Most bosses monitor or block social-network use at work
Didn't get where they are today fooling about on Web 2.0
Posted in Management, 7th September 2011 11:29 GMT
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Viruses, loss of confidential data and fear of employees tooling around doing sweet FA on Twitter are the top reasons that employers give for putting the brakes on social media in the workplace. And it's stopping them benefiting from new collaborative technologies, says ClearSwift Research.
The company surveyed 1,529 employees and 906 managers in companies across the world about social media in the office. The survey found that 60 per cent of employers worried that giving their employees free access to Web 2.0 would bring in viruses and worms, 49 per cent feared the loss of confidential data through employee carelessness, or hacking (45 per cent), while many also worried that it had a negative impact on productivity (40 per cent) and posed a threat of reputational damage if used inappropriately (37 per cent).
Overall, 91 per cent of UK companies said that concerns about security and data loss were preventing technology adoption.
ClearSwift – an information-security company – stated that this caution was holding companies back from the "significant" advantages of social media. According to the survey-slingers, these include: improving internal communication, making employees happy, keeping people up to date with new information and improving contact with clients.
"Successful use of 'Web 2.0' is still seen as critical to future success by both groups, and there is ongoing investment in this area," the report stated. "Technology adoption is, however, being hampered by security concerns, with high-profile data loss incidents generating scepticism about new collaboration technologies."
To keep tabs on staff internet use, employers used a range of tactics: 71 per cent issued a best practice policy on internet use, 68 per cent said they monitored employee internet activity and 56 per cent went the whole hog and blocked access to certain social networking sites in the workplace.
However the survey suggested that blocking or clamping down on social media made staff twitchy and sad:
"[Employees] feel disconnected from the risks of Web 2.0 – they have little sense of what they are being protected from, and therefore respond negatively to monitoring and security measures. Since they see little rationale for blocking and monitoring, they are likely to disconnect from their employers if policies are perceived as unreasonable."
Young employees in particular found social media bans at work difficult to deal with: only 35 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 44 per cent of 25-34-year-olds would happily stay at a job if they found their employer's social media policy too restrictive.
Forty-three percent of companies had actually experienced a security incident resulting from internet use. ®
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COMMENTS
indeed
we block it. It has no use in our workplace. It serves only to be used as a time sink.
Obviously im not filtered as an admin.
Hmm...
"And it's stopping them benefiting from new collaborative technologies, says ClearSwift Research."
For 90% of ther working population ....... b***ocks. people have been goofing off for years and Facebook just allows them to do it while presenting the semblance of working.
Simple solution we had at work - single machine in the middle of the room, with unrestricted internet access, but logins required to use it to 'benefit from new collaborative techniques'. Oh, and no access to shared folders, files etc so anything that you want to upload has to go on a flash drive so no excuses for accidental disclosure. Usage levels were monitored but not what was actually done. needless to say the machine had a direct link and no access to the rest of the network.
Worked a treat.
Get a clue, managers!
All you luddites screaming for website blocks are utterly deluded. You obviously think that website blocks will increase worker productivity as though they suddenly become some kind of automaton capable of 8hrs solid thoughtfulness and concerted effort. 8hr minus breaks that is (But only the statutory ones!)
Apart from anything, you're just deflecting the slacking off to other areas - People will take their full lunch entitlement, and their sick day 'entitlement'. They'll arrive at 9 and leave at 5, they'll have extra long coffee breaks, even extra toilet breaks. I've seen people where their freedom is so curtailed, they resort to moving the box around an empty spreadsheet with the arrow keys, so adamantly did their minds demand some kind of non-work related stimulation.
I for one am grateful my employer allows me the freedom to have downtime when needed and repay that trust with 'free' weekend maintenance work and pulling a late one where necessary, not to mention the extra study I put in so I can provide outstanding work at all other times.
You lot may well be running successful businesses, or be an efficient middle manager but you could be doing so much better if you treated your staff as human beings.
Dudes, it's no longer acceptable to have an office like a Dickensian schoolroom, and your best staff know this - but you won't keep them for long.
A beer for all your long suffering staff.
Not worth the effort
We used to heavily monitor and restrict internet usages however a couple of years ago effectivly removed all restrictions.
Since then there has been no noticable loss of productivity and staff seem happier. So what if a few customer service agents plant some new crops on their Farmvilles between recieving phone calls? Its not worth increasing the staff turnover and decreasing moral to restrict it.
The only thing I will do is keep an eye on our Terminal servers incase any begin running too hot, in which case I'll give the user playing all those flash games a quick call and ask them if they wouldnt mind closing a few of the unused windows.
Benefits...
"And it's stopping them benefiting from new collaborative technologies, says ClearSwift Research."
Always makes me laugh when some web 2.0 fan comes out and says something like this, they talk about benefits but do not give any examples of said benefits in the real world.
As a manufacturing company what benefit would allowing our employees on farcebook have? We have a marketing department that manages the "like" page for our business and our twitter feed, sure ok but beyond that?
Very difficult to find anything that counteracts the negativity of employees goofing off by commenting endlessly on what their mates did when they got drunk last weekend, or levelling up again in Mafia Wars or Farmville.
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