In This Article
Subscribe to Technology Updates
Business Managers Who Ban Social Networking May Lose Staff
May 22, 2008 08:25 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
An Australian study suggests that bosses who ban social networking at work may have trouble retaining and hiring employees.
Email This30-Second Summary
According to research from Deacons, an Australian law firm, nearly half of regular social networking users would refuse a job if social networking sites were banned by a potential employer.
Social networking has become increasingly popular in the last few years, with an especial attraction for young users. As this young demographic enters the workforce, their social networking habits raise eyebrows among potential employers. Nick Abrahams of Deacons explained the problem: "Younger employees are the ones who use social networking sites and it's these people organizations are trying to attract."
The issue has prompted a debate over the value of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace in the workplace. Some companies believe that allowing access to social networking sites can boost the employees’ professional connections and reinforce trust between workers and higher-ups. According to analysis presented in TechNewsWorld.com, “business users often use [social networking] tools … more for official purposes than for personal reasons.”
Others employers fear that time used for online social networking means losses in productivity, and ultimately, in profits. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a 2007 Australian employment report calculated that “if an employee spends an hour each day on Facebook, it costs the company more than $A6200 a year.” Because Australia has approximately 800,000 businesses, the cost of time spent on Facebook could total nearly $A5 billion annually.
Social networking has become increasingly popular in the last few years, with an especial attraction for young users. As this young demographic enters the workforce, their social networking habits raise eyebrows among potential employers. Nick Abrahams of Deacons explained the problem: "Younger employees are the ones who use social networking sites and it's these people organizations are trying to attract."
The issue has prompted a debate over the value of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace in the workplace. Some companies believe that allowing access to social networking sites can boost the employees’ professional connections and reinforce trust between workers and higher-ups. According to analysis presented in TechNewsWorld.com, “business users often use [social networking] tools … more for official purposes than for personal reasons.”
Others employers fear that time used for online social networking means losses in productivity, and ultimately, in profits. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a 2007 Australian employment report calculated that “if an employee spends an hour each day on Facebook, it costs the company more than $A6200 a year.” Because Australia has approximately 800,000 businesses, the cost of time spent on Facebook could total nearly $A5 billion annually.
Headline Link: ‘Bosses who block Facebook are losing staff’
The Courier-Mail of Brisbane, Australia, reports that employers who prohibit their workers from using social networking sites in the office risk losing current staff and will face difficulty in attracting new young workers, for whom social networking is an integral part of life. Meanwhile, many employers fear that social networking sites lower productivity and slows down computer systems.
Source: The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia)
Background: Facebook infiltrates the office
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2007 that Australian workers cost their companies about $A5 billion worth of company time while using social networking sites. According to the piece, lower productivity is not the only risk of Facebook in the office. Another fear “is that Facebook users can make company systems vulnerable to hackers.”
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
A 2007 report published by Tech New World explained that many employers are embracing social networking sites to “drive corporate innovation and facilitate communication from the boardroom on down.” A study by Rachel Dappe, research manager at International Data Corporation, discovered that “business users often use these tools … more for official purposes than for personal reasons.”
Source: Tech News World
A silicon.com poll found that social networking sites are not a huge distraction for most employees: “two-thirds of respondents (66 per cent) said they don't spend any time at all on it. And a further 24 per cent said they spend less than one hour per week checking out the likes of Bebo and Facebook.”
Source: Silicon.com
Opinions and Analysis: Facebook serves as online “water cooler”
Michael Geist of the BBC argued in 2007 that banning Facebook from the workplace was “misguided,” explaining that “the site can be very useful in mobilizing interest around political and policy issues.” According to Geist, “[s]ocial network sites are simply the internet generation's equivalent of…the workplace water cooler—the place where people come together to exchange both ideas and idle gossip. Attempts to block such activity are not only bound to fail, but they ultimately cut off decision makers.”
Source: BBC
History: The rise of social networking
In 2007, the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication published a research paper about the history and use of social networking sites. According to the study, “The U.S. military banned soldiers from accessing MySpace and the Canadian government prohibited employees from Facebook, while the U.S. Congress has proposed legislation to ban youth from accessing SNSs in schools and libraries.”
Source: The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Most Recent Beyond The Headlines
© 2008 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
