The Ghanaian worker is often described as laid back, relaxed and tardy- and this is even before lunch time! As someone aptly wrote “work will get done eventually, but it is not a matter of life and death.”
The Ghanaian worker will stop at the next desk to chit chat or casually stroll into the office 10 minutes late because he bumped into a friend at the waakye seller’s. As frustrating as this may be, especially for those coming from the other side of the world, this will always be part and parcel of the Ghanaian work culture.
In every society, the corporate culture is largely shaped by cultural etiquettes. In Europe for example, there are strict rules on how long shops can remain open on Sundays, a day the Christian tradition recognises as a rest day and is therefore devoted to cultural and familial activities. A country like Germany with strict Christian traditions has laws that forbid shops from doing business on Sundays. So in a culture where face to face interaction is held in high esteem, you cannot expect anything less. For the Ghanaian, it is rude to jump straight into business talks without enquiring about the other’s health and engaging in small talk: And it seems many employers appreciate the cultural twist to the Ghanaian’s approach to work and hence, allow some room for tardiness and small talk at the workplace.
With all this to grapple with, Ghanaian employers cannot afford to allow anymore distractions at the workplace. That is why the use of social networking sites during work hours is or should be a headache for all employers. Whatsapping, tweeting or updating Facebook statuses during working hours has become as impulsive as taking toilet breaks! Wired.com- a website that reports on current and future trends in technology- posted two studies which demonstrated damage to productivity caused by social networking. Nucleus Research - an information technology research firm specializing in investigative research and the return on investment (ROI) analysis of technology deployments - reported that Facebook shaves 1.5% off office productivity while Morse claimed that British companies lost 2.2 billion a year to the social phenomenon. No such studies have been conducted in the Ghanaian workplace but from the constant online presence of my Facebook friends, I dare say the figures will be quite similar to the ones above.
Others, however, argue that allowing employees some time to access their social networking account can boost moral and consequently drive up productivity. Social media undoubtedly permeates every facet of employees’ lives, especially the younger ones, and they are going to find a way to access it whether an employer allows it or not. Therefore, completely banning the use of social media during work hours may backfire, resulting in disgruntled employees and low productivity. Media and creative organisations will actually benefit from allowing their employees unrestricted access to social networking sites so that they are always au fait on the latest events and trends.
Clearly, there is something to be said for both sides of the argument. Employers will want to see increased productivity but this cannot be achieved with disgruntled staff. It appears the best solution will be found in the middle ground. The concept of “social media breaks” has been suggested. Employees will have a couple of minutes off every so often to get on their social networking accounts. It is believed employees will return from these breaks happier and ready to carry on with work with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. Exactly how many minutes and how often during the working day is something that has to be decided by all interested parties.
The phenomenon of social media is here to stay and it will impact on employers and employees, one way or the other. It is therefore essential that employers start formulating clear policies concerning the use of social media while at work. It is time for employees to update the status on the use of social media during working hours.
Maclean Arthur
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