Social Media Infiltrating Canadian Workplaces With Impact On Productivity Causing Unease

Social media is gaining a foothold in Canada’s workplaces, with personal and professional use overlapping at work, according to the latest survey results from global workforce solutions provider Kelly Services ^[1]®. Approximately 15 percent of employees approve of the personal use of social media during work hours, while many more view it as disruptive to workplace harmony.

Approximately 54 percent of survey respondents believe that mixing personal and professional connections through social media can cause problems in the workplace.

The findings are part of the latest survey results from the Kelly Global Workforce Index ^[2] (KGWI), an annual survey conducted by Kelly Services. Nearly 170,000 people in 30 countries participated in the survey, including almost 8,000 in Canada.

“For many workers, social media has become a tool to help them make career decisions and to search for jobs,” said Kelly Services Vice President and General Manager of Canadian Operations Kristin Supancich. “But alongside the positive aspects, there remains nervousness about personal and professional uses intermingling.”

With the talent war for highly-skilled workers in full swing, it’s important to note that more employees with professional and technical skill sets feel it is acceptable to use social media for personal use at work (17 percent) compared to those without these skill sets (12 percent).

Results of the survey in Canada show:

• Among the main workforce generations, 16 percent of Gen Y (aged 19-30) believe it is acceptable to use social media for personal use while at work, compared with 14 percent of Gen X (aged 31-48) and 11 percent of Baby Boomers (aged 49-66).
• 16 percent feel it is acceptable to share opinions about work with friends and colleagues on social media.
• Just 5 percent of employees have been told to stop using social media at work.
• One-third of respondents are more inclined to search for jobs using social media rather than through traditional methods such as newspapers, online job boards and recruitment firms.

“From the employer’s perspective, the saturation of social media in the workplace is occurring faster than any rules designed to manage it,” Supancich said. “While many employees are quick to see the benefits, managers are grappling with a host of complex issues relating to privacy, monitoring, and control of sensitive business information.”

Complete findings are published in a new report, When Two Worlds Collide – The Rise of Social Media in the Workplace ^[3].