Social software in the workplace: four pitfalls on the road to success – Executives Online

Social software stores increasingly

April 30, 2015 – With the rise of social software in the workplace, we often first think of the benefits that can provide this relatively new category of software

These benefits include: improved cooperation in teams around joint projects, clear division of labor, results orientation, responsibility and accountability among staff, fast retrieval of relevant information, et cetera. Recently, the international software Protime publish about White Paper . At the same time there are several aspects of mainstream social media that want to introduce probably not many managers in the workplace. “These aspects are efficiency and productivity is not good. Moreover, they can cause privacy issues,” says managing partner Darek Sikorski Protime. What, according to him, the four main pitfalls to avoid?
 
Privacy – The Internet is full of examples of employees who have made an internal error which then is still leaked. Although not always harmful, companies would rather not that the outside world will air on internal issues and priorities. Therefore must meet professional social software in the workplace to high requirements in terms of security and privacy. Platforms should be safely accessible only for their own community, as well as partners outside their part making out.
 
Unnecessary distractions – Social Software in the workplace is not as suitable for top-down mass towards the workplace. The technology is indeed primarily intended to work together. The software is very results oriented. Therefore, it is wise to think carefully about the desired and undesired effects of any top-down message to employees. If efficiency and collaboration are important goals, you do not distract them in their daily online work environment with ‘nice to know’ (as opposed to “need-to-know info) internal communication as the last marketing campaign or the next outing.
 
Entertainment – Unlike social media like Facebook and Twitter is social software for the workplace primarily designed to achieve business goals. Management should ensure that end users abusing the software as a chat with non-work-related “threads”. Therefore you can connect the latest generation of social software each project to corresponding business objectives. Additional advantage: employees are more motivated if their contribution to the success of the organization is clearly
.
 
Broadcasting – traditionally some social media applications have more of a ‘broadcasting’ character (Twitter, LinkedIn timeline), and others are more focused on engagement and exchange of ideas and solutions (Facebook, LinkedIn groups). For social software in the workplace is just the latest relevant interaction, cooperation. With proper design of the user interface that can be greatly affected. In fact, is the success of the software or falls with it. Companies would do well to recognize this for acquiring licenses and this aspect to take in the brief.

 Knowledge-oriented companies
 “Social software in the workplace is a relatively new technology, which when ingly seems to work in highly knowledge-oriented enterprises,” said Sikorski. “What is true social intranet internal dialogue and facilitated, the new generation software is designed for online collaboration. The focus has shifted from secondary processes to primary processes.” Providing managers know to avoid the major pitfalls, he predicts that social software in the workplace will be very popular. “International research shows that the productivity of knowledge workers by 20-25 percent increase in companies implementing internal social technology. That is robust and worthwhile for many managers to consider further count.”