Social Media and the future workplace- emerging scenario

The Evolution of Internet :

Technology especially internet has changed human lives. It is changing the social behaviour daily. Google and social media like Face Book, Twitter, and Instagram are now part of life for many. Grand ma, grand pa, parents, children, support staffs etc are in love with these media. House wives and mothers are not getting bored any more. Very soon, support staffs and maids will also collaborate.

WhatsApp video calls, Google Duo and Skype have removed the barriers of distance. Child after birth are provided a smart phone. Social media are no more limited to social purpose alone. It gives all information. Social media is making people creative. People are expressing their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and events from remotest corner.  On-line market places have made life simple.  

The world is now a global village in true sense of the term.

The Motivators for All:

There are many positive as well as negative effects of this change. On the positive side, it facilitates virtual social networking, urge to share and show off, pushing people to spend, expanding relationship boundaries, news and views on the finger tips. This has empowered people like never before. Social media activists have discovered their self-worth and esteem. This has given them a tool for showcasing their individuality and exposure. People feel that the world is in their palm.

It is no doubt a powerful tool for recognition, the best platform so far. All sections of people from old generations, working people, young, house wives, maid servants, rickshaw Walla are more informed and agile. They are all networking globally. They recall their past achievements.  House wives are creating opportunities of get-together, events for posting them in social media. They are energized and finding new meaning. Social media updates all developments very fast. People are more informed on all aspects and registering it quickly. Personal branding and communication have increased manifold. It is a big platform for self-motivation. We also witnessed that social media behaviours are being tracked for political, economic and business development. The people are very informative besides being very smart.

Besides social media, Google is the new life line for all. APP is the new button that everyone is trying to app. Uber and OLA have removed dependencies. Amazon and Flipkart of the world have taken consumerism to a new level. Smart phones have made everyone smart.

So called Detractors for some

There are many flipside to these trends. More time in social media and internet are making them too individual centric. Spending time with near and dear ones is a big causality. Close family members are not talking to each other although they sit together at home. While in restaurants or in parks, train or buses, all members of the family/travellers are hooked to their smart phones. Urge for instant likes/comments is causing less / delayed sleep.  This is impacting family life, marriage break-up, distract from studies etc. Human touch, emotions and experiences of being together is on the decline.

This is creating a restless & impatient mind-set with “All I know” syndrome. So called social guys are becoming introverted. They are enjoying talking to virtual people. Virtual experience is motivating them.   The younger generation including the kids are very naturally attached to these platforms. This is not phenomena in India only it has become a global phenomenon.  

Changing social behaviour and expectations

Obsessive engagement with social media and internet have led to emergence of a new social behaviour with the following new behaviours:-

• Introverted individuality with passion for virtual networking, learning and relationships
• Well informed,  researched and technology saavy
• Obsessive needs for instant likes and recognition
• Quick Response digitally  , digital feedback
• Interactions/dialogue through digital means
• Need for virtual entertainment
• Flexibility in work, assignment and reporting
• More openness, flexibility, independent mind
• Not oriented to work fulltime
• Taking risks, experiment and innovate focus
• Doing something new
• Not open for feedback   
• Willing to fail

The change in behaviours due to use of internet especially social media is already seen. This will increase more and more engulfing more people consuming more time. A recent study done in urban cities has indicated that 4-5 hours are being spent now on an average. This is going to increase further with long-term impact and change in social life, the way people learn and network with very dramatic shift in social architecture. Some aspects of it would be good and some parts of it would be very deviant and different. The young generations especially the millennials with such changes in social life, future work places can’t keep them insulated from the changes and the expected requirements. The online innovations is bringing out new features and options every day and this will further impact the behaviours.             

Early Movers

The organisations who are fast to recognise these trends will accept the emerging changes better. They need to shed the  conservative approach and provide access to social media, work place platforms, digitalisation options, playing games online, smart phones, Selfie counters/platforms, internal processes and systems on smart phones, tolerating social media time at work place, using it for collaboration at work place. Some progressive organisations are recognising the emerging trends and accepting use social media during work time. In conservative organisations, access are still restricted and employees with more visibility in social media during work time or outside are being castigated as non-performers.

The Writing on the Wall

Social Media will make more inroads in social and organisational life in future. Given the natural preference of the younger generation, it is not possible to restrict the use while they are at work. Rather organisations should facilitate and allow usage in an open manner. Also make efforts to train/communicate the power of this tool constructively. Organisation should accept it as part of new reality and shed their reservations. Organisations inhibiting or slow to respond and adapt, will have the consequences. The organisations with a glasnost mind-set will move faster to leverage the workforce better. New and old at all times have to live and perform as start-up who  experiments and innovates all the times.

Future Workforce aspirations

Employees of future especially the younger ones and new millennials would decide to work in organisation who have open usage policy for social media. The touchpoints and interactions on social media within and outside the organisation will be source of huge data for talent management and development. People behaviour and analytics related to this will be huge input for mapping potential, creativity, and natural skillset, aspirations, hidden talent, satisfaction and frustrations etc.

 Impact on Policy , Culture and Environment

 The workplace of future would need to go through radical digital transformation. The changes in infrastructure part is much easier. The digital attitude and mind-set is the most difficult and important one. The digitally savvy new millennials would expect everything digitally. Besides giving them lot of flexibility and empowerment, the reward and recognitions have to be thoughtfully redesigned and packaged for instant recognitions. Policies around part time work, work from anywhere have to be provided with no fixed time table. Digital collaboration platforms and encouragement will be a must in the foreseeable future. The culture and environment will undergo a sea change around the expected behaviours. All policies and programmes need to be revaluated especially on the appraisal, performance evaluation and career development have to be very open and cantered around the new requirement. Compensation and rewards to be based on projects, assignments and creative contribution / innovation etc . Differentiation will be the order of the day instead of equity in everything that we talk about..

----------------------------