Last week the news was full of the story of John Flaxman, a manager at British Gas. He claimed that he was forced from his job because he had his LinkedIn profile set to encourage potential employers to contact him about opportunities. BG have largely kept their counsel over the issue, but a few articles have emerged suggesting that the story might not be as one sided as Mr Flaxman would have us believe.
Regardless of the rights and wrongs of this individual case however, the issue has tapped into the fear many employers have regarding the social networking activities of their employees. So the findings of the 2011 National Business Ethics Survey will provide little to abate this fear. The survey found that employees that are active on social networking sites are significantly less loyal to their employer than the less social amongst us.
The study, which defined active social networkers as those who spend 30% of their work time on social networking sites, found that these folks are much more likely to view their current jobs as temporary. 72 percent of active social networkers polled said they plan to change employers within the next five years, compared to 39 percent of non-active social networkers.
The study generally painted a pretty bleak picture of active networkers. Not only were they more likely to shift jobs regularly, they were also found to be more likely to pilfer supplies from the company and were more likely to blab about the bad things that happen at work online.
Of course there is a flip side as well. The report suggested that active networkers were both more likely to spread good things online and more likely to both observe poor work behaviour but were also more likely to blow the whistle on it.
Correlation does not imply causation
Of course we cannot assume that correlation implies causation. The study does not provide any real evidence to suggest that it is social networking that is to blame. It could just be that the kind of people who enjoy networking online are also the kind of people that display the traits outlined above.
The study found that employees regarded as active networkers make up just 11% of the working population. It could easily be that such people are increasingly isolated and disengaged at workplaces that seem increasingly out of touch with how the modern world is orientating itself.
After all, Cisco's Connected World Technology report outlined last November the importance younger people place on social media access at work. The report concluded. "The ability to use social media, mobile devices, and the Internet more freely in the workplace is strong enough to influence job choice, sometimes more than salary."
So is it social networkers that are out of touch with workplace norms, or are many workplaces out of touch with the expectations of the modern workforce?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Wonder what if we normalized for age.
This can only be a good thing.
First, social media use does not lead to lower loyalty and lower loyalty doesn't drive one to use social media. Both are symptoms of people looking for more meaning out of their work but not getting it at their current workplace.
Secondly, smart companies would do better to understand why employees are dissatisfied rather than do silly things like blame (or ban) social media.
nuf sed.
Yes, I think you\’re right David. This behaviour is a symptom of a greater malaise – one of mass employee disengagement.
People talk about things they have in common on social networks. Employement comes up often because of the amount of time people spend at work. Employees who enjoy what they do and are happy with where they work will say so. Employees who are not will say so.
I have watched many people I know becoming more dissatisfied with their employment. Companies are freezing pay increases, increasing the amount employees must pay for benefits, and increasing the workload. Many employees are feeling frustrated and taken advantage of. If employers want the loyalty of their employees they will need to address the issues that are causing employees to leave. Banning social networking will have a negative effect on their employees, clients and customers.
That's a very good point. Social is a bit like drinking alcohol. Being drunk won't change your mood, but it will emphasise the mood you're currently in. Social is the same. If you're happy, it lets you spread your happiness further. Likewise if you're not happy at work. Social media is merely the channel used to express feelings they already have.
Depends what people do on social networks doesn't it? If you're learning and collaborating then it's hardly a big thing, but if you're playing games it's not so productive. Blanket statements like those in the report don't really do much except polarise opinion.