How often should you peruse your Facebook news feed while at work?
It depends on whether your job requires you to be active on social media and
whether your job benefits from your personal social media presence.
For example, if you have a large audience on social media, your reputation
can benefit your company.
If you are responsible for your company’s social media presence, then
switching over to your personal account occasionally probably won’t cost you
much in terms of lost productivity.
However, if your work involves a lot of reading and writing, then using
Facebook doesn’t really offer a break for your brain.
In this case, you should use your break time - ideally five to 10 minutes every
hour - to do something a little more physical: take a walk, stretch or go
outside.
If your work is more physical, then sitting down to read Facebook for a few
minutes probably is an enjoyable way to take a break from work.
— Maura Thomas is founder of RegainYourTime.com, an author and an
expert in productivity and attention management.
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The use of Facebook can be a distraction and lead to errors and productivity
loss. Some employees still need to use it for work (to promote a product or
running a marketing campaign). Others can benefit from Facebook use when
it serves as a mental recharger between tasks - and not during tasks - and
only for very limited time.
My gut feeling says one to two minutes between tasks, and less than five to
10 minutes a day, akin to a short walk between the cubicles, a cigarette break
or a coffee break.
Employees need to familiarise themselves with the acceptable use policies of
the organisation. The problem is that many organisations have no such
policies in place. In such cases, they may want to err on the safe side and
avoid Facebook use, at least via work networks.
If they have to, it is safer to do so via their own mobile phones.
— Dr Ofir Turel, business professor at California State University in
Fullerton, who co-wrote a study looking at the effects of Facebook on a
person’s brain.
