This (c) through employee recognition programs, (d)

This paper seeks to analyse the approaches available for managing social media distractions at the organizational level. The use of social media as a working tool, for example enable employees exchange information with other members about common interests, policies, services and products. Moreover, social media offers a safe and collaborative work environment where employees have an enriching learning experience (Stafford & Mearns, 2009). However, there are concerns by managers regarding the time employees spend with social media while ignoring or neglecting their work duties as well as the attention employees devote to their technical gadgets. Additionally, safety issues may arise due to the distraction social media presents to the employees. The paper argued that there are control measures to manage social media distractions within organisations. Management in an attempt to avert the situation at the organizational level can meet the challenge of controlling social media at work (a) during the hiring process, (b) at new employee orientations, (c) through employee recognition programs, (d) through the use of visual aids in the work environment, and (e) through ongoing training programs.
1.0 Introduction
Today, individuals communicate easier and faster due to accessibility of the Internet. Previously, communication was mostly done via landline telephones, which afforded limited features. Additionally, people contacted others by sending written correspondence through postal services, but this medium has lost popularity because it is slower and less accessible than electronic mail.
However, when employees are distracted with social media, it can become a concern for organizations. Warnakula and Manickam (2010) found that 98.9% of the employees surveyed in Sri Lanka visited their social networks at the office. Employees are supposed to perform the tasks assigned to them, but often their electronic social connections become a means of distraction (Mastrangelo et al., 2006; Sherman, 2009) due to the “beeps” alerting them about a