Did you know that more than 50% of the world’s population are active Internet users and 33% own some type of social media account? Amazing, right?!

Having access to social media (and the Internet in general) allow individuals to do some pretty impressive things; video chatting from your phone with family in a different continent, searching for a distant relative, or live Tweeting along with your favourite television show have all become the norm.

As incredible as the Internet and social media have become, there are still some instances where the use of social media can have an adverse effect—the workplace being one of them. Many  workplaces have created social media policies to monitor the usage of these sites, and some have implemented complete bans. Are such strategies effective, though? According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 77% of those surveyed continued to use social media despite their employers’ efforts to reduce or ban social media at work.

As an employer you should aim to embrace social media in your workplace, instead of fighting what may seem like a losing battle. Here’s how:

1. Encourage Your Employees to Grow Their Networks. LinkedIn is a great tool to connect with others both inside and outside of your current industry. Your employees may be meeting new individuals who will prove to be beneficial to your business at some point in time. They may become a customer, a mentor or even a future employee. Regardless, any connection they make is essentially one more individual who will be familiar with your brand and know exactly what you do.
2. Encourage Your Employees to Learn. Social media is no longer solely used for sharing photos, liking memes and sending invites for extra game lives. As a Marketing Manager who spends a large portion of my day on social media, it is still surprising to me to see just how much content is actually out there! Encourage your employees to make the most of their work breaks (or social media breaks if you have already implemented those) by perusing social platforms for articles that are relevant to your industry. By doing so, your employees will be expanding their minds and gaining additional knowledge that can only help your employees become better at their jobs, as well as help leverage your business in the long run.
3. Encourage Your Employees to Be the Face of Your Business. If you want your workplace to be one that people remember and want to work at or purchase product/services from, then display that via social to everyone in your community and beyond. When your team attends events, take photos and share them to your networks and encourage your employees to do the same. You can even create your own hashtag for your business that your employees can use when sharing work-related content. At the same time, have your employees post, like, comment, share, Tweet, etc. any content that your business posts on social media. This will help get your message seen by more individuals who are likely a part of your audience, and you will have your own personal cheerleaders championing your brand!

It may seem like social media in the workplace is a productivity killer, but give it a chance—it can take your business to the next level!