Is Employer Monitoring of Employee Social Media Justified? Essay

In today’s society, it is crucial for employees to understand the significance in the use of social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. This subject will discuss the primary reasons companies allow the usage of social networking sites in the workplace. It will also explain the positive impact social media usage has in the workplace, such as allowing communication to a broader audience. In addition to the positive usage, this topic will also explore the negative implications usage can cause. Because social media is still relatively new, there are not many laws establishing the proper guidelines for these sites in the workplace. Scholarly articles such as the ‘Workplace impact of social networking” examine the effects of not establishing said policies, an error which results in an unhealthy work environment. Ultimately, employees can positively influence the workplace by using social media if they have the proper guidelines to follow.

Look past the posters in social media sites as LinkedIn and Facebook, there is a craze developing and corporations are finding themselves more so operating with social links for routine business. Many businesses are using social networks for problem resolving matters, to initiate

A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes.

Employers on our social media, this is a fact that everyone in this age accepts but do not necessarily like or want. Some people say it is okay to check social media when looking for who to hire, but this infringes on privacy rights. If an employer finds something discriminating on a profile and decides not to hire the person this is not okay, even though some may say it is because you want to know what you are getting into. An employer could find information that was not even true on social media, this would not work in favor of employment. It is not okay to check social media when employers are hiring because it invades privacy, discriminates and the information provided on the site could be false.

The purpose of this literary review is to enlighten my viewers of the importance of the ethical idea of companies crossing the lines of business with your personal life, when involving social media accounts. Most of my research has operated from the ATU library using the find it tool. Furthermost, the researched information use was from peer-reviewed research journal. I will discuss includes social media cons in the work environment, if it is ethical to get fired over a post, and laws that protect both parties. Social media includes an assortment of electronic communications—most commonly networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, Instagram, and the likes thereof. Social media also covers all forms of blogs, including Twitter (a micro-blog), wikis, online journals, diaries, personal newsletters, and World of Warfare and YouTube also are included under the umbrella term of social media (Lieber 2011).

Report findings show that 75% of employees access social media on the job either via the corporate network or their mobile devices once a day, and 60% accessing it multiple times.

Even if the employee has a private account, there are still ways for the post to go public and reflect poorly on the company. Although employees should have privacy, if the post is hurting the company then they should get fired. “Many companies forbid employees from giving information to the competitor, which would damage the company, so why not forbid employees from posting information that would hurt the company.” (“Yes, You Should…”). The company could lose business because they are linked directly to the company. “A manager gets to choose the kind of people they want in the workplace. If they don't want a person who drinks, then a post of an employee drinking could get them fired.” (“Should Employees be Fired...)”. “Bad judgment isn't limited to online behavior.” (“Yes, you should…”). Just as an employee would get fired for saying something offensive in the office, they should get fired for saying something offensive online. Employees should have to remain professional even online. Although some people think as long as you post during unpaid hours it is fine, anyone can still view the post at any

Employer monitoring is often seen as an intrusion of privacy for many employees. Companies observe their people in various ways from online usage, social media and emails. Furthermore, organizations now have policies and procedures in place that outline how much accessibility they have to what their staff view and write on company time. The top reasons employers say they monitor is to keep the personnel safe, determine how work is being done and to deter disgruntled employees from giving away company secrets (Mello, 2012).

Slide two introduces the audience to the “whys” behind the behavior of some companies. In other words, slide two provides a good outline detailing reasons why organizations feel the need to monitor employee email and internet usage. Some of the information provided in this slide are: firms can investigate complaints

The subject of an employer’s right to information vs. an employee’s right to privacy seems to be an increasing area of complexity and contention. Escalating use of social media sites like, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook and YouTube, are making personal lives and opinions more public in nature which in turn has led to the rethinking of current conceptions of privacy.

Social media is becoming an increasingly common feature of
the world of work and this trend looks set to continue. This application of communication technology or computer mediated tools have developed rapidly in our lives. Survey such as that conducted by CIPD (2013) have shown that while only a quarter of UK employees use it in their professional lives, this increases to 42% among employees aged 18–24. The innovative operation mode of social media has not only successfully drawn the attention of industry and academia, but has also boosted user growth, especially in the younger generation.

Social media has increasingly been on the rise for over the past 10 years, so has the concern on the effect of it being in the workplace. People are spending more and more time on social media and other communication technology (Walder). Because of this, researchers have begun to wonder what the effect will be in the workplace. The argument of social media in the workplace is on the rise, and will continue to grow as the Internet continues to transform the way people are spending their time (Carlson).

Almost everyone in developed countries, during this day and age, has social media accounts. There are many platforms of social media including but not limited to: facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, myspace, linkedin, etc… And there are many reasons for using these social media platforms such as: keeping contact with old friends and distant relatives, meeting new people and sharing life experiences with people around the globe, or stalking that cute girl at work but never making contact. Among these reasons, and many more is the controversial topic of whether job employers should be able to use of social media to look up applicants. I believe job employers have a right to look up potential employees because doing so would allow them to

Generally, employers are concerned about the various issues that could transpire in the workplace such as poor performance, viewing of inappropriate and derogatory things on the organization's equipment, lower productivity, and injuries on the job (“Managing Workplace Monitoring”, 2016). Therefore, “employers also have a duty to their employees to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information gathered and maintained in the course of employment (“Managing Workplace Monitoring”, 2016, para. 1). Moreover, the main reason for monitoring employees is solely tied into limiting the amount of litigation the organization can potentially be subjected to. Therefore, to minimize exposure and risk to

The impact of social media on the workplace is increasing. Social media is the broad term for internet-based tools used on PCs, laptops, tablets and smart phones to help people make contact, keep in touch and interact.