According to the Deloitte's 2009 Ethics & Workplace Survey, 60% of business executives thought they have a right to know how workers profile themselves and their organizations on social networks.
Yet 53% of employees report their social networking pages are not an employer’s concern, with 63% of 18-34 year old respondents asserting that employers have no business monitoring their online activity. The survey represents the responses of 2,008 employed adults and 500 business executives.
“With the explosive growth of online social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, rapidly blurring the lines between professional and private lives, these virtual communities have increased the potential of reputational risk for many organizations and their brands,” says Sharon Allen, chairman of the board at Deloitte.
She explains that executives have to be “mindful of the implications of this connected world and to elevate the discussion about the risks associated with it to the highest levels of leadership.”
Other key findings from the survey:
- About 75% of employees believe that online social networks make it easier to damage a company's reputation.
- Seventeen percent of executives report they have programs in place to monitor and mitigate the possible reputational risks related to the use of social networks.
- Nearly half (49%) of employees indicate defined guidelines will not change their behavior online.
- One-third of employees surveyed never consider what their boss or customers might think before posting material online.
Related coverage:
Putting social media to work for HR/benefits pros
Twitter to the workers
