What’s Your Policy?

A survey by Proskauer’s International Labor & Employment Group of more than 120 multinational companies indicated that while 76 percent of businesses use social networking for business, nearly half don’t have social media and networking policies in place. What’s more, 43 percent of respondents have experienced employee misuse of social networks. Only 29 percent actively block employees’ access to social networking sites and only 27 percent monitor employees’ use of these sites.

Social media has become an accepted tool in hiring, communications, networking and conducting business. And while we wouldn’t want to work for a company that blocked us from using sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, we should be cognizant of the risks inherent in those sites including lost productivity.

What does your company do to make sure employees don’t damage your firm’s reputation? Do you believe it is ethical to monitor employees’ social media activity to ensure they are being productive, and if so, how is your company doing this?