Social work? More companies permit social networking on the job: survey
By Contributor
Tweets and “likes” are becoming more beneficial to business, a new Robert Half Technology survey suggests.
More than 44 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed said they permit employees to use social media sites like Twitter and Facebook on the job as long as it’s for business purposes. This is up from 22 per cent in 2009.
But while firms may be more open to the business applications of social media, nearly 32 per cent of organizations still prohibit it completely at the office.
The surveys were based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CIOs from companies across Canada with 100 or more employees.
“Most companies do feel that social networking sites can be leveraged as effective business tools for building their brand, whether it’s marketing products or services, obtaining customer feedback or increasing the overall level of interactivity with their social media audience,” said Lara Dodo, a regional vice-president for Robert Half Technology in Canada.
Robert Half Technology offers four tips for using social media sites in the workplace:
- Know the rules of the road. Make sure you’re clear about what type of social networking use is permitted within your organisation.
- Exercise discretion. Never share sensitive or confidential company information or post negative comments about your employer, or current or potential clients and customers.
- Get the scoop. If permissible, use social media sites at work to connect with customers and clients, follow thought leaders in your field or gather industry news.
- Play it safe. If you use social media on behalf of your company, make sure you protect your feeds by creating secure passwords, refraining from clicking on questionable links and limiting access to select employees.
The findings
CIOs were asked, “Which of the following most closely describes your company’s policy on visiting social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, while at work?”
Their responses 2011 2009
Prohibited completely 32% 58%
Permitted for business purposes 44% 22%
Permitted for limited personal use 20% 16%
Permitted for any personal use 3% 3%
Don’t know/no answer 0% 1%
Responses do not total 100% due to rounding.
