Chris Nerney balances the pros and cons of social media in the workplace in his recent article for Network World. First, he outlines some of the benefits of social media in the workplace:

1. Speed: Employees can find information they need faster

2. Networking: Social media = professional networking on steroids

3. Stress relief: Make no mistake, this can provide long-term benefits for employees

4. Cohesiveness: Helps build teamwork

Nerney then follows with a few blows against social media at work:

1. Workus interruptus: Social media is a source of constant work interruptions. The harmon.ie survey of 515 email users working at U.S. companies reveals that “nearly 60% of work interruptions now involve either using tools like email, social networks, text messaging and IM, or switching windows among disparate standalone tools and applications. In fact, 45% of employees work only 15 minutes or less without getting interrupted, and 53% waste at least one hour a day due to all types of distractions.”

2. Tempting the weak: Having your focus disrupted is one thing, but even worse, some employees will stop working by choice to delve into their social networks because…well, because they can.

3. Shallow Al: Constant interruptions – either initiated or suffered – not only rob employees of time on the job, they also have a negative impact on the quality of a worker’s thoughts.

Read the full story here and you decide…