Positive impacts of social media at work: job satisfaction, job calling, and Facebook use among co-workers

The number of Facebook users grew rapidly since its conception.Within today’s workplace, employees are increasingly connecting with each other on Facebook for interpersonal reasons.Due to sensational reports by media outlets of inappropriate social media use, many organizations are taking extreme measures about how their employees who utilize Facebook to connect with colleagues.Contrary to the negative assumptions, McAfee [1] states that social media within the workplace can promote positive dynamics. The present study uses McAfee’s argument to examine if a positive connection exists between colleagues who use Facebook to connect with each other. An online survey with questions involving Facebook use with co-workers, job satisfaction, and perceived job calling was completed by employees (N=70) at two high-tech companies in Northern California, USA.Results revealed that job satisfaction is positively correlated with intensity of Facebook use among co-workers. Furthermore, feeling called to one’s line of work was statistically significantly higher for the group of employees who spent the most amount of time interacting on Facebook with their co-workers than the group that spent the least amount of time.These results suggest that companies could begin to explore the positive benefits of social media use within the workplace

Investigating employee harassment via social media

Previously the investigation of employee harassment within the workplace would typically have involved obtaining evidence regarding physical contact, verbal contact (face to face or via telephone) or written contact (via letters or notes or email) between a suspect and a victim. Social media has added a new avenue to the investigation of employee harassment that goes beyond the physical workplace and normal working hours. In this paper we examine the process of computer forensic investigation of employee harassment via social media and the legal aspects of such. In particular we examine employee harassment via social media in terms of the reporting of harassment, the computer forensic investigation process, the relevant UK legislation and its application, and discuss good practice guidelines for educating employers and employees regarding how to use social media in the workplace and beyond in an acceptable manner

MINERVA 2014

This issue of Minerva includes an article on newly expanded and renovated Honors spaces; a spotlight on student research collaboratives; a celebration of renowned Honors faculty members, Steve Cohn and Tina Passman; and a discussion of Honors student travel and volunteerism

Successful Operational Cyber Security Strategies for Small Businesses

Cybercriminals threaten strategic and efficient use of the Internet within the business environment. Each year, cybercrimes in the United States cost business leaders approximately $6 billion, and globally,$445 billion. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the operational strategies chief information security officers of high-technology companies used to protect their businesses from cyberattacks. Organizational learning theory was the conceptual framework for the study. The population of the study was 3 high-technology business owners operating in Florida who have Internet expertise and successfully protected their businesses from cyberattacks. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to valid the data gathered through semistructured interviews, a review of company websites, and social media pages. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which supported the identification of 4 themes: effective leadership, cybersecurity awareness, reliance on third-party vendors, and cybersecurity training. The implications of this study for positive social change include a safe and secure environment for conducting electronic transactions, which may result in increased business and consumer confidence strengthened by the protection of personal and confidential information. The creation and sustainability of a safe Internet environment may lead to increased usage and trust in online business activities, leading to greater online business through consumer confidence and communication

“@ Whoever is Listening”: How Organizations and Its Members Perceive and Use Social Media During Critical Events in the Workplace

More and more, social media is becoming an integrated component of individuals’ lives. With this, social media is impacting various landscapes that we interact in such as the workplace. Though social media is continuously being integrated into the workplace, scholarship pertaining to the relationship between social media and the workplace is still in its infancy. Yet, even with this lack of empirically supported knowledge, organizations and its members are still utilizing social media for various purposes. For instance, organizations use social media for recruitment purposes, to manage its image and to communicate to its internal and external members. One space that organizations use social media to communicate about includes critical events. My dissertation homes in on organizational use of social media during critical events to explore how this impacts the workplace. Specifically, my dissertation investigates if members find organizational use of social media (typically of an informal nature) as an appropriate platform to convey messages about critical events (typically more serious and formal in nature). Next, I explore if organizations can communicate too much or too little about critical events via social media. Moreover, I hypothesize that there will be a difference between perceptions of message amount and quality based on a member’s rank within the organization. Lastly, I wanted to dive into the individual level to see if and how members used social media to, in turn, cope or regain power during these critical events. Additionally, I extend Standpoint Theory into the organizational context which is, to my knowledge, one of the first studies to do so. To examine these questions and proposed statements, I use mixed methods in which I integrate findings from interviews and surveys to determine unique findings. In Chapter 5, I provide the outcome of my study and conclude the dissertation with recommendations for future studies and some closing remarks

Worker Use Of Social Media For Informal Learning In A Corporate Environment

In the global workplace, workers must quickly adapt to changing information and productivity demands. Workers must filter information, avoid overload and find out what they need to know. How can use of social media technologies benefit the knowledge worker and the corporate workplace? This study presents a closer look at the use, perceptions, and reflections of active social media users within the corporate environment. The purpose of this study was to examine, through worker voice, factors in worker use of social media that lead to successful informal learning outcomes in the corporate environment. This qualitative research used a phenomenological methodology. The criterion-based sample consisted of 13 knowledge workers within a Fortune 500 global manufacturing company. Data collection methods included a survey, two interviews and logging of social media use. Social media studied included applications available to workers within the company and included Yammer; SharePoint blogs, MySites, forums, wikis, and team sites; and Microsoft OneNote when used collaboratively. Findings were based on a synthesis of the textures (verbatim statements) and structures (contextual descriptions) of participant experiences that led to the emergence of themes. Data analysis indicated that characteristics, roles, and the workplace environment are factors that mediate use of social media for informal learning in the corporate workplace. Worker characteristics such as strong technology skills, self-direction, leadership, and caring about learning effectively contributed to successful social media use. Job roles and social media roles also mediated use, providing differing incentives for participation. Job roles that included social media use and approved digital coaching tended to enable participation. Among participants with job roles that did not require social media use, there were other incentives (e.g., socializing, recognition, building influence). However, lack of time to participate was more often a limiting factor in these cases. Environmental factors such as colleague and management attitudes of non value, lack of leadership participation and guidance, lack of tool awareness and effectiveness, lack of time, company use policies, online noise and other factors were perceived as constraints to social media use (particularly Yammer use) for informal learning within the company. Data analysis also indicated that the main theme or essence of participants\u27 lived experiences concerned connection with others and what those connections provided, whether it was interactions, effective learning support, better teamwork, or searchable knowledge. Additional findings indicated these participants perceived value and meaning in communicating with others globally, learning efficiently and effectively on the job, and collaborating with others through the social media tools which then provided resources for others. Participants expressed both disappointment at the current state and hope for a larger, growing learning community as workers with more technological skills joined the company over time. Opportunities to log and reflect on their social media use led to more awareness about effectively using social media. Theories on self-directed learning (Knowles, 1975), social constructivism (Richey, Klein, & Tracey, 2011), the Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978), and the Ecology of Meanings communication model (Campos, 2007) provided a framework that supported these findings. Most workplace social media studies have not focused on learning, but rather on motivation and communications using different methodologies and sample selection criteria. This study confirms much of the current research on social technology use within the corporate environment and extends findings to provide a more focused study about informal learning based on worker voice. This research is intended to inform instructional designers, learning professionals, learning leaders, corporate learning and technology decision makers, and those with interests in enhancing learning within corporate environments. Additional research is needed to further guide strategies and creation of learning environments that contribute to informal learning

Social media in the workplace: Legal challenges for employers and employees

Social media has become prevalent through platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and has essentially changed the way people communicate. At first, social media networks were used for private purposes; however, businesses have started using social media as a way to improve and advertise their products online. Therefore, social media presents many benefits such as lower costs for advertising and convenience for customers to view and share products online. However, the advent of social media in the business environment also creates challenges within the workplace that can have a negative effect on the employer–employee relationship. This is especially significant when social media is used inappropriately within and beyond the workplace. Therefore, the aim of this research is to address the legal challenges created by social media in the workplace, and whether employers have a contractual right to control and/or manage employees using social media beyond the workplace. The use of social media in the workplace complicates the employment relationship because of the various legal issues it creates. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to highlight these legal issues within the workplace environment and how the use of social media affects the employment relationship when used within and beyond the workplace. Hence, this thesis will determine the meaning of a ‘workplace’ and how this may present legal issues relating to the use of social media outside of working hours. This discussion is coupled with the duties within an employment contract and whether social media has any impact on these duties within the employment relationship when determining the use of social media outside of working hours. Moreover, this thesis will examine the key legal issues arising out of the use of social media in the workplace, which include privacy and defamation as well as cyberbullying. These are key issues in relation to the ubiquitous nature of social media in the workplace. Focusing on these legal issues, this thesis will address the means by which employers can control and monitor the use of social media by employees within and outside the workplace through existing workplace surveillance legislation and workplace policies. However, the implementation of social media workplace policies to regulate off-duty conduct of employees may create some concern in relation to a breach of privacy. Therefore, this thesis considers the impact of privacy principles within workplace surveillance and to what extent an employer can regulate the use of social media by an employee beyond the workplace. This thesis concludes with key recommendations on the possible control and monitoring of social media within and beyond the workplace. The concluding remarks find that by introducing the integration of employment contracts and social media workplace policies, together with the implied duties under the contract, it is acceptable for employers to manage social media beyond the workplace. Secondly, this thesis found that educating and training employees on the possible risks social media in the workplace can have and keeping the workplace policies up to date, may reduce the legal challenges of social media beyond the workplace. Lastly, this thesis proposed that existing workplace surveillance legislation be amended to include specific control and monitoring of social media within and beyond the workplace

ADOPTION OF INTERNAL SOCIAL MEDIA FOR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND ITS INFLUENCES ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AN EXAMINATION OF AIRLINE EMPLOYEES IN THE UK AND NIGERIA

The digital age has fundamentally changed employees’ and organizations’ notions of convenience, speed, information sharing, and employee interactions, which has given organizations a whole new way to engage employees and build employee relationships. Effective communication among employees within an organization enhances two-way productivity. Hence, organizations are increasingly using internal social media platforms to communicate and engage employees through the application of internal social media technology. Some of these mediums of communication are Facebook, Workplace by Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yammer, and Google+, to name but a few. This is more evident in the airline industry, whose large, dispersed workforce, that is people working different shifts, in different time zones, and various departments in different geographical areas, need coordination and engagement of individuals and teams across organizations. Although there is much research on the importance and benefits of using internal social media platforms for employee engagement, there is limited research on the factors influencing adoption and use of internal social media for employee engagement, and the extent to which internal social media influences employees’ intellectual, affective and social engagement and its impact on employee performance, This research has brought this into single study to examine factors that influence employee adoption and usage of internal social media on employee engagement and performance and their relationships for two countries’ employees, a top priority for airline companies who utilize internal social media for employee engagement to enhance performance in their organizations. Moreover, this study proposed and tested an extended theoretical model ;the technology acceptance model(TAM ). Using survey data from 343 airlines employees in UK and Nigerian airline companiesthat had adopted internal social vi media for engagement, this study uses the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach to test the proposed relationships between influencing factors of internal social media adoption and usage and employee engagement and their impact on employee performance, the results indicate that perceived ease of use and uncertainty avoidance are important, significant factors in internal social media adoption and usage for employee engagement in Nigerian airline companies. However, perceived usefulness and uncertainty avoidance are also significant actors in internal social media adoption and usage for employee engagement in UK airline companies. This finding is consistent with prior research and hold significant implications for both theory and practice

An exploration of the percieved implications of online social media for employee productivity and satisfaction in the workplace: a qualitative study of an IT company study in KZN.

Masters Degrees. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The following study focuses on a form of information and communication technology known as, online social media. Forms of online social media have not only influenced the way in which we live and work but have also transformed the traditional norms of the political, economic and educational arena. This particular research study will be conducted within a specific unit of the economic arena; the workplace. The objective of this study was to explore the perceived implications of online social media on productivity and job satisfaction in the workplace. An exploration of employees’ experiences was explored within an IT company in KZN through eight one-on-one semi-structured discussions conducted in September 2018. The case study rooted in qualitative analysis assisted in understanding employees’ perceptions and experience of utilizing online social media within the workplace. This was uncovered through the extraction of insights from employees (as they experience it). Additionally, themes as well as sub-themes were explored in relation to the uses and gratifications theory as well as the connectivism theory. A review of literature and the analysis of interview data indicated the conflicting nature of online social media platforms within the workplace. Moreover, it highlights the potential of online social media to enhance human capacities which can assist in improving what employees know, levels of efficiency and the overall work experience of employees. Notwithstanding, these abilities, forms of online social media reportedly can influence levels of presenteeism and engagement on work related tasks and responsibilities