Social networking at work? Don’t you dare!

Even in these modern times, where social networking has become an important part of many people’s (online) lives, not everyone seems to be as keen on this phenomenon of sharing. According to a survey conducted by Robert Half Technology, half of the interviewed employers now completely block employees from accessing social networking sites at work. Only 10% allow their employees to use sites such as Facebook and Twitter however they please, while the remainder all restrict the use of social networking websites.

In the survey, conducted with more than 1,400 chief information officers from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees, the CIO’s were asked to describe their company’s policy on visiting social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, while at work. The results were as follows:

Prohibited completely		54%
Permitted for business purposes only		19%
Permitted for limited personal use		16%
Permitted for any type of personal use		10%
Don’t know/no answer		1%
		100%

Despite the fact that the internet (and even Web 2.0) has been around for quite some time, It seems we’re still in the early days of employers trying to find a policy that works.

What do you think? Does your (future) employer have the right to impose such restrictions, especially when it comes to websites that center upon personal expression?

Source:
Robert Half Technology

Frederik De Bosschere