Social media in the workplace: where do you draw the line?

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By Erin MacFarlane

Is it acceptable to post on your personal social media accounts during work hours?

I recently posed this question on my blog and received a variety of interesting responses.

As PR professionals, it’s obvious that we need access to social media platforms at the office. That’s a no-brainer. The reason most of us are hired in the first place is because we’re social media savvy. There is, however, a difference between refreshing your Facebook profile 50 times a day and monitoring coverage for a client.

I’m a big supporter of communicators engaging customers using corporate social media accounts, but what happens when employees waste away the day tweeting from their own profile and catching up with old Facebook friends?

As an intern this past summer, I made a conscious effort not to check my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts at work. Not only was it distracting, but I worried I would look like a slacker if my co-workers saw a constant flurry of social media updates.

What if ones of your clients who follows you on Twitter sees you tweeting about an upcoming hockey game, rather than working on the launch of their latest product? In such a creative industry, would they actually care, or would they be pleased to know you’re active on social media channels at all hours of the day?

Since I’ve only worked in a corporate environment, I’m very curious to hear about what’s acceptable at an agency. To be honest, everyone I know who works in PR is constantly tweeting throughout the day from their personal accounts. That’s just the way it is – I don’t know if any “guidelines” could ever change that. My main concern, however, is what managers think of this. Are you making a good impression when you’re glued to your Facebook account all morning, or is this just part of the job description? If you still manage to get your work done, does any of this really matter?

Managers should clarify their expectations regarding personal social media use with their team to avoid confusion. Some companies encourage employees to actively surf their feeds while they’re at work, while others don’t condone it. When you’re moving around in the industry, sometimes it’s hard to keep these rules straight. If you’re the type of manager who expects your staff to limit their personal social media use, make sure you communicate this. It’s not always obvious.

Above all, I think it’s important to know the boundaries in your own workplace and ask your manager or coworkers if you’re unsure of the policy.

It’s time to hear your thoughts – what do you think about using personal social media accounts at work? Is it widely accepted across our industry, or should you save the updates for your own time? Is limiting your personal use the best solution?

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