To Block or Not to Block...

When I was entering the career world after graduating with my bachelor’s degree in Technology Management, one of the big topics was that organizations should block access to personal email, Facebook, YouTube, and other “time-wasting” sites (Scott, 2008). The organization I was working for in an internship before I graduated was blocking those sites. This topic has not gone away; the percentage of companies has gone up by five percent in 12 years (Everfi, 2020). In our organization, we do not block the internet. There are a few reasons. First, the internet can provide a lot of information, blocking part of the internet may cause our employees to miss some information that could be helpful for them. Second, we do not want the “big brother” effect. This would lead to distrust on both sides. Lastly, we use social platforms in our business blocking access would mean that employees would not be able to get work done.

Does this mean that our employees are “wasting time” on social media; yes. This would be like stopping water cooler talk, sharing GIFs on company or private chats, or having personal time during work hours. In all the 12 years I have worked at Griffin Hill, there was only once we had to have a conversation with an employee who was spending way too much time watching videos rather than working. Our organizational performance has increased when leaders work with those they lead, track performance output for the team and individuals, and set goals. This is much better for us to do than block the internet. I understand there are some cases where a social media or internet policy is essential for cybersecurity, company brand management, and other communication management; however, for a company to manage this is impossible, in 2008 the iPhone was just starting to show up places (iPhone, 2021), data speeds were poor. Social was not very well connected to it. There are over 2.5 billion smartphones in the world (Esteves, 2019) connected to data. That is about one-third of the population (Esteves, 2019; Worldometers, n.d.). It would be impossible to ensure employees are not using social media during work hours on their personal device.

Soft Skills & Digital Literacies

When we hire employees, we are looking to evaluate their soft skills and their digital capabilities. We used two interviews to help us get some of this information. First, we use a chemistry interview to see how they interact with us, see if they fit the company culture, and test their communication skills. Second, we do a panel interview to see how they act under pressure, see their thought process, test for coachability, and test their abilities with the technology and tools required of them. In addition, there is a lot of on-the-job training that needs to take place and skills that need to be sharpened over time, and so our employees will participate in ongoing coaching and training to learn new skills and update or sharpen skills that may have been adjusted (Parker & Rainie, 2020). For our entry positions, we usually use chemistry and panel interviews.

For our senior positions, we set requirements for education, experience, and demonstrating knowledge, skill, and ability. Parker and Rainie (2020) point out that there is debate on how effective getting a degree is, yet they also point out that 67% of Americans believe a four-year degree will help them prepare for the workplace. Parker and Rainie also propose that life experiences help with employment. I would suggest school involvement is a unique life experience that can only be achieved by going to school.

Pros and Cons of Networked Workers

There are some pros of having networked workers. First, understanding how social networks work can add value to the organization, allowing it to improve its presents and visibility online. Second, as employees build their social media, it can give more exposure to the organization. For example, if employees post about positive things happening at work or what they are working on, it builds the organization. In addition, strategies can be used to find new employees from the employees’ network. Finally, as employees understand the internet, it can provide the organization with ideas about different, latest trends or creative ways to apply what they see.

There are some cons. First, employees having adverse experiences or who are naturally destructive could post negative things about the organization. Second, employees engaging in social media activity during work time could be wasting time and not be productive. Finally, allowing employees to use the internet, in general, could also expose the organization to cybersecurity issues. Jefferson (2021) identifies 15 types of cyber-attacks, and most of these attacks happen because employees are doing something online.

Alignment with Kelly

I like the idea of tracking and am amazed at how innovative people are at getting data (Kelly, 2016). As I think about tracking data and how it impacts employees, I believe it is imperative to use it correctly. Many organizations use data to catch an employee doing something wrong. If data is used to beat up employees, it will backfire and erode company culture.

I agree with Kelly (2016) about how important questions are and how organizations can benefit by asking good questions. However, I feel it falls a bit short. I think having a good question is so important. As Kelly suggests, filtering and AI will be able to answer the excellent question; however, if organizations do not do anything with that question, they will stay in the same spot. If they do not ask the question to a place where information is held, whether in the organization’s KM system or a site like Google, they won’t progress the question. When organizations have reverse-engineered the answer to create the question, if they do not document it and put it on the internet, search engines cannot filter the information and introduce the organization to people who need it answered. Questions are good when they promote action!

References

Esteves, J. [Jose Esteves]. (2019, January 13). Did You Know 2019. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTM06NZOyDQ

Everfi. (2020, November 23). The top reasons companies block Social Media at work. EVERFI, Inc. https://everfi.com/blog/workplace-training/the-top-reasons-companies-block-social-media-at-work/

Parker, K., & Rainie, L. (2020, April 13). Americans and Lifetime Learning in the Knowledge Age. The Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/spring-2020/americans-and-lifetime-learning-in-the-knowledge-age

Scott, D. M. (2008, July 19). Facebook and YouTube blocked by paranoid corporations at their own peril. Freshspot Marketing. https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2008/06/facebook-and-yo.html

iPhone (1st_generation). (2021, September 12‎). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation)

Jefferson, B. (2021, August 6). The 15 most common types of Cyber Attacks. Lepide. https://www.lepide.com/blog/the-15-most-common-types-of-cyber-attacks/

Kelly, K. (2016). The inevitable: Understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future. Penguin Books.

Worldometers. (n.d.). World Population. Worldometers.info. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/