Half of companies have banned social networks

Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter only distract employees' attention, at expense of employer

Are you one of the lucky few who enjoys the privilege of social networking while at work?

A survey released today compiling information from telephone interviews of 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs) revealed that 54% of companies completely prohibit employees from using social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Robert Half Technology concluded from the survey data that the majority of companies simply see the sites as pools of distraction without any translatable utility for the workplace.

"Using social networking sites may divert employees’ attention away from more pressing priorities, so it’s understandable that some companies limit access," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology.

On the other hand, the survey data showed that some companies allowed employees to access the sites. Willmer noted, "For some professions, however, these sites can be leveraged as effective business tools."

19% of CIOs responded that they permit employee access to social networks strictly for business purposes.

Remarkably, a not insignificant amount of respondents stated that they allow employees to log on to social media sites for purely personal reasons. Of the the 26% who gave this response, 16% allowed for "limited personal use" and 10% allowed for "any type of personal use."

Unfortunately, Robert Half Technology's study did not venture any deeper into the nuances of employee policies about social networking. Could it be that any employers disallow one social networking site and allow another? Furthermore, it would be interesting to note any areas of overlap: for example, perhaps an employer allows Facebook for "limited personal use" and Twitter for business purposes only.

And, beyond the workplace, what are company policies on employee Web 2.0 updates that take place after work hours? Employees have been warned time and time again about what they reveal on the Internet, but there appear to be no clear-cut rules.

Nevertheless, this recent survey demonstrates once again how social networking is shaping (and being excluded from) the workplace of the 21st century.