PR Start by Nick Lucido

Great post, Nick. I agree with you that leveraging social media sites and networking are of value, but the time spent on them should be during personal time.

I think too many young professionals abuse the use of new media during work hours; however, those that strive to go above and beyond for colleagues and clients will be most valuable employees and better off in the long-run. While emerging trends are exiting to get immersed in, there are some traditional business practices that should continue to be honored.

I agree with much of your post, but as you know from a post of mine you read, the workplace environment is changing and it should.

You say things are different now because you are billing clients for your time. But what difference does it make what time of day or what day you are finishing a project for them, as long as it’s done when it needs to be done and done in a quality manner? They know you’re not working on their single account all day long, because you have other clients. So why not work on Client A’s stuff, then Client B’s stuff, then social networking, then a quick personal email, then back to Client A’s stuff then on to Client C’s stuff?

Clients A, B and C won’t know from your billable hours sheet which hours of which day were devoted to them specifically. All they care about — or should care about — is how many hours they are paying for and how much work you accomplished during the time they paid for.

What it means is maybe you’re working at night or on a Saturday, but that’s your choice to make the work/life balance a work/life blend. In the end, the result should be the same for the client. I would argue it might even be better because you’re more well-rounded, more creative and more productive because you have outlets you can tap into.

Hi Mary, great to hear from you! Glad you agree. I think where it gets tricky would be justifying it to our clients, and the basic business practices hold true. Thanks for dropping by.

That’s a very interesting perspective, but to me, there are only so many hours in a day. Of course, working full time has really shown me how hard it is to balance everything well (you’re one of those people that can do it). Even though it might be surprising, but for me, it’s nice to leave the office and actually leave the office. Of course, I go home and I have work to do for other commitments, so I guess I’m learning not to spread myself too thin. I think you’re right in that we will continue to see more of this and it will be interesting to see how it affects practitioners. Thanks for providing your insight.

I have been meaning to reply to this post for days – but being a young professional who struggles with juggling myself, I only get to it now.

My take on social media in the workplace is not unlike Ari’s. I do read a few tweets and occasionnally a blog post while at work, but I keep it to the minimum.

I figure it’s no different that someone taking a coffee or a cigarette break. We’re not machines and can’t be expected to work straight for eight (or ten… or twelve…) hours! I even found that a few minutes to unwind even boosts my productivity.

However, my rules are as follows: if a client or colleague is waiting on something, then my tweetdeck disappears. And if I do take a few minutes to read a few tweets, then these minutes will not be billed to a client.

Hi Claude, thanks for reading. I think that’s a good rule, and you’re right — it’s good to use these tools as a break. You obviously have it under control, but I’m thinking of those people who take two-hour “breaks” for social media. Moderation is key.