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This has been a question that many business owners have been struggling with—should they allow their employees to be using social media outlets at work? While your first reaction may be to not allow it, there are certainly many potential benefits to allowing it.

A recent survey done by FaceTime Communications which asked over 500 of their employees about the social media habits at work found that 79% of their workers used LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube while at work.

The reasons they gave for using it? 54% said professional networking, 52% said they were doing research, and another 52% stated they were using it to learn about their colleagues.

82% stated that they use social media for personal reasons, and 51% of their workers stated that they use social networks at least once a day while at work.

The benefits of allowing social media in the workplace:
• Good way to network with other professionals
• Cost-effective way to try and make a name for yourself in your specific business
• Brand Awareness—the more you are networking within communities such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, the more your brand is being exposed to other people. This can help keep your brand fresh and relevant in the minds of users in these communities

The cons of allowing social media in the workplace:
• It can lead to a decrease in productivity at work
• Can business owners afford to have their employees spend hours on networking that may not ever deliver any measurable results?
• Hard to determine on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn if the user is actually promoting their company or themselves.
• Can pose a security threat to your company

So, you see, there are many different factors that come into play here when figuring out whether or not social media should have a place at the office. Who is using it? What impact will it have? Which social networking sites are being used? Different sites offer different elements that might be more useful to your particular business.
Much to think about!

What it comes down to is each business owner or manager deciding about what they are trying to achieve. If this can be achieved using social media outlets, they have to determine if it’s worth it to them in terms of money and time. It’s not going to be a perfect fit for all companies. It will take time and effort to get really good results, so is it worth it for them?