and you have and 1 hour and 25 minutes of lost time. Take that over a 47 week year if you allow for four weeks off on vacation/holiday and a week sickness - and you've just lost 66 hours - or a good week and a half of productivity that you've paid staff for.
Oh, and that's your average Facebook user - not the addicts. We dread to think what they might be costing employers.
