James Murphy
Remote work refers to people working from a different location instead of a central location or office. In many cases, people work from their homes. For many years, the work culture was for all workers to gather at a particular location within a timeframe for their work. But newer technologies have made it possible for people to work from a decentralized location and still achieve the same goal.
More companies are embracing this remote work trend and that number is bound to rise. As long as business owners and managers continue to realize that employees are happier to work from home and still maintain the same level of productivity or even more, then remote work will continue to rise. Most skeptics might have issues with communication and collaboration among coworkers and team members, but that’s where social media comes in.
The rise of social media has no doubt, impacted us and our lives in many ways. Although it may not look like it, it does affect our daily lives and even our workplaces. It is the drive behind many of the changes in the work culture that we now experience. One area where social media has had a tremendous impact is in remote work. The rise of remote working in our world today is largely linked to the growth of social media and the possibilities which it offers.
Merits and demerits of social media on the workplace culture
As you would have known, it is impossible to use a one-size-fits-all approach for the use of social media and their application in the workplace. It might have some merits and demerits based on the type of organization, features, platform type, and industry.
Merits
It enhances open communication, and make it easier to discover and deliver information between coworkers and in an organization.
- Employees have the opportunity to drop their contributions and suggestions on different matters.
- They can as well ask questions, discuss new ideas, etc.
- Allows remote workers (and other employees as well) to meet other people and connect with them while expanding their business contact.
The organizations can also benefit from it
- It enhances diversity and inclusion in an organization.
- The organization can carry out effective social media marketing campaigns, and also win more traffic to their website.
- Improves the reputation of an organization with minimal adverts.
- The company can reach out to a wider audience which is good for advert and marketing and also for recruiting effectively.
Demerits
There are legitimate fears about the use of social media for brands and their employees. Although it does have many positives, there is a big possibility for security issues and the employers having to deal with legal liabilities. Organizations also don’t have enough laws which they can turn to in the case of such events. Using social media as a tool by the employers or for personal use by remote working employees can pose some risk for the organization. Some of these are:
- There is a possibility that hackers can commit fraud or launch spam attacks.
- Many people can fall prey to online frauds which may lead to identity theft and may compromise the security of the company.
- There might be legal repercussions for the organization if the employees distribute offensive or illicit materials with these sites.
Considering the merits and demerits of social media for remote workers and the organization, the pros do outweigh the cons. As remote workers can engage with and communicate among themselves using these platforms and also share ideas and knowledge, it can lead to more productivity.
As people have more options to stay connected without seeing physically, the remote work trend is further enabled. Thanks to social media, remote work is becoming more feasible and bearable. So, it continues to foster the growth of remote work. Here are some ways, social media helps remote work.
Work-Life Balance
For many workers, creating a balance between their work and their normal life is usually a struggle. Many times, these people tend to lean towards work and neglect their real life and family. But with social media, they can bridge that gap. Nowadays, people can now work from their homes and still achieve the same results as those working from an office. They stay in contact with their workplaces through different social networks and also ensure they maintain constant communication. It will also afford them time to spend with their families. So, they are connected to the two important aspects of their lives.
Some workers have to work far away from their homes and are isolated from the people that should be their support system. Social media helps them to stay connected with their families. So, people can easily access their colleagues and families whenever they need to.
The social media platform that is best for connecting with distant family and friends irrespective of where you are or the distance between you is Facebook.
Professional networking
According to professional essay writers at top essay writing service, working remotely can also be very difficult. This difficulty stems from the fact that remote workers do not have a network of colleagues and coworkers around them which they may have been used to. More difficult, is the fact that they do not have people around them that share the same interest as they do in their work and industry. This is where social media comes in.
With social media, remote workers in a situation such as this can connect with their colleagues and coworkers easily. This enables them to create an atmosphere where they can connect with the people that have the same work interest as them. With this technology, you can join global discussions about your industry and stay informed on all the latest developments even though you work from home.
An example of a platform that makes this very easy to accomplish is Twitter. This social network is great for professionals that work remotely as they can connect with people with similar interest and share information. Conversations in twitter chats from specific hashtags also allow easy access to broader connections.
Streamlining work processes
It would have been more difficult for remote workers to collaborate with themselves in the absence of social media. But the presence and growth of social media have aided this collaboration.
Although social media is known for networking and personal growth, the fact that it is very flexible and informal makes it easier for people to communicate with themselves in simple and clear language. This, therefore, creates a perfect situation that can be used to enhance collaboration among coworkers or team members working remotely, as though they work together. As social media continues to evolve and newer platforms continue to emerge, they create elements to make work interactions easier.
An example of a social media platform where coworkers can easily connect and communicate, according to an essay service is Slack. When it comes to traditional social networks, Slack may not be a top choice but it’s very important for maintaining office collaboration and communication between remote workers.
According to a survey by Gallup on remote work in 2015, 37% of workers in the US claim that they already work remotely. So, it is not hard to guess that the number must have increased a lot based on more recent trends. According to content writers at essay writers UK, the growth of social media massively increase the culture of remote working.
One advantage of remote work over traditional centralized office work is the fact that workers are happier while working and this increases their productivity. With social media there to help remote workers with the connection that they need, you can be sure that this trend will only continue to grow.
Conclusion
Irrespective of the industry that you work in, there is no denying the amount of influence that social media now have in business organizations. It is not just that organizations can use it to market themselves and their product, but the fact that it allows their staff to work remotely, increase their employee happiness, and productivity. As social media allows people to connect with their family, friends, colleagues, and coworkers with ease, remote working has even become more rampant. And as long as employee satisfaction and productivity of remote workers continue to rise, there is no reason to not envisage a future where most people work from home.
