Employers crack down on social networking

Companies are tightening rules governing personal and business use

Many companies are tightening their grip on how employees use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook at work, according to a new study.

The survey of 270 chief information officers (CIOs), by staffing firm Robert Half Technology, found 21 per cent of CIOs said their companies are getting more strict with respect to the personal use of social networking sites in the office and 15 per cent are placing limits on their business use.

“Companies are still evaluating the use of social media in the workplace and are weighing the benefits against the risks,” said Megan Slabinski, president of Robert Half Technology’s Canadian operations.

“When designing social networking policies, there is no universal fit. Inter-departmental contributions from IT, legal, human resources, marketing, public relations and front-line employees will help ensure that a company’s most critical needs are met.”

How IT policies around social networking have changed (multiple responses allowed):

• More strict with respect to personal use: 21 per cent

• More strict with respect to business use: 15 per cent

• More lenient with respect to personal use: 14 per cent

• More lenient with respect to business use: 10 per cent

• No change: 48 per cent

• Don’t know/no answer: two per cent

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