We are all guilty of being cynical about our work, employers
and colleagues at one time or another. Complaints about daily tasks, management’s
leadership skills and gossip about other co-workers and office politics can now
be shared in a different way- the blogosphere! The term ‘blogosphere’ was created by
William Quick (2001), and describes it as the ‘intellectual cyberspace’ that
bloggers occupy.
Employee cynicism published
in blogs is spoken about by Richards and Kosmala (2013) as they contend that
employee blogging is a response to corporate culture. They deliver the ideas of
Fleming and Spicer (2003, cited in Richards and Kosmala 2013, p. 2) who argue
that the manifestation of power is imaginary because employees who blog about
their job still remain ‘compliant’ with the organisation. This means that
employees are being cynical about their occupation and publishing their distrust
in the organisation or employer on blogs but go back to work the next day and
do the work that they are employed to do.
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| (Image: http://fitforlifedaily.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/fit-for-life-joins-corporate-blogosphere-with-fit-for-life-daily/) |
I do not have a blog covering the issues I have about my
part time job, but I do put my hand up to say that I participate heavily in
cynical talk in regards to my workplace with family and friends. However, I do
this because I care about the organisation and think that some progresses could
be made to develop employee satisfaction thus improving business as a whole. I
agree with Richards’ and Kosmala’s (2013, p. 7) study that found employee
bloggers had a strong sense of loyalty and dedication to their job. This I
believe can be applied to me as my cynical expressions can improve the
business. Richard and Kosmala (2013)
believe that blogging about work allows voices to be heard and can substitute
trade unions for employees who just need to ‘vent’.
Schoneboom (2007, cited in Richards and Kosmala 2013, p 4) contends
that these blogs are no longer ‘attacks on employers but are organised vocal
movements’. Blogging about work can connect the employee to their occupational
community online participating in a ‘global village’ feeling connected to
others who feel the same things in their line of work and possibly in other
countries. This is the benefit of globalisation and does not come without some costs
employers and employees need to consider.
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| (Image: http://mariosundar.com/category/how-to-use-social-media/business-blogging/) |
References
Quick, W 2004, ‘Content delivery in the blogosphere’, DailyPundit.com,
831520, 30 Dec 2004, <http://thejournal.com/articles/2004/02/01/content-delivery-in-the-blogosphere.aspx>
Richards, J Kosmala, K
2013, “In the end, you can only slag people off for so long”: employee cynicism
through work blogging”, New Technology, Work and Employment, Vol.
28, No.1, Blackwell, Oxford
Melissa, it was interesting you identify the term ‘blogosphere’ as being created by William Quick in 2001, only just over a decade and now this cyber existence controls so much of our work and play. I agree that employees are being contradictory by “publishing their distrust in the organisation or employer on blogs” but returning to work the next day. Certainly we have all engaged in employee cynicism with over dinner with family and friends and there should a level of attention paid to “employee satisfaction” however I do believe that the vast majority of companies have avenues through which this complains can be made in a formal and professional matter. This not only increases the employee’s chance of having the issue attended to but also ensures there is no case for dismissal based on defamatory comments put out into the public sphere.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I found this post extremely engaging and thought it raised some interesting questions. Your introduction captured my attention and ensured I continued reading as you outlined scenarios everyone can relate to in working life. I am not completely sure that I agree with Fleming and Spicer's opinion that employees who blog about their job are still compliant with the organisation. While the fact they are blogging about their job shows they are passionate, it also has the ability to prove destabilising if negative opinions begin to spread through the organisation. As long as blogs discussing workplaces and their practices are constructive then I can recognise the value which comes with blogging about work.
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your beautifully written and informative post! You take full advantage of the connected nature of blogging providing both images and links to enhance your readers’ knowledge of your chosen topic. I find the relationship between blogging, social media and employment a very interesting one. I can recall multiple examples of employees getting into trouble or even losing jobs over what they write online. Articles such as the one I’ve linked to here even warn about the dangers of posting about your employer online:
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobsearchprivacy/a/postingonline.htm
This trend has led to businesses and companies actually creating social media policies that employees must agree to adhere to, quite an interesting trend. I like you have certainly engaged in cynical discussions about my various workplaces in the past and as a rule would always avoid posting anything about it online. Your great sources indicate some facts that I would certainly not have thought were true such as bloggers actually being more compliant in the workplace. As a whole this is an extremely informative and refreshing post!