Your assignment is to write a short report on social networking in the workplace: specifically, on using Facebook in the workplace.  Here’s the situation:

 

Your boss has asked you to research and write about this topic because of a problem in your workplace.  Apparently, some of the older employees have complained to your boss about some of the younger employees who are using Facebook during their spare time at work.  These younger employees have their own Facebook pages and are posting messages and photos during the day, as well as reading and responding to messages posted by their Facebook friends.  Your boss is open-minded and doesn’t want to restrict the use of Facebook without looking into it first; your boss also doesn’t want to alienate either group of employees.

 

So, your boss has turned to you for help and has asked you to research the use of Facebook and other social networking sites in the workplace.  Your boss would like you to prepare a short report that explains both the advantages and disadvantages of using Facebook in the workplace.  Your boss has also asked you to include your own recommendations as to how best to resolve this workplace conflict.

 

The report should use the memo format, with the main contents written in paragraphs that are roughly 4-5 sentences in length.  (See pages 54-60 in the textbook for guidelines on writing memos.)  Your report should include these subtopics: Benefits of Using Facebook in the Workplace; Problems with Using Facebook in the Workplace; Recommendations.  Each subtopic should be 1-2 paragraphs long and should have its own heading.  Add an introductory paragraph that sets up the report for your reader and a short concluding paragraph.

 

For your sources, use the articles you received from your professor: no other research is needed!   Be careful not to plagiarize from your sources.  In particular, do not copy word-for-word without adding quotation marks and identifying the source.

 

Click here for a set of steps to take when writing a short report, using the "Match and Mix" process.

 

Your report should be accurate and informative.  Think of it as a document that will give clear and helpful information to your boss and to anyone who is asked by your boss to read it.