Introduction
Social media plays an important role at work places. Importantly, it is increasingly gaining popularity among different users as compared to other media like radio and television (Patel, 2010, p.60). By making use of computer networks in communication, social media plays an important role in helping organizations to communicate with their new employees (Sims, 2010, p.157).
In addition, it provides an interactive platform, whereby, individuals can converse uninterrupted. Unfortunately, this has resulted into misuse of the media, for instance, some users can express their ill motives or influence the public, or post information that they could not convey in a real life encounter.
Privacy of the employees at a given workplace should be given priority when using social media. Primarily, ethical codes of conduct should be observed in communication through the social media. Here, individuals should understand the feelings and emotions of the recipients of the information.
There is also a need to ensure security of the information contained in these media, since some of the information is essential for smooth running of the organization. The access to such information by unauthorized parties such as competitors of an organization would be very detrimental to the realization of the objectives of the company.
The Social Networking Sites
These are websites used for social interaction in the cyberspace. They include Facebook, MySpace, Opera, Yahoo, Twitter, Livejournal, Classmates, Myblog, and Linkedln among others (The Arabian Affiliate, 2011). Facebook has had a significant subscription recently, with a figure of over 500 million users by 2010 (Lyncheski, 2010, p.32). In most of the sites, a user is required to develop a profile (The Arabian Affiliate, 2011) by signing up in the network. Other individuals then get to know more about this particular user.
Privacy in Social Media at Workplace
Individuals have a right to privacy, and there are legal provisions that protect this right. Similarly, employees of an organization have the right to privacy of information. Unless it is necessary, employers need not to get into the private affairs of employees. To some extent, the kind of communication between the employees and the allies should be of little concern to the employers.
However, while using social media at workplaces, the company has the capacity to check into the content of such information. Ordinarily, the company retains the ability to monitor communication through the facilities at workplace (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2011). Importantly, organizations have private policies enacted to protect their operations.
This is because some irresponsible employees could use the social sites to influence the behavior of other employees or leak information to the wrong individuals. Indeed, information concerning an organization’s operational strategies is crucial and thus it should be kept secret (Guerin, 2011, p.260).
Thus, it is apparent that, even though it is necessary to respect the privacy of employees, the information shared in the social media sites at workplaces need to be assessed by the company. Employers are often interested in checking if the employees are doing a good job (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2011). However, the retrieved information should be revealed only in the event that it is deemed dangerous to the operations of the organization.
Ethical considerations while using social media
Using company resources for individual purposes is considered a good working condition that motivates employees. However, this is acceptable if the employees use the resources responsibly. This can be achieved through ethical consideration by the employees. Firstly, the sender of a piece of information should take precautions to ensure that the information will not hurt the recipient. In addition, employees should respect the privacy of their co-workers and provide identity only under the authority of the organization (Guerin, 2011, p.260). Indeed, a good understanding of the emotions of others enables one to identify a piece of information that is likely to hurt others.
It is also important to consider the diversity among the users of the sites. Different people understand life differently. When providing some information, an individual often believes that, his/her opinion is right and acceptable. However, the sender should acknowledge the fact that other individuals could have different opinions on the same subject.
Similarly, employees should be send proper and meaningful information. Retrieving information from these social sites is expensive; therefore, the information so received should be of some significance to the recipient. Observing the organizational values and codes of conduct will enable the employees to operate smartly towards the realization of the company’s objectives.
The employers often expect that the employees will use their employer time doing the assigned duties. However, studies have shown that a substantial proportion of employees often visit social media sites during employer’s time (Lyncheski, 2010, p.32).
Ethical concerns should also be exhibited by the employers. Some employers do not notify employees of the monitoring processes, and the latter only realize this during evaluation (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2011). In fact, it is unethical to monitor the activities of employees without their knowledge. Therefore, the organization should inform employees of the privacy policy, and that it has the right to monitor their activities while using the company’s facility (Lyncheski, 2010, p.33).
Social media and computer security
Computer security is increasingly becoming an issue of global concern, more so given that cases of new strains of computer viruses continue to threaten computer users in different institutions (Yale University, 2009). By joining the network within an institution or the larger WWW, an individual exposes his computer to attacks that would lead to loss of information stored in the machine (Yale University, 2009).
Given that the stored information is of importance to both the employees and the management of the organization, it is important to protect the information from loss. Indeed, all operating systems are vulnerable to such attacks (Yale University, 2009).
To improve on the security, users should stay informed of the latest developments registered in fighting computer viruses for a given operating system. In addition, software manufacturers often detect and provide alerts on possible attacks. Therefore, users should often consult with the manufacturers to fix the problem.
Security can also be improved using anti-virus (Yale University, 2009). This software checks updates, and prompts the users to fix the latest vulnerability that is discovered. Moreover, the use of a hardware-based firewall can also improve on the security (Yale University, 2009).
Conclusion
Social media plays an important role in workplace communication. Therefore, moral values and ethical considerations need to be observed, as they affect the effectiveness of such communication. Ordinarily, any conversation should be conducted in a similar manner it would be communicated in a real life situation.
Moreover, it is desirable that all the users of social media sites should show some sense of maturity, just like in a real life encounter. In this sense, they will avoid conveying information that would hurt the recipients of such information, or any other party that has access to such information.
Moreover, it is important to convey substantial pieces of information; however, the privacy of employees and the company should be respected while using the sites.
Appendix
Communication is essential in different settings including workplaces. Social media has had an increasing significance in enhancing effective communication among members of an organization. The management teams of business organizations often want to pass some information to their stakeholders including the customers, suppliers, the employees, and the public.
Effective communication is essential in the supply chain management in a business organization. Similarly, non-profit organizations also have a lot of stuff to communicate to their stakeholders, while employees of such organizations also have a lot to share among themselves.
References
Guerin, L. (2011). Smart Policies for Workplace Technologies: Email, Blogs, Cell Phones & More. Berkeley: Nolo.
Lyncheski, A. (2010). Social media in the workplace. Long-Term Living: For the Continuing Care Professional, 59(10), 32-35. Web.
Patel, J. (2010). The rise of social media. T+D, 64(7), p60-61. Web.
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. (2011). Fact Sheet 7: Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring. Web.
Sims, D. (2010). Creative Onboarding Programs: Tools for Energizing Your Orientation Program. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.
The Arabian Affiliate. (2011). A list of Social Networking Sites. Web.
Yale University. (2009). Notes on Computer Security. Web.