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The focus of companies is often on how much time is wasted when employees are chatting on Facebook or sending tweets about their day.... Why Companies Should Let Employees Use Social Media

The focus of companies is often on how much time is wasted when employees are chatting on Facebook or sending tweets about their day. However, some experts say that they should be looking at the benefits of allowing their staff to use social media.  In fact, in some areas it should even be advocated.  Here are three reasons why.

It Helps in Hiring

Sites such as LinkedIn can be a great place to find candidates that you would otherwise never see in your applications. You can pursue a worthy candidate even if they do not submit a resume or cover letter.  They may be networking and looking for a job, but never think of applying until you make contact online.  On the other side, you can learn a great deal about an applicant through their public profiles that you would not find out in a standard interview.

Why Companies Should Let Their Employees Use Social Media

It Fosters Community in the Workplace

While not everyone should friend their supervisor on Facebook, it can foster a sense of equality between management and staff. Employees can tweet their manager or other heads of departments and the CEOs can maintain communication with their staff online in a way they couldn’t do in person. Staff can know more about what is going on and feel a sense of community with each other and with their bosses even in a 140 character message.

It Encourages Employees to Become Advocates

Employees can become advocates of the company online and provide a real-world look at the business for outsiders. They can become the evangelists for the company’s products or services and more consumers will relate to them than to other forms of advertising. More consumers are looking beyond the price of a company to what they represent. They want to see a company that makes a positive difference in the world and what better way to show that than through the eyes and voice of the employees.

Social media allows people to see a company is not only a great place to work, but it is a great place for the products or services they need. At the end of the day, that is what it is all about.

[Image via jeffwhite34]