Social media both unites and divides federal workforce

Generations of federal employees might disagree about the appropriate use of social media in the workplace, but there is a real business use for these networking tools in government, advocates of Web 2.0 said on Tuesday.

Members of a panel at the Cloud Computing Summit in Washington used audience feedback to highlight the communication differences among the four generational groups that make up the federal workforce. For example, 56 percent of attendees polled said online tools limit their personal interaction with co-workers. Panelists agreed that younger employees tend to be phone-phobic, preferring instant messaging and other Internet-based methods of communication.

But IMing someone sitting only a few feet away can be detrimental to an organization by not nurturing relationships, so employees should figure out how to use social media wisely and in appropriate situations, they said.

"It's a Swiss Army Knife. Like all communication tools, there is a time and a place for what you're doing," said Steve Ressler, founder of the social network GovLoop. "Sometimes e-mail is very effective at certain things, Twitter and social networks are very effective at other things."

These technologies, however, often can erode personal relationships, which still are important in today's workplace, panelists agreed. For example, the ability to ask good questions is an art form that should be cultivated, said Jack Holt, senior strategist for new media at the Defense Department.

"If you have an e-mail detailing a certain project, that's wonderful. But you can accomplish so much more over a cup of coffee or a telephone call," said Amanda Eamich, director of new media for the Agriculture Department.

Part of the problem is different generations of workers must learn how best to communicate with each other to solve problems, the social networking professionals said. It is easy to complain about business processes and policies, but agency leaders should encourage young employees to brainstorm meaningful solutions and then come up with a plan to address those challenges, Eamich noted.

Panelists also highlighted generational differences of opinion on telework. To older employees, face time and hours at the office are at the core of their job, but younger workers expect to be able to work from anywhere, which can strain professional relationships with older workers, they said.

"When you have something in your facility, you don't necessarily have to have a very formal service-level agreement between you and them, because you see them," said Dan Mintz, chief operating officer at Powertek Corp. and former chief information officer at the Transportation Department. "Telework has to move to the point where you can do it anywhere, but there's going to be a lot of work in terms of creating service-level agreements, [such as] what the work consists of and how you define and measure it."

Most audience members polled said social networking has yet to fundamentally change the way their agencies provide services to the public, but a shift will occur within the next two to three years.

The social media space still is developing, and it will continue to evolve as people understand they must learn certain skills to use the tools, Ressler said. Agencies will have to provide training for employees to learn how to engage with citizens in new ways, he added.