Employees who social network at work for 20 minutes are happier — and no less productive

That social media policy of yours. The one in which you begrudgingly tolerate employee social media use on their own time and roadblock their efforts to use it at work.

You may want to revise it. ASAP!

Chad Brooks at Business News Daily reports here about a recent study by two members of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, which concludes that workplace morale improves when employees use social media on their smartphones at work.

According to the study, the average employee uses a smartphone for about 20 minutes during the workday. And, generally, anywhere between 20 and 25 minutes doesn’t affect productivity and is good for the employee.

Using a smartphone to tweet, check Facebook, and the like, is no different than spending that time checking email, talking on the phone, or reading a book. It’s a few minutes a few times throughout the day that an employee can recharge the batteries, so to speak.

So, consider encouraging — yes, encouraging — your employees to social network at work.

Image credit: Jfingas on Flickr