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To ban or promote social networking in offices? Managers ponder options
Don’t give your boss a reason to dislike these sites and you won’t have to resort to crouching under your desk to check Facebook. Photo/FREDRICK ONYANGO
Posted Thursday, March 11 2010 at 00:00
Social media are, by definition, supposed to be a social experience. Make a profile and start connecting. Reach out to friends, old and new.
Post a profile picture, and while you’re at it upload a photo album of your trip to Greece so others can see and comment.
When you’re done with that, look at your friends’ profiles and see what they’re up to. Oh, a friend just logged in, too, so now you can chat.
What, it’s been two hours since you logged on? How did the time pass so quickly? You should get back to work.
And this is why some employers have banned social media sites—as well as other potential time wasters—from the office.
The only problem is that social media aren’t a fad.
Certain sites might have come and gone over the past five years, but the movement toward interactive communities continues, and companies are active participants.
In fact, having social media skills on your résumé is a boon right now, when many of today’s employers haven’t ever logged on to Facebook or Twitter and don’t understand what these sites do.
Few employers would argue that social networks are inherently bad, but what makes the sites great (freedom to post what’s on your mind, discuss the day’s hot topics, post silly pictures) is also what makes the sites dangerous for a company.
Consider these findings from a 2009 survey on policies and data loss risks from Proofpoint Inc.
Seventeen per cent of companies report that they have investigated the posting of confidential, sensitive or private information to a social network, such as Facebook or LinkedIn.
Ten per cent have taken disciplinary actions against an employee who violated social networking policies in the past 12 months.
Eight per cent terminated an employee for violating a social networking policy.
Forty five per cent are highly concerned about unauthorised information being posted on social networks.
Even the most ardent Facebooker can see that employers have reason to be concerned about security breaches.
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