Social media drains productivity at workplaces

By: Rebecca Okine

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has blamed the overuse of mobile phones—especially for social media—for declining productivity in Ghanaian workplaces, calling on human resource professionals to take action.

Speaking at the Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management (CIHRM) in Accra yesterday, the Minister raised concerns over the growing number of workers who spend significant portions of work hours on their phones, engaging in non-work-related activities.

“Social media and your phones, apart from becoming toxic sources of misinformation, are consuming man-hours in both public and private institutions,” he said. “Too much time is spent on phones instead of contributing to the productivity of enterprises and industries to which you are appointed.”

Mr. Iddrisu clarified that while mobile phones are essential for communication and business operations, their misuse during working hours is unacceptable and undermines both organizational performance and national development goals. He urged HR managers to enforce workplace discipline and establish clear standards around responsible phone use.

Also addressing the conference, President of CIHRM, Florence Hutchful, echoed the Minister’s concerns and emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration among HR professionals and key stakeholders.

She called for ethical leadership within human resource management, stressing the need to foster workplace cultures grounded in justice and dignity.

“Embedding ethics into HR practice is crucial. HR managers must cultivate environments where every employee feels safe, valued, and heard,” she said.

The conference brought together HR practitioners, policy leaders, and industry experts to explore solutions for boosting productivity, enhancing professionalism, and aligning HR practices with national development priorities.