Both Ethics and Social media play a vital role in a business’s ability to grow and flourish. So where should the line be drawn between them? Should there be a line drawn between them? How are both positively manageable at the same time? These are important questions that have been coming up after the social media boom for both business and companies alike. As social media continues to rise over the years, new information and correlations have emerged regarding the individual using such a medium. One of the biggest questions in the business world is “does social media effect the views of employees regarding workplace ethics”? Meaning should social media be used to the full ability or should there be restrictions applied which limit what employees are able to express on social media. There are many questions such as this one that may question the whole concept of ethics itself and whether in avoidance of one issue another one is caused. National Business Ethics survey results indicates that a social media network user may not be a model employee. Research suggests that employees who are active social media network users are many times the same people who believe that questionable behavior is acceptable in the work place.
With stats like these it is hard to imagine the benefits of social media for an employer. The most shocking conclusion made in this report is that active social media users are found to have a higher tolerance for activities that are considered unethical. This does not make social media users cheaters, or liars; it simply suggests that they are more willing to work in the “gray areas.” They are willing to deal with issues that are not always clear in a company’s policy, issues that may have loopholes involved and can’t completely be proven wrong. Social network users have observed more misconduct and experienced more retaliation after reporting misconduct than regular employees. This suggests that the active social network users are more exposed to misconduct and therefore more prone to conduct such activities. Social media is proven to be one of the top time wasters, taking up an average of 30% of an active social networker’s day. All these things are true but it does not mean in any way that social media is the sole cause of destruction; it brings positivity to the table as well. To say that social network users are more bound to be unethical is a crazy insertion, Social networks do not promote any of this ludicrous. People cause this to happen, social media is important in the work place the question here is how to manage both. Ethical responsibilities can be expressed in social media terms or social media can be placed in ethical dilemmas but the easiest way to avoid such situations is to simply be responsible and professional. Unprofessional and irresponsible employees are bound to act unethically, social media or no social media at the end of the day. There are tons of questions that are brought up regarding this issue and very few legitimately universal answers that fit into each. This issue is much greater than it should be but it will remain this way for social media is still considered in the infancy stages at the workplace.
http://mashable.com/2012/03/17/social-media-ethics/
Business Ethics and Morals 