Should social networking be banned in the work place?
Posted: Tuesday 13 September, 2011
Emilie Legrand
It emerged this week that and increasing number of companies are taking the decision to ban the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the work place. The report, published by Clearswift identified the latest proportion of UK businesses that are currently banning the use of social media as high as 29 per cent.
With multiple social networking sites having now become a core aspect of many online PR and marketing campaigns, it is certainly surprising to see such a huge number of companies now placing bans on employees utilising social media whilst at work. Although for certain professions it can be seen as a risk to enable employees to engage in social media, in a society that is becoming more and more social media-led, there is little reason as to why employees can’t be seen as brand ambassadors and use social networking sites to be just that.
Although it could be suggested that the reason companies are reluctant to let their workforce indulge in a tweet or Facebook update at work is because it could potentially distract them from their paid-work, the Clearswift report actually illustrates that this is not the case – revealed instead, that most companies were concerned about the loss of data.
It also highlighted that In fact, people between the ages of 18 and 24, who might be considered to be more likely to get distracted by social networking sites, are actually better at merging their work and personal life because they have a better understanding of the benefits – using a personal profile to link to a company Facebook page contributes towards both the social media visibility and search ranking of the business.
I know I’m in no place to comment because the nature of my job is such that I need to be aware of social media trends and news, therefore use Facebook and Twitter on and off throughout my working day, however, I think the use of social networking sites in the work place should not automatically be disregarded based on what could potentially go wrong. There is no question that clear rules, guidelines and certain barriers should always be put in place to prevent employees from taking advantage, but for the benefit of search and online marketing, the use of social networking in the workplace should always be strongly considered.
