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Many employers are fretting that Twitter — like email and The Google and The Interweb — are a drain on employees' time and attention, and generally a bad thing for business. Some companies have already taken to banning Twitter from the workplace: most notably, the White House (even though Twitter got the President elected), the Marine Corps (even though the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has 4,000 followers), and the Green Bay Packers (no wonder Brett Favre left).
But I take issue with that.
And I'll even go a step farther. I've met enough people in the Twitterverse to conclude that Twitterers make better employees. Let's call them tworkers, since Twitterers *heart* neologisms. And remember, I write from the perspective of a management employment lawyer.
Here then are five reasons, which are each — of course — Twitterable (in fact they're twooshes — exactly 140 characters long):
1. Tworkers are usually extroverts. They don’t shy away from attention and they like showing off. They understand their roles as performers.2. Tworkers are interested in being part of a community, one they help build. They care about people, and they’re sharing and compassionate.
3. Tworkers are unafraid of trying new things, but not because something is a fad. They are always looking for a better way of doing things.
4. Tworkers have the ability to quickly make friends with strangers. They also know that what they say reflects upon them and their company.
5. Tworkers know how to express themselves concisely in plain English. They say what they mean. They get to the point without wasting words.
As an employer, and as an employment lawyer, these are qualities that I want to see in my workplace. Or tworkplace.
Employers: don't ban Twitter from the workplace. Instead, look for good tworkers.
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