Want to hire bright young workers with exceptional talent? It might help if your company allows access to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, according to new research by law firm Deacons.
Deacons’ Social Networking Survey 2008 found almost half of those who used social networking sites at work said that if given a choice between two jobs equal in all other respects they would choose an employer which allowed access to these sites over one which did not.
Deacons’ research found 62per cent of workers have access to the Internet from work and of these 14 per cent use it at some time to access social networking sites.
Among those who use social networking sites, 91 per cent saw a benefit to their organisation.
Comments Nick Abrahams, head of Deacons’ technology, media and telecommunications law practice: “There are risks with social networking sites in the workplace, such as adverse impacts on productivity, as well as heightened chances of harassment claims. One response is to block these sites but that action carries its own risks.
“Our research suggests organisations need to weigh these risks and learn to manage them as they have for other new technologies like e-mail, instant messaging and the Internet itself.”
