Social Media in the Workplace

by | Aug 22, 2014 | Articles

We get asked this alot – is it necessary for a business to participate in social media?

That’s a complicated question, and it generally depends on what industry you are in. For example, a retailer would be more effective on Facebook, then say a local book publishing company that specializes in business magazines. If you are considering using social media in your business or allowing employees to use social media on or off the job, you may be interested in this recent study.

Results from recent Social Media in the Workplace study

Global law firm Proskauer Rose LLP recently revealed the findings of its annual Social Media in the Workplace Around the World survey. According to the results:

  • Ninety percent of businesses surveyed use social media for business purposes.
  • Social media misuse in the workplace has increased, as 70 percent of businesses reported taking disciplinary action against an employee for misuse, compared to just 35 percent last year.
  • However, 80 percent of businesses now implement a social media use policy, compared to 60 percent in last year’s study, and more than half of businesses surveyed have updated their policies in the last year.
  • The number of businesses restricting access to social media sites is increasing, as 36 percent of companies surveyed actively block such sites, compared to 29 percent last year, and just 43 percent of companies allow all employees to access social media sites at work, a decrease of 10 percent from last year.

Find the results of the survey and best practices for handling a social media use policy in your workplace at www.proskauer.com/files/uploads/social-media-in-the-workplace-2014.pdf

If your company does not have a social media policy as part of your employee manual, please contact us for some templates. We’ve got a few great ones for you to use as a starting point ranging from allowing wide use of social media throughout the company to absolutely forbidding it. Remember, at the end of the day the policy should reflect your company’s culture and values.