Ties that work: Investigating the relationships among coworker connections, work-related Facebook utility, online social capital, and employee outcomes

People connect with their coworkers on social networking sites not only for personal but also for professional purposes. Although much has been done to understand the use of enterprise social networking sites (ESNSs), little is known about the impact of connecting with coworkers on publicly available social networking sites (PSNSs) such as Facebook and Twitter. This study examines the relationships among the percentage of coworker connections within the total number of Facebook contacts, work-related Facebook utility, employee online social capital, and employee outcomes. Results from an online survey (N = 195) revealed that the percentage of coworker connections had a significant and positive impact on the perceptions of work-related Facebook organizing and network utility as well as online bridging social capital. Employees’ online bonding social capital was associated with job satisfaction. Online bridging social capital had a positive impact on job performance. Online bonding social capital mediated the relationship between information utility and job satisfaction. This study supports the idea that PSNS use can bring a positive impact on important organizational processes and employee outcomes. Managers and designers should help employees to utilize functions of PSNSs that are useful for improving their job performance and job satisfaction.