Date: Monday, November 12, 2007

Unions call for social networking at work guidelines

Social networking has soared in popularity in the last year with Facebook now boasting around 5 million regular users in the UK alone. However, with Brits spending an average of 143 minutes on the site every month, it’s estimated that our social networking obsession is costing businesses up to £130 million every day.

A recent survey of 65 public sector businesses shows that companies are starting to fight back. The figures, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, indicate that in the last three years alone, around 1,700 employees were disciplined for misuse of email and the Internet. The companies surveyed include the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) who reprimanded 313 employees for misuse of the Internet and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) who actually dismissed 30 staff members for inappropriate use of the Internet and email.

However, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) believes companies should set out clearer guidelines regarding Internet use before taking such extreme action, particularly as the popularity of social networking sites continues to grow. A spokesperson said: “Social networking at work is a recent problem and it’s growing at a phenomenal rate. But employers are often not setting a standard as to what level of Internet use is acceptable.” Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational health and psychology, also believes companies should be more understanding. He said: “Britain has the longest working hours in the developed world... It is natural for people to have to use work computers to organise their personal life.”

Other offences logged in the survey include viewing inappropriate material such as pornography, forwarding offensive emails and excessive personal use of the Internet.

Source:

Guardian