In our always-on culture, it can feel like you need to keep track of social media and emails at all times. But what impact does this have on your employees’ productivity? We take a look at the research.

In the news, there are reports that businesses are unprepared for the Modern Slavery Act and the Living Wage, although they’re better placed for automatic enrolment. And alternative finance is helping businesses who were affected by the Christmas floods.

Top news stories

Fifth of businesses unaware of Modern Slavery Act

From 1 April, businesses with a turnover of more than £36 million need to report on the steps they have taken to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in their business or supply chains.

Small employers urged to take action to prepare for Living Wage compliance

39% of employers were unaware of how Salary Sacrifice for employee benefits could affect Living Wage and a further 19% knew about the possible implications but were yet to review it to ensure compliance.

23% of businesses pay a 5% contribution into employees’ pensions

A survey found that only 8% of employers don’t yet make the 2% contribution, which will be the minimum employer contribution rate under automatic enrolment from 2018.

2015 was a record year for start-ups

More companies were launched in the UK in 2015 than ever before, according to analysis of Companies House and Office for National Statistics data.

Crowdfunding helps flooded businesses in Calderdale

A community crowdfunding project has raised more than £110,000 for flooded traders, many of whom weren’t insured after previous floods.

Key dates for your diary

31 January: Deadline for online submission of Self Assessment tax returns for tax year ended 5 April 2015.

31 January: Deadline for paying Self Assessment ‘balancing payments’ for tax year ended 5 April 2015.

31 January: Deadline for first Self Assessment payment on account for tax year ended 5 April 2016.

Tweeting in a meeting

Are you always connected to the internet? Do you and your colleagues spend a lot of time on social media, reading and sharing? It’s a part of the modern world. For most of us it’s just a habit but for some it’s so extreme that psychologists have come up with the term “online compulsive disorder”.

But even if your staff aren’t addicted, there are serious implications for employers. US research found that use of social media during work time cost businesses up to $300 billion a year. That figure is likely to rise, with the growth of BYOD (bring your own device) and the increasingly relaxed attitude that businesses take to staff using social media at work.

Social media and meetings

In productivity studies, the key drains on time were the internet, social media, meetings and emails. Combine all of those and you have a recipe for lower productivity and lost revenue.

Here are our top tips to make your meetings as effective as possible, without interruptions from social media and emails:

• Switch off phones: the simplest way to address the issue is to ensure that everyone’s phones are off. That way there are no distractions from calls or people tapping away.
• Keep meetings short: this will help keep people engaged and make the meeting more productive. It also helps to combat one of the common reasons for using phones in a meeting - boredom. And it’s easier to be offline when you know that you’ll be reconnected soon.
• Ask employees to get someone to cover, if they can: most social media and email monitoring is just habit, but occasionally we are waiting for an important update. If that’s the case, try to ensure someone outside the meeting is monitoring communications.
• Embrace the upsides: if your business is progressive, you could take an alternative approach and harness the benefits of social media for meetings. Consider using Google Hangouts or Skype instead of meeting face-to-face, or use internal social networks such as Yammer to share information with colleagues and avoid the need to meet up. There are smart ways to use social media to make meetings more efficient.

Tell us about it

What's your business policy on Social Media use whilst at work? Do you see it being a drain on productivity or does it aid getting things done in your work place? We'd love to hear about your experiences, so come on, share!