Social not-working good for business

BRITISH THINK TANK Demos reckons employees who use social not-working sites like Facebook and Myspace are actually an asset to firms and not just lazy time wasters who deserve the sack.

The report on social networking and instant messaging was commissioned by phone company Orange and interviewed workers from six companies.

Demos reckons encouraging employees to use not-working technologies to cosy up to their colleagues and customers could do wonders for businesses, whereas fascist attempts to restrict their use could do damage by limiting the ways staff communicate, flirt and throw virtual chickens at each other. Social networking is also purportedly a good way to make contact with that hot girl from accounts, something which is bound to be useful for all that inter-department synergising the boss is always banging on about.

Boosting employee productivity, innovation and "democratic working" – whatever that may be – are apparently just some of the many benefits of sites like Facebook and Bebo, which may come as a surprise to those who thought it was just a way to pass the time between 9 and 5 playing Texas Hold ‘em and Scrabble with virtual friends.

And anyway, even if employers don’t like it, they may well have to lump it, says report author Peter Bradwell, noting that bans on things like Facebook or Youtube are "almost impossible to enforce; firms may as well try to put a time limit on the numbers of minutes allowed each day for gossiping".

But Bradwell warns businesses should be strict with those who abuse their access, spending their entire days updating semi witty statuses, or uploading non-flattering pics of weekend booze-ups. As funny as those may be, they apparently do not help the "democratic working" principles of any firm and deserve a good poking.

But not all photos are bad. "Being able to see a photo of colleagues, or knowing what they are up to, can be incredibly useful for businesses, especially if a firm employs thousands of people," noted Dr Mark Turrell, whose firm, Imaginatik, took part in the study.

As one unlucky Aussie worker knows all too well though, it’s probably best not to advertise pulling a sickie for a hangover if you have your boss as a Facebook mate.

Robert Ainger, Corporate Director of Orange, also weighs in on the matter, in somewhat more dramatic fashion. Facebook, according to Ainger, can solve the credit crisis and put the economy back on normal footing. “The value of networking within an economic downturn is perhaps more important than ever and I believe it could mean the difference between a business collapsing or capitalising on the tricky conditions," he said before rushing off to superpoke all his friends. µ

L'Inq
The report